3 Cooks Share Their Festive Entertaining Menus

In a small saucepan heat the ale or milk over a gentle heat until steaming.

In a separate pan, melt the butter over a medium heat and add in the flour. Stir for 2 minutes, until the flour is 'cooked out'.

Add the heated liquid a little bit at a time to the butter and flour roux, whisking all the time to avoid lumps.

Once all the liquid is added, add the cheese and stir until mostly melted but still chunky.

Season with the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, turn on and heat up the grill and toast both sides of your bread.

Lay the bread on a baking sheet and top each one with the rarebit sauce mix, place under the grill for about 2 minutes or until bubbling and golden on top.

Serve with chutney, fig jams or whatever you have and love in your fridge.

Start with the mushroom ketchup. Place a large pan over a medium heat and add a dash of oil. Add the onion and sweat until translucent.

Finely chop the chestnut and large flat mushrooms then add to the pan with a splash more oil. Sweat down until soft.

Boil a kettle and pour 100ml of hot water over the dried mushrooms. After about 5 minutes, these should be soft. Reserve the liquid and add the rehydrated mushrooms to the pan. Add the nutmeg, mace and garlic powder to the pan, stir for 30 seconds then add the rest of the ingredients, including the mushroom liquid. Simmer over a low heat for 10 minutes, stirring to avoid any sticking.

Transfer to a blender and blitz until smooth, taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. To adjust the consistency, return to the pan and reduce to thicken, or add a splash of water and re-season to loosen it. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month.

Next, make the choux and egg custard. Preheat the oven to 200˚C/Gas Mark 6. Heat the butter, water and salt in a saucepan over a low heat. When the butter melts, bring the mixture to a boil then remove from the heat immediately. Add the flour into the hot liquid. Stir until a firm, smooth paste forms.

Return the saucepan to a low heat to dry out the paste. Continue beating until it forms a ball and pulls away cleanly from the sides of the saucepan. Transfer the paste into a bowl and allow to cool for 5 minutes.

One by one, add the eggs to the paste, beating vigorously after each addition to incorporate as much air as possible. The paste should be smooth and shiny. The paste is ready to be used when it falls from the spoon in a point.

Transfer into a piping bag and pipe into shape. Egg wash with a brush then bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until cooked through.

Place the double cream in a pan over a medium heat and gently bring to a simmer.

Whisk the egg yolks lightly with the cornflour, then slowly pour in the double cream, whisking as you go. Transfer back to the pan and stir on a low heat until the mixture starts to thicken. It will go lumpy, do not worry, continue mixing off the heat then transfer to a blender while hot. Add the cheese to the mix in the blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to a container and cool.

To assemble, sauté the mushrooms in a frying pan over a high heat with a little oil and salt to season.

Mix the toasted chopped hazelnuts with the truffle honey.

Cut the éclair in half. In the bottom, spoon the mushroom ketchup and custard into the bottom half and then place a few of the mushrooms on top. Lay some sorrel leaves inside and drizzle with the hazelnut truffle honey, replace the lid. You can pipe some mushroom ketchup and more mushrooms on the side of the plate to garnish.

To make the rösti, cook the potatoes whole in the oven at 180°C/Gas Mark 4 for 25 minutes, until they are half-cooked through. Allow to cool, then grate on the larger side of a grater.

While the potatoes are cooking, melt the butter in a small pan over a medium heat, add the garlic and thyme and leave to infuse.

Once the potatoes are grated, strain the butter into the potatoes and mix with your hands to make sure the potatoes are fully coated in the melted butter.

Line a small loaf tin or baking tray with baking parchment and tip the potato mix in, cover the top with a piece of baking parchment and foil and bake in the oven at 160°C for 30-40 minutes. Check the potato is cooked by pushing a knife through easily.

Allow to cool with another baking tin on top with something inside to weigh it down. This is best done the day before and left in the fridge overnight.

To serve, cut it into portion-sized pieces and fry with a little oil in a frying pan until golden all over, keep warm in the oven until you need to serve.

