Episode 4 Christmas Kitchen

We've decked the halls with bells and holly.

And fired up the oven, so let's get jolly.

It's time for another Christmas Kitchen.

Hello and welcome. I'm Matt Tebbutt.

And I'm Andi Oliver.

And if you're looking for recipe inspiration for the festive season

then you've come to the right place.

We've got food to feed a crowd, home-made gifts,

bargain wine recommendations and classic Christmas recipes

from The Hairy Bikers and Nigella.

Plus, every day we're joined by a star of the Christmas TV schedule.

And today, the man who has fans in every generation,

whether they love The Fast Show,

Harry Potter or Father Brown, because he stars in all of them.

It's Mark Williams.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Bringing us an alternative to the traditional Christmas ideas

is Vivek Singh with his unique twist on a chicken stew.

That's right. Thank you.

And if you're looking to give someone a really personal gift

this year then we've got the best in the baking world

to show you how to make a gift.

And today, Great British Bake Off semifinalist Chetna Makan

is making her chocolate... APPLAUSE DROWNS SPEECH

Our wine expert, Jane Parkinson, is here with her guide

to the best in luxury and budget wines for the festive season.

APPLAUSE

First, Nigella has a recipe for your leftover panettone.

Andi and I go head-to-head in a Christmas trifle cook-off

and we visit Christmas past with these two legends.

I'm going to cook the mousse of the egg

as all the '60s and '70s food seems to be coming back.

A couple of fat ladies there. Right...

MARK SHOUTS INDISTINCTLY Let the cooking commence.

I've got a perfect recipe for feeding a crowd on Boxing Day.

-It's a mixed-game pie, so I'm going to get on with it.

-Delicious.

-So here's my mixed game.

-Do you want to come and sit with us, Mark?

-Come and have a little chat.

-I'm coming!

While he has a little cook.

-What are you making? A mixed-game pie?

-I am, yes.

-Like the sound of that?

-Yeah, I do.

Are you a big game eater, so to speak?

I do eat... Yeah, I do eat game.

I live in the country and every now and again

something's hung over the door handle.

-A little present for you?

-Yeah, I live near a couple of shoots

-and sometimes they've overshot.

-Oh.

But I have to confess, sometimes I just peel back the skin

-off the sternum and cut the breasts out.

-Yeah, yeah.

To be honest, I don't really know how to pluck.

-If you know what I mean!

-Yes!

So tell us a little bit about Father Brown.

How long has Father Brown been going now?

This year we finished...

We did 60 episodes.

-Five years, 60 episodes.

-Blimey.

I know that it goes to something like 162 countries or something.

-They call it territories. It's 84 countries, I think.

-Oh, territories.

But we haven't worked out what territories means.

-Yeah, it's a bit scary.

-It's like, "This is MY territory."

-Yeah.

-What is it about it that people like?

-Storytelling.

It's a very well-told story.

A good, strong story. OK.

Are you seasoning the oil?

No, I've got meat in here.

I've got the game in here. Come and have a look.

-What are you doing?

-OK, so I'm browning off the meat in here.

-Yeah.

OK? The mixed game. All your game in there.

What have you got in there? What meat?

There's pheasant in there, there's venison in there,

there's a bit of partridge.

-A bit of partridge, sir?

-A bit of Partridge.

-Partridge!

-Go on, say it!

-Go on, say it! Go on!

Do people shout it at you in the street?

They shout lots of things at me in the street!

LAUGHTER

I'm sure they do!

-You're a bit of a cook, aren't you?

-Yeah, I love to cook.

I mean, I think a lot of actors cook.

Is your stool going down?

LAUGHTER

It wasn't me, honest. It just...

ANDI SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY

It's my weight.

Yeah, I'm going to...

-Christmas cooking, I love doing the things that take time.

-Yes.

So I will do an Irish spiced brisket...

Yes, tell me about this spiced brisket.

Well, it's got, you know, you marinade it for seven days...

-Yeah.

-..in salt, with herbs and sugar.

And boil and press.

And then I always make a pate...

Bit lively. I felt the heat...

OK, don't worry!

I felt the heat on the back of my head.

Oh, my God.

-I'll do a pate...

-You'll do a pate?

-..which I'll use game in.

-Oh. Nothing like this.

What happened just now? Was it the booze?

OK, sorry. No, that was a bit of oil.

Oh, right, I thought the booze had gone in

and he was doing it deliberately.

-I thought you was Flambe-ing.

-So...

Just give us a little bit of detail, my dear. What's going on?

-OK, so I'm browning off the meat.

-Yes.

-A lot of mixed meeting there. Sweating off the veg here.

-Yes.

That's going into here.

The veg which are mushrooms and celery and onions.

Yeah, so I'm going to deglaze this pan with this booze here.

Hang just one minute.

So I've got port Madeira... Stay with me.

Yes, I'm with you. Port Madeira.

-Port Madeira and a bit of brandy there.

-And a bit of brandy?

Oh, nice!

There's some red wine in there and I'm going to bring all that down.

-There's some stock and then we're ready to go. Yes?

-Yes, question.

Can I ask about when you brown the meat,

should it be all the way outside sealed or...

In an ideal world, yes.

It takes a long time to brown meat and you should really do it

and not overcrowd the pan, cos you want a nice colour.

So, if you look here, this is nicely browned.

This is not.

So all the way round?

In a pan that size, probably ten minutes.

It's quite good to do it in batches cos it gets a bit crowded.

-Ten minutes?

-Yeah, it takes a while to do it properly.

