Indian chickpea & vegetable soup

Healthy, flavour-packed and low-cost, this soup’s ideal for taking to work for lunch

Granny Cook’s Christmas pud

If you prefer a lighter, fruity Christmas pudding, share Sarah Cook’s family recipe, which makes three sizes of pud

Chocolate fruitcake

If anyone in your family isn’t keen on traditional fruitcake, this might be the compromise you’ve been looking for

Honey-mustard glazed duck

Duck is a great choice for a special festive meal for two

Christmas spiced friands

These light cakes may just be the perfect pudding after an enormous Christmas dinner

Deep-filled mince pies

These deep, decadent mince pies with a layer of almond frangipane cook brilliantly from frozen

Seared beef with wild mushrooms & balsamic

A classy main course for two, inspired by the Italian region of Emiglia-Romagna

Squeamish squares

These will be a big hit at Halloween – sticky, crunchy and
chewy in one bite

Watercress & celeriac soup with goat’s cheese croutons

Feed your friends this simple freeze-ahead starter, topped with goat’s cheese croutons for added crunch

Mincemeat custard pies

If you find the classic mince pies a bit dry and crumbly, try these moist mouthfuls, with an indulgent dollop of creamy custard