A decadent starter – and a godsend for cooks who like to get ahead. Photograph: Louise Hagger/The Guardian. A set of festive snacks: caraway, spelt and parmesan grissini with aleppo chilli, to dip in a three-cheese mix with spiced date syrup and pine nuts, and a posh, sake-cured salmon with sesame sprinkles and pickles. Photograph: Laura Edwards/The Guardian. Two light first courses to offset the big feast to come – a bright prawn, fennel and celery salad, and a ricotta […]

There’s only one month to go now, until lots of us get around lots of tables to share lots of food. My plan this Christmas is to make up for how little travel has been possible with a feast of flavours from around the globe: Italian parmesan, Japanese sake, African cassava, Greek feta, Middle Eastern date syrup, French brie and a Creole turkey, all bringing into question the whole notion of there being just one “traditional” way of doing things. […]