I've been getting that wrong, then!

So Father Brown, is there a Christmas special of Father Brown?

Yes, there is and it's out on 23 December.

-And do you know, I think we might have a clip.

-Oh!

-Enjoying the party, Inspector?

-Does it look like it?

I hate Christmas.

I hate parties and I particularly hate parties with dancing.

Begging the question, why are you here?

There speaks the voice of a celibate.

Keep your eyes peeled when the dancing starts.

5'7", brown hair, green dress.

If she asks, you haven't seen me.

Is it a lovely character to play?

He's one of those people that people are quite fond of, aren't they?

-Yeah.

-Are you fond of him?

-Yeah, I am fond of him. I like him.

I've got a lot in common with him. Mostly nosiness.

He's always interested and interesting and, yeah,

it's a great character to play.

And I'm surrounded by, you know, fantastic actors.

Sorcha, who's brilliant. We've got a great team.

People say that but I didn't really know what teamwork was

until I worked on that show.

Well, Harry Potter team was great but it is very important.

-Yes, if you don't have your team, you're nowhere, my dear.

-No.

-OK, where are we, young man?

-Wizards. Magic.

Where are we?

So here, this in an ideal world would be reducing

and getting nice and sticky.

That's all the booze and all the meat and all the veg.

That's finished, so ignore that.

So this is the one that's nicely cooled, OK? On with the pastry lid.

How long does that take? Is that a lengthy...?

That would take a good... If you did it properly,

it'd take it a good half an hour.

Is that special or is that just a lid?

-The enamel pan?

-Well, it's a little whatsit...

-It's not a lid.

-It looks like a lid.

-Is it a lid?

-No, it's not a lid.

-No.

-It's a possibility, though.

-It's a small one.

-Right, OK.

-Shallowish.

Pastry's going over this now.

-And this is puff pastry or short crust?

-Boom.

-Yes.

-Puff.

Oh, you do it by the greaseproof.

Just lob it over.

Have you been struggling with that?

Well, you try and get it... Yes.

And, Mark, you're narrating Bear Hunt?

-Yeah, We're Going On A Bear Hunt.

-Have you seen...

-Which is a lovely book.

-I'm a character in it.

-Oh, OK.

And it's different to the book. It's much expanded.

-There's much more story.

-Right.

But Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury have been very much involved with it

and it's great.

I remember reading it over and over again to my kids.

It's a lovely book.

We watched it and Pam Ferris and I

both confessed to bursting into tears.

-Oh.

-So, I warn you.

-So that's an animation and this is on at Christmas as well?

-Yeah.

That's on Christmas Eve.

Now, you do something quite unusual on Christmas Day.

You don't do Christmas dinner, per se, do you?

Not this... Normally we do, this year we're not, no.

-We're doing a big Boxing Day malarkey.

-Right.

-And what's happening on Christmas Day?

-I don't know yet.

-I thought you were making a curry?

-Yeah. Well, I've got...

-That's what I'm trying to get at.

-Yeah, OK.

I want to talk about curry, Mark.

Well, Bim, who runs a shop in Plumpton,

he gets some really good mutton and he's got me a leg of mutton.

So I'm kind of itching to get a hold of that.

-Well, talk to Vivek.

-Ah, yeah.

I mean, I like doing...

I mean, two things with mutton.

One is a real Irish stew, which I love doing.

And the other one is a sort of yoghurty mutton.

-Spicy, yoghurty...

-Yeah. Hungry!

LAUGHTER

-How are we doing, sir?

-I'm good. I'm trying to smash through it.

-There is my cabbage. Little bit of water, just to steam it.

-Yeah.

-Or a bit of white wine, something like that.

-Why not?!

-Just chuck in a bit of parsley in there.

-It looks gorgeous.

And then, we are really nearly ready to go.

So, that went in for..?

Eh, so that will go in just... If the mixture's hot -

or if it's cold, in fact! - it will go in till the pastry's brown.

-For about 25 minutes.

-25 minutes. Get it beautiful and golden,

-like that.

-Like that. OK.

-Looks very lovely.

I find it hard not to clean up all the time!

-Butlering!

-Yes, I can't help it! I can't help it!

Twitchy, twitchy.

Look at that beautiful green. That's a bit of Savoy, is it?

Just a little bit of Savoy cabbage.

Mark, you're quite a...you're quite a country cook, are you?

Erm, well, I dunno. I've never classified myself.

-It sounds like it. Game, mutton...

-Yeah, yeah.

-Gorgeous.

-Right.

I am going to have a dive into that. Let's get some of that

on the plate, the best I can.

-So, there you go. That is...

-Oh, it's so rich looking.

Oh!

# It's a party! It's a little game-pie party! #

And there's a chocolate-brown gravy!

It's a song. Everything is a song.

-Game pie and Savoy cabbage.

-I'm going to give that

a round of applause, Matt.

That pie deserves a round of applause.

APPLAUSE

Come on, guys, why don't you..? We've got forks.

If I were you, I'd move pretty sharpish.

-There's plenty of it!

-I know, but you know, it's lush.

-Mm! So rich!

-I love a game pie.

-How is it, Mark?

-Mm.

It's really silky and it goes perfectly with the Savoy cabbage.

-Also, I am not normally allowed pastry.

-Aren't you?!

In just a moment,

our wine expert Jane, here, will be giving us her recommendations

to go with this dish.

Something luxury and something that costs a little bit less.

-I still have pie!

-So...

Well, there's something!