To make the onion compote, sweat the onions in a pan over a medium to low heat with the oil and salt until translucent. Add the black pepper and thyme and cook for a few minutes until fragrant. Pour in the vinegars and sugar and turn the heat up to a gentle simmer. Stir regularly to avoid the mix sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Turn the heat down and cook very gently until the liquid has reduced and thickened and the onions have turned a deep golden colour. This is very similar to making a chutney or jam. Cool, then add the lemon zest and a little juice to taste. You can keep this in a sterile jar in the fridge for a month.

For the carrots, wash in cold water, remove the carrot tops and keep for a garnish. Either peel or scrub the skin and place on a baking tray. Toss with a drizzle of oil and a pinch of sea salt flakes and roast in a hot oven at 200°C for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown and maintaining their bite. Cut in half lengthways to serve.

Trim any fat left on the venison loin, rub with a little oil and season well with salt. Heat a large frying pan over a high heat and sear the venison loin all over. Transfer to a baking tray and cook in the oven for 10-15 minutes. If you have a temperature probe, cook to 50-52°C, remove from the oven and allow to rest, the temperature will continue to rise and should reach around 56-57°C. Once rested, carve into thick slices and sprinkle with sea salt to serve.

Blanch the kale or cavolo nero in a pan of boiling, salted water for 2-3 minutes and serve all together, either plated as pictured, or feasting style down the middle of the table.

Place the egg whites in a clean bowl of mixer. You can do this by hand but it is quicker and easier with a mixer.

Whisk on medium speed until medium-stiff peaks form, you want to build up lots of small bubbles slowly as this will create a more stable meringue.

Once the egg white reaches this stage, slowly add in the caster sugar a tablespoon at a time.

Once all the sugar has been added, continue whisking on a low speed until the sugar has dissolved.

Add a teaspoon of warm water to help this process along.

Meanwhile, prepare your trays and pre-heat your oven to 150°C/Gas Mark 2.

Line two flat trays with baking parchment, use a bowl or plate as a circle to draw around to give a guide for the piping of the meringue.

Fill a piping bag with the meringue and divide the mixture between the two trays.

Using a sieve, lightly dust the top of the meringue with a little cocoa powder.

Put the meringue in the oven and immediately reduce temp to 130°C, and cook for 1.5 hours. Once cooked, don’t open the oven door, turn off and allow to cool completely inside the oven. Once cool, store in an airtight container until ready to decorate and serve, this can be done 24 hours in advance.

To serve, gently melt the chocolate over a bain-marie, then set aside to cool slightly.

Lightly whip the double cream and icing sugar together, cut half the blackberries in half lengthways and keep the other whole and cut the figs into quarters.

Layer up the two meringues with the whipped cream, blackberries, cocoa nibs and top with the figs. Drizzle the dark chocolate over the whole meringue and serve!

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. Peel the ginger with a teaspoon, roughly chop and add to the bowl of a food processor. Slice the garlic clove, remove seeds from chilli, slice and add both to the food processor. Pulse until all 3 ingredients are finely chopped.

Wash and thinly slice the spring onion and add it to the food processor along with the brown sugar, tofu, sesame oil and soy sauce. Blitz to combine the mixture so you have a paste. Remove and place in a mixing bowl.

Using either a 5cm or 6cm round cutter, cut out the bread to 20 pieces.

Using a butter knife spread the tofu mixture generously on each round, making sure you press it firmly into the bread, smoothing the top. Sprinkle each one with white sesame seeds and set aside on a tray lined with baking paper. For best results, freeze the tofu breads for 2-3 hours.

Meanwhile make the hot sauce mayo by combining the mayonnaise and your favourite hot sauce in a mixing bowl. If you really want to impress you can then transfer to a piping bag.

To cook the toasts, you can either use a deep fat fryer, air fryer or saucepan with vegetable oil. If using a saucepan, fill ¼ way up with oil and make sure it heats to 170°C.

Remove the toasts from the freezer and fry in batches until golden but not too dark. Remove with a slotted spoon and put on a tray with some kitchen paper to mop up excess oil.

Once all are fried, remove from kitchen paper and finish in the oven for 5 minutes to crisp up. Remove and let cool for a couple of minutes before piping on small dots of the hot sauce mayo. Garnish with coriander leaves and mustard cress and serve warm.

