A FESTIVE FEAST

Celebrate the big day with this showstopping menu that’s guaranteed to delight – and easily halved for smaller gatherings

Create a showstopping meal

MENU serves 8, or adjust for fewer people

Scallops with caper & lemon butter sauce Caesar salad cups Quail’s eggs with dukkah Crab brioche bites Sweet and sour pumpkin with caramelised chestnuts and stir-fri ed Savoy cabbage Rack of venison with a herb crust and wild mushroom sauce Celeriac rösti Beetroot, horseradish and dill gratin Blood-orange mousse with Campari jelly and caramel oranges Gold-leaf amaretto truffles Salted caramel Florentines

Scallops with caper & lemon butter sauce

The scallops can be prepared in advance to step 2 and chilled for up to 24 hours until ready to cook. 40g softened butter Zest of 1 small lemon ½tbsp freshly chopped parsley, plus extra to garnish 16-24 fresh scallops, depending on size 8 clean scallop shells 2tbsp capers, drained and rinsed Lemon wedges, for squeezing

1 Beat together the softened butter, lemon zest and chopped parsley.

2 Divide the scallops between the shells (or use individual gratin dishes). Put a dollop of the flavoured butter into each shell. Season to taste.

3 Heat the grill to high. Arrange the scallop shells (or dishes) on a baking sheet. Cook the scallops for 2-3min, turning halfway through.

4 Serve hot, garnished with the capers, parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Caesar salad cups

This is a bite-sized version of the classic Caesar salad.

MAKES 16

½tbsp olive oil 4 anchovies, finely chopped 1-2 slices of white bread (crusts removed) diced into small cubes ½ small garlic clove, crushed ½tbsp freshly chopped parsley 16 Little Gem lettuce leaves, separated and trimmed Parmesan shavings, to garnish

FOR THE DRESSING 2tbsp mayonnaise 2tbsp full-fat natural yogurt Juice of ½ lemon 1tsp Dijon mustard ½tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 Mix together the dressing ingredients. Check the seasoning.

2 Heat the olive oil in a small pan and add the chopped anchovies. Cook for 1-2min to melt into the oil. Add the diced bread and stir-fry until golden. Then add the crushed garlic and cook for 30sec. Tip into a bowl and toss in the parsley.

3 Arrange the lettuce cups on a platter. Drizzle with the dressing and sprinkle with the crouton/anchovy mix. Garnish with the Parmesan shavings.

Quail’s eggs with dukkah

Egyptian in origin, dukkah is a mixture of herbs, spices and toasted hazelnuts, served here as a dip with quail’s eggs but more often with bread or vegetables.

MAKES 16

50g hazelnuts 40g sesame seeds 1tbsp each coriander and cumin seeds 1tsp freshly ground black pepper 16 quail’s eggs

1 Heat the oven to 170°C/150°C fan/gas mark 3. Spread out the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and cook for 5-10min until golden, stirring once or twice. Cool.

2 Chop the hazelnuts or coarsely blitz in a food processor. Tip into a bowl.

3 Place a pan over a medium heat.

Dry toast the sesame seeds until golden, then add to the hazelnuts.

4 Put the coriander and cumin seeds into the same pan and toast for a few minutes until golden. Cool, then grind in a coffee grinder or in a pestle and mortar. Add to the hazelnuts with the pepper. Season.

5 Bring a pan of water to the boil, lower in the eggs and cook for 3min precisely. Remove with a slotted spoon and plunge into a bowl of ice-cold water.

6 Serve the dukkah as a dip with the eggs, either peeled or unpeeled depending on your preferred presentation.

Crab brioche bites

Simple to prepare and packed with flavour, the crab mixture can be made up to three hours in advance.

MAKES 16

100g fresh white crab meat ½ red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped Zest of ½ lemon 2 spring onions, finely chopped ½tbsp finely chopped parsley A couple of shakes of Tabasco sauce (optional) 2tsp crème fraîche 4 slices of brioche loaf

1 Mix together all of the ingredients, except the brioche. Check the seasoning.

2 Toast the brioche. Remove the crusts, then cut each piece into 4 squares.

3 To serve, top each square with a small pile of the crab mixture.

Sweet and sour pumpkin with caramelised chestnuts and stir-fried Savoy cabbage

Serve this vegetarian main course with the celeriac rösti, mushroom sauce and beetroot gratin, ensuring all your guests get a similar meal without too much extra work.

SERVES 4

1tbsp olive oil 2 garlic cloves, bruised 3 sprigs of rosemary 500g peeled pumpkin or squash, cut into 1cm-thick slices 2½tbsp runny honey 1tbsp sherry vinegar 400g Savoy cabbage, shredded 40g butter 180g cooked chestnuts ½tsp black sesame seeds

1 Heat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas mark 7. Put the oil, garlic and rosemary in a roasting pan and place in the oven while you prepare the pumpkin.

2 When the oil is hot, add the pumpkin slices and roast for about 30min until almost tender. Pour off the oil and remove the garlic and rosemary.

3 Add 2tbsp honey and the vinegar to the pumpkin and toss well. Return to the oven for 10min, turning halfway through and basting with the honey and vinegar.

4 Meanwhile, bring a pan of salted water to the boil. Add the shredded Savoy cabbage and cook for approximately 2-3min until it’s tender. Drain and refresh under cold running water. Set aside. (You can do this the day before, then chill in a bowl of cold water until needed.)

5 When ready to serve, melt half of the butter in a pan set over a medium heat. When it stops foaming, add the cooked chestnuts and heat up, stirring, for 5min. Add the remaining honey and cook for 2min.

6 In another pan, melt the remaining butter and stir-fry the cabbage. Toss with the black sesame seeds.

7 Put a celeriac rösti (see the recipe on the following page) onto a warmed plate. Top with 2-3 slices of pumpkin, then a spoonful of the Savoy cabbage. Garnish with the caramelised chestnuts. Drizzle with mushroom sauce (see recipe on the following page) or a splash of extra virgin olive oil around the rösti.