Now, while Jane sorts that out from her festive wine tree,

it's Christmas quiz time. Every day, I have set the guests here

a challenge of guessing what food a famous chef was talking about,

by just listening to their descriptions.

Today, it's the turn of one of the most passionate foodies.

It's Nigel Slater. But can you guess what he's describing?

It has a real zip to it.

It's really quite hot.

Wonderful in a Bloody Mary in the morning.

Really makes your eyes shine.

-Chilli.

-Horseradish.

-Chorizo.

-Chilli.

-I like those one-word answers. Makes it quicker!

-I don't have a clue.

-Shall we have a look?

It has a real zip to it.

It's really quite hot.

Wonderful in a Bloody Mary in the morning.

Really makes your eyes shine.

Fresh horseradish.

Who gave Nigel Slater that massive piece of horseradish?

Did you know, on Christmas Day, the average person drinks

three pints, a bottle of red wine, two glasses of Champagne,

-a glass of port and a mulled wine.

-Where's the snowball?!

So, a very important part of the day. Jane, you have got two wines

-that complement Matt's dish. Tell us all about them, please.

-I have.

I have got two fantastic reds from different budgets.

I have one which is really luxury and one that is a bit less.

Very different wines, but both should be fantastic

with the game pie. The one which has the Santa hat on it

is from a region which is bang on trend at the moment,

in South Africa. It's called Swartland.

It is a great variety called Cinsault.

It is the next big thing in South African red wine.

And it's really fresh, it's really juicy. I would serve it

chilled a little bit, but the freshness of it will cut through

the richness of the game pie quite well.

And then, the robin one, is a bit richer, a bit fuller.

So, this is from a region in the Rhone in France.

It's called Gigondas. It's the name of the wine, as well.

And this is like a, sort of, baby Chateauneuf-du-Pape.

People know the word Chateauneuf-du-Pape quite well.

But Gigondas is very close to it, but just not quite as expensive.

It would be really good to know

which one you think is a little bit luxury or a bit less.

Doesn't matter if you like them or not. Just which is more expensive.

Hands up if you think the Santa wine is the more expensive one.

I like Mark going out there on his own!

Well, sorry, Mark. Actually, the other guys are right.

-The more expensive one is the Gigondas.

-Can we put our hands up,

-too, please?

-You can all put your hands up now, if you want to.

It's wine hands-up! Yeah!

So, the Gigondas, the more expensive.

This is £19.99, in Waitrose. And the less expensive one,

this is only about £7.

You can get it in Booths, which is a northern supermarket.

It's lovely that, the luxury one. I like the notion of having

-a chilled...

-Red.

-...red, like that.

It's a bit like a Beaujolais, but I thought there was too much tannin

-in that, personally.

-There is quite a lot, but it can handle it,

with the richness of all the flavours in Matt's pie.

-It's designed to go with food.

-Delicious. Thank you very much.

Coming up, a money-saving gift idea from Bake-Off star Chetna Makan.

-What is that, Chetna?

-So, I am making chocolate bark,

which has got cinnamon and cardamom in it and...

-I ate some of it. It was delicious.

-It has got caramel sandwiched

-between it.

-Ooh!

-Delicious.

-Plus, Matt and I are going

head-to-head in a cook-off, to prove who has the best

-Christmas trifle recipe.

-Yep. But first, let's have our daily visit

to The Hairy Bikers, who are working their way through

the 12 days of Christmas.

Today, they are trying to find a recipe that represents

five gold rings. Apparently, nothing says that more than giant pretzels.

There can be no more symbolic five golden rings

than the five Olympian rings. The rings that bind the world.

Yes, in that sort of swimmy sort of runny, shot-putty sort of way.

Yes. In honour of this, we are creating

the five golden rings.

-Big pretzels!

-Giant pretzels.

Come on!

And we've found five builders, who have agreed to sing

for their brekkie.

# Five gold rings!

# Four calling birds

# Three French hens

# Two turtledoves

# And a partridge in a pear tree. #

OK, look, they're not The Temptations,

but the crowd loved them.

Now, we've got something dead simple to go with our pretzels.

Because with all the rich food people tend to eat over Christmas,

you don't want to do extravagant things with

your breakfast now, do you?

So, we've revived an old classic - corned beef hash - and combined

with the perfect poached egg, it's a great start to the day.

But first, the pretzels.

And like all good breads, it's how you begin which is key.

Good breads are done with a starter

or a poolish or a sponge, which is basically a, kind of,

a fermenting gloop, which will make you have

a more tasty, chewier bread.

So, take half a kilo of flour, bread flour.

Put it into a bowl.

Normally, when we cook it's kind of like a bit of this, bit of that.

But baking, it's alchemy.

So, to the half kilo of flour, a sachet of dried yeast

and about 680-700ml of warm water.

Just stir this till it's nice and smooth. Cover with clingfilm.

Leave this to one side in a draught-free place for about

two, four, six, eight hours.

Whatever you fancy. Until it's all bubbled up.

Now put in another half kilo of flour.

Four teaspoons of salt. Just to temper that, a teaspoon of sugar.

So, that's your dry goods. Give that a whisk round.

-Just one tablespoon of olive oil.

-And that makes it chewy and ooh...

Now, look, this is the living, breathing beast.

You add that to the flour, the salt, the sugar, the olive oil.

Now, that living, breathing beast is the centre

-of the universe at the minute.

-It's life. We have created life.

So, put your doo-dah down

and just let it work, to knead, for seven minutes at a low speed.

So, after seven minutes

we have a nice ball of dough.