To make the pastry, mix the flour, salt, mustard powder and thyme in a large mixing bowl. Add the cubed butter and with your fingertips rub into the flour mixture to achieve a breadcrumb consistency. Slowly add enough cold water to bring the pastry together. Turn out onto a work surface, then bring together in a ball. Wrap in cling film, flatten to a disc and chill for 30 minutes.

Heat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. Divide the chilled pastry into 6 equal pieces, then roll out each piece on a lightly floured work surface to the thickness of a pound coin. Line the tart tins with the pastry, pressing to the edges and flutes of the tins. Prick the base with a fork and chill for 30 minutes.

Line the cases with baking paper and fill with ceramic baking beans or uncooked rice. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and baking beans/rice and bake for another 5 minutes until golden, remove from the oven to cool slightly. Turn down the oven to 170°C/150°C fan.

To make the filling, add a drizzle of oil to a non-stick frying pan. Fry the pancetta or chorizo until it starts to release its oils. Increase heat and fry until crisp. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and add to a bowl, leaving the oils in the pan.

Add the shallots and fry on a medium heat until softened. Add 3 tbsp of balsamic vinegar and 1 tbsp of sugar and cook until caramelised and sticky. Remove from the heat.

Trim the pastry edges with a microplane then spread the caramelised onions on the base of each tart case. Sprinkle the thyme on top. Put on a baking tray.

Add ¾ of the cheese to the tart cases on top of the onions. Beat together the eggs, double cream, crème fraîche, a pinch nutmeg and some seasoning in a jug using a whisk. Pour the mixture evening over the tart cases and top with the remaining cheese.

Bake the tartlets for 20-25 minutes until just set and golden brown. Scatter with chives and serve warm or at room temperature with some of your favourite chutney on the side.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. Cut the celeriac into 4 wedges. Using a knife, chop 3 of the 4 wedges into 3cm cubes, toss with 3 tbsp olive oil, sprinkle with salt and bake at 180C for 15-20 mins until just cooked through. Set aside the other wedge for the moment.

Prepare the oyster mushrooms by carefully slicing them in half lengthways. Lightly score a 5mm diagonal criss-cross pattern into the cut side of the mushrooms. This will help the mushroom cook more evenly. In a small bowl mix the softened butter with the miso paste, thyme and add a drizzle of honey. Brush the cut side of the mushrooms with ¾ butter mixture.

Heat a frying pan on a high heat until almost smoking. Add the mushrooms cut side down. Turn heat down to medium-high and cook for around 5 minutes until they turn a nice golden colour. Add the remaining butter and baste with the foaming butter until they are cooked all the way through. Set aside on a baking tray.

In a large heavy saucepan, heat 2 tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high. Add the shallots and a pinch of salt and sauté until slightly softened, around 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a further 3 minutes until softened.

Add the orzo to the pan and cook until toasted and golden in places, for around 3 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon. Add the white wine and deglaze the pan as well as adding some freshly ground pepper.

Making sure it is hot, add your stock, around 200ml at a time. Cook like risotto, waiting until nearly all the liquid has been absorbed before adding the next round, until the orzo is almost tender. Reserve 100ml stock for later. Remove the pan from the heat while you take out the celeriac and make your crisps.

Slice the remaining wedge into wafer-thin slices about 0.1cm thick using a mandoline or vegetable peeler. Heat 3-4cm oil in a deep saucepan to 180°C. Fry a large handful at a time for about 3-5 minutes, or until just starting to turn pale gold. Scoop out and drain on kitchen paper, dabbing off the oil if necessary. They will still be a bit soft but will crisp up as they cool. Season and set aside.

Return the orzotto to the heat and add the cubed celeriac, remaining 100ml stock, lemon juice, tarragon and Parmesan. Stir to desired consistency and check for seasoning.

To serve, divide between 4 bowls or plates, top with the oyster mushrooms, a little rocket, the celeriac crisps and a drizzle of olive oil.

Start with the pears and wash, dry, peel and core the pears from their bottoms using a spoon so you are able to remove the core but keep the pears intact.

Add the wine, water, sugar, cinnamon stick and lemon peel strips to a medium saucepan. Scrape the split vanilla pod into the saucepan as well as adding the pod. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high, stirring until the sugar dissolves.

Arrange the pears on their sides in the wine mixture, reduce heat to medium and cover with parchment or a lid. Cook, turning pears occasionally with a pair of tongs, until tender, for around 30 minutes.

