Lydia Mansi, Lifestyle Editor
You can keep your biscotti and amaretti. My favourite Italian Christmas biscuit has to be the Roccoco, a spicy almond ring that’s a Neapolitan tradition to make at this time of year. I always make them with my boys and my Italian husband in the run up to Christmas. They’re rock-hard, so do be warned! But when dunked in a shot of espresso they make the perfect festive treat. Find the recipe here.
Nancy Alsop, Editor
The thing I like about Christmas feasting is less the mountainous lunch (although that is lovely too) and more the steady stream of little bites it is imperative to eat in order to offset cracking open the sherry at a ridiculous hour of the morning. Since I love bread sauce and each year wonder aloud why we do not eat it all throughout winter, these stuffing croquettes are my idea of perfection.
They don’t have to be much work either; just make a little extra of the bread sauce and put some aside for these golf ball-sized bites rolled in panko breadcrumbs, then dip them in cranberry sauce for a truly festive morsel. Find the recipe here.
Arabella Dymoke, MD
Ella Woodward of Deliciously Ella fame makes a very convincing case for the much-maligned Brussel’s sprout with her recipe featuring that most divisive of veg, along with potatoes and pomegranate and maple syrup. I can’t tell you how good it is, especially with cold ham and cranberry sauce. You can find the recipe in Deliciously Ella Every Day but the recipe is sadly no longer online. However, we have found a similar version here but I would swap out the potatoes for new potatoes. Find the recipe here.
And then, for something less healthy but just as festive and delicious, this Nutella Christmas Tree from Taming Twins is made from Jusrol croissants and will delight festive revellers young and old. I have made it using ready rolled puff pastry too and it works just as well.
Find the recipe here and watch Taming Twins make it on Insta here.
Becky Ladenburg, Features Editor
No Christmas party is complete without a plate of Nigella Lawson’s Cheese Stars on the table. These savoury treats are a major hit with old and young — and you cannot make too many of them. She recommends smoked cheddar, but I think regular, mature cheddar works better. Find the recipe here.
Lucy Abletshauser, Shopping Editor
After a life-long hatred of the humble sprout (I blame school: undercooked; smelly; hard; utterly revolting), my husband cooked them one Christmas with chestnuts, pancetta and parsley a la Nigella. From that moment I was converted. Find the recipe here.