It is a soft dough, a workable dough.

With bread, the softer the dough, generally, the better the bread.

Look at that. Over to you.

Shine a light!

Yes, look at that. It's a good way to tell, sticks to your palms.

How the bakers do it, they go like this.

Go on, mate. Go on.

And here is Barnes Wallis's bouncing bomb.

Don't play with your food.

Now, there's enough dough there to make two giant pretzels.

So we need to roll that out, basically,

until it's the length of the table.

Now, take that up like that. Now, think like a tie, yeah?

Take it like that.

Figure-of-eight. Plop it down.

And what does that look like? A giant pretzel!

Cover it with clingfilm, and leave it to rest again

for 20 minutes, half an hour, and it will indeed swell up even more.

And repeat said process five times.

# Thanks for Christmas

# Thank you for the love and happiness that's snowing down... #

Once the pretzels have risen, we are coating them with an eggy wash,

sprinkling poppy, or sesame, seeds on the top,

and finishing them off with a pinch of salt.

Now just bake them in a hot oven, 200-220 degrees centigrade,

for about half an hour, until they are golden and just lush.

To make the corned beef hash, first, we are caramelising an onion

in butter, then we are adding the potatoes and the corned beef

and letting them cook until crisp.

I tell you a good word for this - moulder.

You want your corned beef hash to moulder away for about an hour.

Once the hash is cooked down, we are adding Worcester sauce,

parsley and seasoning to taste.

# And when you get around your Christmas tree

# Be sure to give all you can

# Cos the more you're going to give The more you're going to get

# To be a woman or a gentleman... #

-Hey, here we go, boys.

-Here you are, lads.

-Boys, what do you think of the corned beef hash?

-Lovely, mate.

Right, lads, no corned beef hash for you boys.

What do you think about the pretzels and the way the egg is cooked?

-Very nice. I like.

-I could do with some more, if you like.

I could do with some more, mate. It's nice.

-How is it going, Stevie?

-Very nice. Very good.

-Where did that go?!

-Still warm!

-Come on, Steve, don't be shy!

Thanks, guys. Now, if you are one of those people

that loves eating at Christmas, but is a bit bored with all

the traditional food, then Vivek Singh's refreshing inspirations

are perfect. Vivek, you are going to make us a chicken stew...

-Yes.

-..but not quite as we know it.

-No, not quite.

I'll do a Syrian Christian-style Kerala chickenish stew.

-OK. Chickenish?

-Ish.

-I-S-H.

-Right.

-D-E-W!

-OK.

-So, a distortion

-of the stew, as we know it.

-OK.

-Can you cut those green chillies for me

-and julienne the ginger.

-Sure.

-It's quite a lot of chillies. It's quite a powerful...

-Yep.

That is the only heat. There is no red chilli heat in there.

-All we have is...

-Just the five green!

-Use six!

-Shall we?

-Six?

-Let's use six.

-OK.

The Syrian Christian community is very deeply rooted.

It's been around in Indian for thousands of years, you know.

It's believed that, in 52AD,

St Thomas the Apostle arrived in Kerala.

He set up churches and he set up a lot of...

-Converted a lot of people, you know, into Christianity.

-Mm-hm.

And they were originally Brahmins.

And so...

And that, kind of...

You split them four ways, do you?

Yeah. Four or two, whatever you want.

-Good. So...

-Does that mean they would have been vegetarian before?

Eh, yes. That is right. Largely vegetarian and fish.

-We have got the cinnamon, the clove and the cardamom...

-OK.

..sweating away. And then, into that,

we have got our garlic...

..green chillies...

So, is the food coming out of Kerala particularly identifiable,

-then, as a certain style?

-Oh, yes. Keralan cooking is great for...

-It uses coconut a lot.

-Right.

-And a lot of the spices

that we know of in the Western world as Indian spices -

pepper and cardamom

and nutmeg and mace - all the exotic spices that we know of,

actually originally come from Kerala.

-So, I want to use coconut milk.

-Ooh, it's powerful, isn't it?

-Wow.

-Coconut milk, all these spices, and the chicken is on the bone.

This is a kind of thing you would find, pretty much,

-on every household's Christmas table.

-Ah.

And they would normally serve it with a rice pancake

of some description.

Like an appam, which is a fermented rice batter.

-Is that the one with the little holes in it?

-Correct.

Or an uttapam or a dosa one, which is very technical to make

and quite, sort of, fiddly.

So, what I have done is I have got a sweet and sour rice

that you could cook like a pilau rice.

We have got our onions and chillies and ginger and all that

-sort of stuff sweating off.

-Right. And it's really important that you

-have got to get that fierce heat?

-Yeah, you have got to get this oil

really hot, for the spices to release their flavours.

So, this rice, this has also got a lot of flavour in it?

-Yes.

-We have got star anise, we have got curry leaves,

-bayleafs, onion, peppercorns.

-Right.

-And also vinegar and sugar.

-We will add a bit of vinegar and sugar and salt into it.

-OK.

-The vinegar is going into the stew or the rice?

-Into the rice.

-Really? Into the stew.

-As well.

-Oh, right.

-Into the rice, as well.

Can I ask a question?

Yes, of course.

I love that you put your hand up!

You know, I'm from that generation.!

What is the difference between black and white cardamoms?

-Black and green, you mean?

-Black and green.

-Black and green.

They are completely different spices. Grow from different plants.

The only similarity is this flavour in the pods.

They are slightly sweet in the seeds,

but actually, the pods are very different,

the flavours are different and the price is as different

as it can be. Black cardamom, readily available, very cheap.