Gently remove the pears from the wine mixture and set aside on a tray. Turn the heat to high and cook until liquid has reduced to about 150ml and has turned syrupy, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Discard the cinnamon stick and lemon peel strips from the syrup and allow to cool slightly.

To make the custard, separate the eggs and add the yolks to a large bowl. (You can save the egg whites to make meringues, they freeze very well).

Add the caster sugar to the egg yolks and whisk until thick and pale in colour.

If using, add the cornflour and whisk well to incorporate.

Put the cream and milk into a medium saucepan with the hay and the vanilla pod and scrape out the seeds.

Heat the cream mixture to just below boiling point. Take the vanilla pod out but leave the hay in and set aside to infuse for at least 30 mins.

Strain the hay out of the cream and squeeze out any excess cream from the hay. Put back on the heat and again bring to just below boiling point.

Remove from the heat and slowly pour the hot cream and milk onto the eggs and sugar, whisking as you go.

Transfer the custard to a clean saucepan and set it over a very low heat.

Stir the custard constantly with a wooden spoon, until it is steaming and has thickened slightly. The custard is ready when you can draw a clear line through it on the back of the wooden spoon.

To make the crumble, mix all the ingredients together with your hands, crumble the mixture onto a lined tray and bake for 20-30 minutes.

To serve, spoon a couple of dollops of warm custard into a bowl, sit the warm pear on top, drizzle with the syrup and scatter with crumble. Can be served hot or cold.

Start by placing half the butter in a frying pan with a generous drizzle of olive oil and bring to a high heat.

Add the gnocchi and crisp up, stirring often for around 5 minutes until golden brown and crispy.

Place the remaining butter in another frying pan over a high heat. Once bubbling, add the sage leaves and fry till crispy (don't let them burn). Remove them with a slotted spoon and place on kitchen towel for it to soak up the excess oil.

Once the gnocchi are cooled, spread them over your serving plate and pipe or blot a drop of the truffle mayonnaise on each gnocchi. Top each piece with a crispy sage leaf – also delicious with grated Parmesan.

Preheat your oven to 180°/Gas Mark 4 and start boiling a pan of water. Once the water is bubbling, put the cavolo nero and parsley in the water and blanch for a minute until wilted. Drain and leave to cool.

Place the chopped onion and a drizzle of olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium high heat and sauté for 15 minutes till soft and translucent.

Add the anchovy fillets, crushed garlic and thyme and stir until the anchovy fillets have melted, about 2 minutes.

Add the rice and let cook for around 4 minutes. Don’t rush to add liquid, as letting the rice cook dry stops it from getting soggy. Add the wine.

Once the wine has all been soaked up, lower the heat and start adding the stock bit by bit. Keep trying as you go, looking for that al dente texture.

While the risotto cooks, place the prosciutto on a baking tray in the oven for 5-10 minutes until crisped up.

Place the wilted greens mix in a food processor or blender with a drizzle of olive oil and pinch of salt and blitz until smooth.

Once the risotto is at your desired texture, add the Parmesan. Once melted in, season and stir through the green purée.

Serve piping hot with a quarter of the burrata ball on each plate, crumbled prosciutto shards, freshly grated lemon zest, chopped hazelnuts and thyme springs.

Preheat your oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4 and line a brownie tin with greaseproof paper.

Finely chop the dates. Place in a bowl with the bicarbonate soda and boiling water. Mix together and then leave to one side to let the dates soften.

Place butter, treacle and sugar in a bowl and electrically whisk until smooth. Add the eggs and flour and continue to beat until a lump free batter.

Finely beat through the baking powder and a big pinch of salt. Add the dates and the liquid to the batter and fold through. Then pour the batter into the lined baking tray and place in the oven for 30 minutes until springy and cooked through.

While the cake cooks, make the sauce. Place 150g of butter, 300g of sugar and 15g of treacle in a pan over low heat and melt it all together. Add the cream and stir through. Bring to a bubble and then remove from the heat – you can reheat just before serving.

Remove the cake from the oven and slice into 8 pieces and split between your pudding plates.

Top each sponge with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and then drizzle over the warm toffee sauce. Sprinkle with a pinch of flaky salt to serve.