Delicious UK

An award-winning magazine, delicious. features 50-plus triple-tested, foolproof recipes and astounding complementary editorial and photography every month.

December…

If you make one thing… • Fragrant cardamom, sticky citrus, crunchy nuts and crisp pastry – a beautifully contrasted dessert that can be assembled and on the table in 20 minutes

APPETISERS • Inspiration, bite-size news, reviews & great stuff to do

TALENT TO THE FORE

WHAT'S ON THE MENU? • Food editor Tom Shingler mixes and matches this month's recipes

OVER TO YOU

STAR PRIZE

Meet the reader • Retired GP and avid gardener Gillian Cutler, 66, lives in Dorset with husband Richard

What food traditions make Christmas special for you? • You shared your favourites with us on Twitter…

Your last-minute GIFT GUIDE • Here it is: our edit of presents to solve last-minute what-do-I-buy dilemmas all available with a few mouse-clicks or a quick trip to the supermarket

Nigella's Christmas • She may be the original domestic goddess but, as our special interview reveals, when it comes to festive feasting, Nigella isn't too grand for a cocktail sausage. Just don't ever serve her green peppers…

Party food with a vintage vibe • Prawn cocktail, vol-au-vents and devilled eggs were crucial to culinary socialising from the 1950s right up to the 1990s. We think it's time for these great canapés to be celebrated again – with a few up-to-date twists, of course

A NEW FAB FOUR • Here are your must-make accompaniments for 2022: the best-of-the-best sprout, parsnip, cabbage and carrot dishes. They all use simple yet clever twists to emphasise the natural flavour of their hero vegetable, transforming it into the star of the show

Meet… THE NEW PIGS • The real heroes of Christmas dinner, pigs in blankets are clear proof that everything is better wrapped in bacon. There's always room for improvement, though – so upgrade your festive feast with our all-star cast of bacon-swaddled beauties. These pigs will fly!

JOYEUX NOEL to one and all • When the weather outside is frightful, says Debora Robertson, a little rustic French chic goes a long way towards warming you up

All-star starters POTS of GOLD • Flavourful make-ahead starters (served cold) are a no-brainer on Christmas Day. This trio of simple potted delights will kick things off in style and let you devote your full attention to the main course

From centrepiece to MASTERPIECE • Ready to go beyond turkey? These knockout main dishes from some of the most exciting chefs in Britain range from effortlessly simple to skill-raising. What they have in common is a sense of occasion… Bring one to the table on Christmas Day and we guarantee it will elicit gasps of appreciation

Mary Berry's bourguignon pie

THE delicious. Christmas food quiz • When the feast is finished, it's time to fire up the grey cells and see how you fare against Ashleigh Arnott's questions. Losing team washes up!

One from the heart • Kebabs (known as kababs or kabobs in Persian/Farsi) have always been a special-meal staple for Persian cookery queen Sabrina Ghayour – but they took on fresh significance when she first cooked them for her new stepsons

The NEW FESTIVE BAKES • Like many countries, Romania has a rich tradition of Christmas baking, says food writer Irina Georgescu. Her favourite recipes, drawn from Romania's various cultures, are testament to the country's location at the crossroads of central, eastern and southeastern Europe

Trifle EVOLUTION • It's the battle of the bowls: the original grandmaster versus the young upstart; the time-honoured versus the new-fangled. We're pitting the classic trifle against a new version for 2022. Question is, are you a traditionalist or a...