Green cardamom, a lot more expensive. A lot more eucalyptusy,

mentholy, citrusy notes in there. Whereas black cardamom is used

a lot in sweets.

I use black cardamom to smoke halloumi.

Black cardamom and cinnamon. We smoke halloumi in it and then

-we use it with red syrup thing.

-And black cardamom is particularly

good for smoky dishes, too, because it has that inherent smokiness.

-Now, the chicken, getting nicely coloured.

-OK.

So, I have got everything in here. Do you want to cover it in water

-or just this coconut milk?

-We have got coconut milk going into it.

-Have you added a bit of salt in there?

-No salt, just yet.

I have got sugar and vinegar. It's going to be quite sweet and sour.

-Sweet and sour. That's the rice.

-So, Vivek, what is your Christmas like?

-Are you working?

-I do, you know. It's the biggest lunch

in each of my three restaurants.

-It's the biggest lunch service we do, Christmas Day.

-Is it?

-Yeah.

-Really?

-Seriously. I do, you know, just shy of 400 people

-at a sitting on Christmas Day.

-Wow!

-It's the biggest lunch of the year.

So, once I have done that, I might do this for my Boxing Day feast,

-to be honest with you.

-Do you stop at all?

-When do you get time off?

-Between Boxing Day and New Year's Eve.

-All right. OK.

-I will take time.

-OK, so coconut. Any water?

-Yes.

So we had one cup of soaked rice,

-so you are going to add at least one cup of..

-Water.

..water into it, please.

Now, into my still, I am going to add this coconut milk.

There is quite a lot of chilli in there. If you can't take

hot food, does the coconut milk balance that back out?

It absolutely will. Plus, you don't have add all that chilli,

-if you don't like chilli.

-Yep.

-But you will see that there is no other

heat in it. This is the only thing we have.

The thing with Matt - how do you know how much water to add

into your rice? What you are looking for

is the amount of soaked rice and the amount of...

-So, one part of soaked rice and two parts of water or liquid.

-Yeah.

So, you have got coconut milk. So, you just balance it out.

When it's cooked for about 25-30 minutes,

-that's what this looks like.

-Mm.

-Can I try that?

-Course you may.

-MARK:

-I can't see!

-Can you not?

-We'll get you there soon!

-Into that, we add a touch

of that vinegar, for last-minute freshness.

-I like the vinegar.

-Yeah?

And some black pepper.

This is the other kind of heat. You can't have a Kerala dish

-and not use freshly-cracked pepper.

-That vinegar's great.

Give it a real kick.

And some garam masala.

So, just some ground...

OK, Vivek, do you have

rice cooking rules?

In the Caribbean, in our family, once you put the lid on,

you are not allowed to go back to the pot and touch it.

-Really? Bad luck, is it?

-You put the lid on, you don't touch the pot

-or there's real trouble!

-It isn't a bad omen or are you not allowed to.

It just speaks about the confidence that the cook has. If you really

know your onions well and you know how to cook rice, you don't need

-to go back.

-Don't need to muck about with it.

-That's what it is.

-Matt, you know your stuff.

-I've got the rice.

-Not going back!

-Done the rice. We are there. We just need the curry.

-Right.

-OK.

-So, this is quite a thin sauce, is it?

-Yeah, it can be as thin

or as thick as you like. This is a really good consistency,

as you see it now. It's a really, really good consistency.

-JANE:

-Such a good job this!

-For the festive season...

-Don't worry, we'll eat it all.

-All right?

-There we go.

A little bit of fresh curry leaves,

-again, scattered around there.

-OK, remind us what this is.

What you have got there is a Syrian Christian-style

chicken stew, with sweet and sour rice.

-Delicious!

-Let's find out.

-Good work.

OK, everyone, let's get involved.

We are going to need some spoons, I reckon.

We were, literally, all over there champing at the bit.

-Do you like a curry, Mark?

-Yeah!

-I adore it.

-It looks amazing.

-We have got forks with it.

Here we go, people. I am very intrigued by this rice.

I like the history in that dish, as well.

-Ooh! That vinegar in the rice is amazing.

-Mm.

Very good.

What vinegar did you put in it? Red wine vinegar or just..?

-Just a bit of malt vinegar.

-That is so good.

-Oh, wow.

-Shall I carry on eating or shall I...

-or shall I read this link?

-Seriously good.

-Right, you enjoy that.

I'll read. Now, panettone was one of the most popular

food gifts this year and sales are up 40%,

which means a lot of us are going to get some from Christmas.

But after a couple of slices, what do you do with it?

Here is Nigella with a recipe for leftover panettone - stuffing balls.

# Jingle, jingle, jingle, jingle

# Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh... #

While I love the sweetness of panettone -

and, really, it's a key factor in this recipe -

you don't really get it unless you counter with a bit of salt.

That's why I've got 375g of pancetta in there.

And now, four shallots.

Like onions, but milder and sweeter.

Italians start off so many savoury recipes

with something called a "soffritto", which is really an onion mix.

And Italians never - at least, I don't think they ever do -

cook something savoury without celery,

and I'm all for them, with this.

We want two sticks in here.

Just brings a sort of grassy freshness,

so even people who don't like celery love this.

I've talked about the need for salt

to counteract the sweetness of the panettone,

but I also think sharpness is essential, hence some apples.

I mean, they're not terrifically sharp - any eating apple will do -

but I always have apples in any of my stuffing recipes.

This one is no exception.

I'm too lazy to peel the apples, but I have made a concession

and I am taking out the pips and the core.

The herb of choice in a soffritto, generally, is parsley,

but I want the blessed bitterness of sage.

Everything is about balance.

Although I have not been terribly balanced about my processor work.

A more patient person would have blitzed in stages.

And here goes.

I might have to do a bit of a scrape down, but it's not too hard.

And while I wait for this to blitz down,

I'll warm some garlic oil in a pan, so that I can fry it.

Wow!

Not terribly attractive at this point, but do not panic.

Right, in, this pancetta porridge,

is what it looks like, goes into my pan...

..just to cook it gently.

SIZZLING

Mmm.

It is like a mush, but that is what I want,

because the wetter this mixture is,

the squidgier the panettone stuffing squares will be when we eat them.

Obviously, this will be baked on party day,

but for now, I just want to make sure

that the vegetables are softened and the pancetta is cooked.

But only just cooked.

I know it doesn't look that different

from when it went into the frying pan,

but that doesn't really matter...

..because it's going to look all very different later on.

In that goes to a big bowl. Use a bigger bowl than you think.

Into this go 200g of vac-packed chestnuts.

I cannot have Christmas without chestnuts.

The Italians know that lemon brings out the taste

of absolutely everything else,

so it's the zest and juice of a whole lemon here.

This sort of kitchen pottering makes me feel very calm and grounded.

Also adds more liquid, which is what I want.

And now...

..look at this.

The panettone, 500g, glorious and golden.

I sliced it before, cos I wanted it to be a teeny bit stale -

all the better to soak up

the flavours and juices from the mixture here.

When I feel the food,

that's when I start getting excited about eating it.

Finishing off my panettone squares is the work of minutes.

All I do is beat a couple of eggs and squelch them

into the stuffing mixture.

I squidge this into a foil tray and pop it into a 200-degree oven

to bake, for roughly half an hour.

Then, whip the tray out of the oven and cut the stuffing into squares,

which go on to small plates, to be nibbled as canapes.

I think of these as little savoury brownies.

Still to come, it's the most popular drink to leave out for Santa

on Christmas Eve - sherry.

But why not brighten up Santa's night

by leaving him a sherry cocktail?

Jane has a selection for us.

And if you want to get creative in the kitchen this year,

then Bake Off star Chetna Makan is here with a home-made gift

the whole family can make - chocolate cardamom bark.

And from Christmas past, the Two Fat Ladies

make a classic '70s dish and it's a real retro treat.

It's time now for me to give Matt a present,

a Christmas foodie gift that the supermarkets are full of -

the sort of thing you would find in a Christmas hamper.

Selection box?

Matt, your challenge is to transform my gift from the ordinary

to the extraordinary so here you go, nobody move, everybody stay there.

-You ready for this?

-Yeah.

-Clearly, you're ready for this!

-It's marmalade.

-An enormous surprise,

you don't know what's coming out of the box.

-It's marmalade.

-Marmalade!

-Marvellous, marvellous.

-I think that's really lovely.

-I like a bit of marmalade.

When I'm not putting it on my toast, I'm putting it in this pudding.

-And what is this?

-It's an almond pudding.

-Almond...

-And is it orange marmalade?

-Yeah.

-Yum!

-It's very, very easy.

Do you like marmalade? It's a bit of a...

You don't like it, Vivek's shaking his head in a decidedly "no" manner.

-I love it.

-I like thick cut.

-You like thick cut?

Oh, I thought if you didn't like it,

-you'd probably go for the more dainty...

-No, no.

-No, no, no, no, man marmalade.

-Man marmalade!

-And how about you?

-I like it when it's bitter. I like it when it's...

-And it's great on ham when you cook it.

-Oh, as a glaze?

It's really nice on goose, you know.

If your plate it on goose, it's a really yummy thing.

-I'm going to make some...

-Didn't I tell you that?

In fact, I was thinking... Did I hear that?

Do you know where I heard it?

-He said it on Saturday Kitchen about two weeks ago.

-I told her that.

No, you said it on telly.

-Who was it? Somebody, somebody?

-Galton.

Galton Blackiston paints it on goose

and I thought, "That's a really good idea.

"I'll pass it off as my own!"

Oh, my God, you taught me something. How annoying is that?

I'm going to have to work on that, definitely.

Matt, what are you doing?

-OK, so I am just mixing some butter and sugar.

-Just casually?

Just lightly, casually mixing some butter and sugar.

We're going to get that nice and soft and hopefully the sugar

starts to dissolve and in with some eggs and then finally some

ground almonds, OK, so when that's done, here I've got...

-It's not blind baked, it's unblind.

-Right.

OK, so a raw pastry case,

I'm going to spread some of the marmalade on the bottom.

In with the mix, bung it in the oven,

-a few almonds on top and that's it.

-So, why don't you bake it blind?

You don't need to. Do it nice and slowly and the whole thing...

And it'll crisp up enough. That's always the worry, isn't it?

What's the worry?

That the pastry won't cook enough on the bottom

-cos you don't want a soggy bottom.

-No, but it will.

It takes a bit longer so this will take about sort of 45-50 minutes.

-Which is quite a long bake.

-It is, it is, but it works.

Did you like my terminology?

-It's a posh Bakewell tart, isn't it, really?

-It is a lot like that, yeah.

-You could call it an Oxford tart.

-Why?

-Oxford marmalade, I don't know.

-Oh, I like your thinking.

-More of a pudding than a tart.

-Do you bake, Mark?

Erm, no, I'm rubbish. I'm no good at baking.

I can do bread, but my wife's a patissier so it's just like...

-Carry on.

-Are you impressed with our young Matt here?

I'm still not convinced it's a pudding!

How could that be a pudding? It's a pastry case.

She doesn't even like your terminology!

She might have a point, to be honest.

So, is this something that you'd bake, things like this?

Oh, yeah, I love tarts.

-Me, too, I love a good tart.

-And marmalade. Amazing combination.

Did you start baking really young, Chetna?

Erm, not really, but when I was slightly older,

-I did a lot of birthday cakes with my mum.

-Birthday cakes?

-Yeah.

Simple cakes for friends and family.

What's happening over here?

You carry on, I'm going to just keep mixing.

Is that you just starting to get...

If you're fascinated by what's happening over here,

of course, you can get all of today's studio recipes,

including this delicious one from Matt, on the website.

-Right, so we're nearly there, I'm assuming?

-Yes, we are.

Do you want me to help you get the...

-Matt, do you want a spoon for your marmalade?

-Phew!

-OK.

Let me get you something to help you with your marmalade, my dear.

Here you are. Have a spread of that.

Delicious!

-That looked like a workout for your arm, Matt.

-Yeah, it was!

-Do you bake, Jane?

-Yeah, I do bake.

I always think people are either bakers or cookers.

So, my mum is definitely in the baking category,

but I'm more of the cook category.

I think it's a confidence thing, because I've cooked all my life

and it was really only about maybe six years ago or something

I started getting into baking properly and it was because

I'd sort of had enough watching from the side-lines and now I've got

-quite fancy. What about you, Vivek? Are you a baker?

-I'm a cook.

-Yeah.

-You're a cook.

Well, actually, in my experience of the last 20-odd years,

I find that for most people, it's mutually exclusive.

You're either a very good cook or you're a very good baker.

-You can't be both.

-Yeah, that's what I think.

-You can do both.

-They CAN be both.

-Controversial!

-You can do both. You just have to...

-That's why I threw that in. Whoa!

So, what would we drink with something like this?

Ooh, well, a dessert wine obviously is quite good.

Something that has quite an orangey flavour, so maybe

a Tokaji or something, which is a sweet wine from Hungary.

It's really lovely, it has that kind of barley sugar flavour.

That would be delicious.

I quite like something a bit the opposite when I have

something sweet, because when I'm having something sweet,

I don't really want a sweet drink as well.

I know that that's what's recommended.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I understand.

That's OK, you don't have to go for something like that.

-What about the botrytis?

-Yeah, exactly.

What's that? What's a botrytis?

-It's a fungus, isn't it?

-Yeah, it's a disease...

-A fungus?!

-Yeah, but it's a good disease.

-You eat cheese.

-It's a good disease.

-Botrytis?

-Botrytis?

-Botrytis. B-O-T-R-Y-T-I-S.

This is a drink?

No, no, it's a disease that affects grapes

that make them go... that have a high sugar content,

-so then you make a sweet wine from it.

-OK.

-Oh, knowledge!

-Mark's obviously a connoisseur, yeah!

-Do you want some help there, dear?

-No, it's just a bit hot.

I've just been labelled.

That tart went in the oven at about sort of 150,

160, so quite low, for about 45-50 minutes.

A nice long bake, as we talked about,

-and you've got your nice crisp bottom.

-Ooh!

-Look at that!

-It looks lovely.

-Right, I'm not going to take the base off.

I'm just going to cut through it.

Oh, it is pleasing.

-It is, it's just pleasing.

-Is it warm?

-Yeah.

-Oh, yeah!

-Do you want cake?

-Yes!

-Have you got cream?

-Yeah, I have.

-That's the right answer.

-Oh, no, that's... I thought that was butter.

He's got proper cream. Oh, my word!

-And there you go, that is my almond and marmalade pudding.

-Delightful!

Fantastic! I suppose you're all ready... Look at that cream!

In an ideal world, right, you would have given me dark marmalade.

-Dark marmalade?

-That really dark, bitter stuff.

-Oh, yes!

-Cos I've got a feeling it might be a bit too sweet.

-I bet it's not.

-Let's try it.

-I bet that clotted cream will help.

It'd be rude if I didn't pass it to the ladies.

I'm not sure why it's going so far away from me.

-Did everybody see what just happened?

-Is it warm?

-It's quite gooey, actually, in texture.

-Almost pudding-like.

Oh, that's true!

Almost pudding-like in texture!

Mmm, amazing.

Is it a bit sweet?

-Does it need to be more bitter?

-It's very almondy.

You're going straight for the pastry.

-Wow!

-What does our baker think?

-I'd say, "Be honest," but maybe...

-Don't be honest! Be nice!

-I think she's a bit blunt.

-Who's going to be Mary Berry?

-That's really, really good.

-Yes, it is! Thank you very much.

-It's delicious! The tart is lovely.

-Thank you.

-Yum!

-So, can you pass over the wine?

Yeah, there's loads over there. Let me read this.

Right, if you fancy getting your kids involved in your festive

cooking, then Chetna here has a foodie gift that everyone can make.

But first, Mark, what's your best Christmas memory?

Actually, it can be disastrous or delightful. We don't mind.

Er, I remember waking up possibly Christmas Eve, I was only

eight or seven or something, and I remember seeing Dad going

downstairs, seeing him from my bedroom and he'd got

a box in his hand and what he was going downstairs to do was

painting me some soldiers, and for some reason,

I kind of knew something was up, cos I was like, "What's he doing?"

And then Christmas Day, I got a little box of lead soldiers,

-and that sounds very Victorian...

-It sounds lovely.

But it was a lovely, lovely thing and I'll never forget it.

-Don't be licking those lead soldiers, though.

-Nor the paint!

Right, here's some more of our favourite faces with

their Christmas memories.

So, my favourite Christmas memory was when I had my first

Christmas in the UK, so that was my first Western Christmas at

the age of nine years old and I moved over from Georgia and

in Georgia, we didn't actually have Father Christmas bringing

presents for children.

He used to bring us fruit and sweets, so I was eight or nine and

I got to choose my first-ever toy for Christmas and that was

incredible and I picked a Barbie hair salon.

So, my Christmas memory, every year without fail from being tiny,

my mum used to wake us up on Christmas morning with

a freezing cold flannel over our faces, wringing it out,

screaming, "It's Christmas!" like a 12-year-old,

and she still does it to this day if I stay there the night before.

So, I plan on continuing that tradition with my son

when he's a little bit older.

My best Christmas ever was 1943 and it snowed and it snowed and

it snowed, which meant I didn't have to go back to school for

weeks and weeks and weeks!

Didn't have to go back to school, hip-hip-hooray!

That's my favourite Christmas.

Now, did you know that a third of us will be lucky enough to get

a home-made gift this Christmas?

Yeah, home-baked gifts are on the rise this year,

so the stars of the Great British Bake Off are showing us how

to create perfect gift ideas and today,

we welcome one of 2014's most successful bakers, Chetna Makan.

Good to have you here, Chetna. APPLAUSE

OK, so what are you making?

So, I am making chocolate bark with cardamom and cinnamon and it's going

to have caramel running in between,

so it's like a bark sandwich.

Nice, OK, let's do it.

Yeah, so I've got some dark chocolate here and I've just

broken it into small pieces and it's nice and melted, ready.

And once it's at this stage, we're going to add some cardamom

to this, just some ground cardamom and some...

It works nicely with chocolate.

Oh, my God, so beautiful!

LAUGHTER

-Does it make you happy, Chetna?

-I love cardamom.

But especially with chocolate.

It is really nice and with some more cinnamon, it's a good balance.

Right, OK.

So, nicely blended,

and you just pour half of this

on the sheet, just half.

We keep the other half for the top layer.

Where did you come up with this? Did you see it somewhere?

No, actually, my kids and my husband love dark chocolate,

even the kids just love dark chocolate and caramel and

-this was quite a nice little thing to have.

-Combine the two.

Yeah, exactly.

-So, just spread it thin and then we leave it to cool in the fridge.

-OK.

And while that is cooling,

I'm just going to make some caramel here and, for that, I have got

some butter, some light muscovado sugar

-and some double cream.

-OK.

What are you doing at Christmas?

Do you do a lot of baking for your family?

I do do a lot of baking, yes,

and it could be anything the kids want or I feel like baking.

-It's not...

-Is it always baking, or are you a cook as well?

I am a cook, and when that conversation...

No, no, I actually equally love cooking and baking, guys.

I can't choose one. I'm a very passionate cook as well, so...

And you've got a book that came out this year, haven't you?

Yes, yes, Cardamom Trail. It came out in April.

OK, and is that just baking, or is that everything?

That one is baking, but it has got lots of elements of cooking,

like it's got pies with paneer stuffing. It's got some...

Oh, thank you.

And there's, like, chicken-stuffed pie or there's curry tart,

so there's cooking involved as well,

it's not just cakes and stuff, so it's kind of a combination.

So, just once the sugar's melted, the cardamom's ready.

-Yeah, that'll be handy.

-Shall I use a spoon? Call me old-fashioned!

LAUGHTER

I'm just worried you're going to take the nonstick off the pan.

So, once that is ready, just cook it for two minutes and then

-we'll leave it to cool, which we have some here.

-OK.

Chetna, your use of spices is one of the things that made you

-quite successful on Bake Off, isn't it?

-Yes.

What did he call you, The Hollywood?

He called you something - Queen of Spices?

-Is that what we're calling him?

-I'm calling him The Hollywood today.

-Queen of Spices.

-Yes, Spice Queen, yeah.

-You quite liked that, didn't you?

-Yes, yeah.

-Did you use a lot, then?

Yeah, I do like combining spices with baking as well,

which is what I really enjoy.

So that's nice and chilled, and just the caramel...

-OK, so this, chilled, becomes this.

-Yes.

-Then you spread it with the caramel.

-Yes.

-Then this goes and sets, which is this.

-Right, so that becomes this.

-Are you keeping up?

-Yes, we are. We're watching avidly.

-We're waiting!

-Yes!

Quite impatiently!

So, do you make a lot of gifts for Christmas, foodie gifts?

I do, yeah, I do a lot of foodie gifts for neighbours,

-teachers, friends.

-Really?

See, in the past, I've been quite rude about foodie gifts,

haven't I, Andi?

The first time I ever met Matt,

we were doing a cooking show a long time ago and people were

giving us home-made gifts and he just complained!

LAUGHTER

And I was like, "Don't you think they're lovely?"

He was like, "No, cheap!" I was like, "Oh, dear!"

My bugbear is all that nasty home-made wine that people make -

-home-made wine and home-made beer is generally awful.

-OK.

-Just saying!

Then they just don't give him any, OK, and I was like,

"What, the little children making you things with

"their little hands, that's not good enough for you?"

Only in a factory!

And then I've just got some cashew nuts and almonds going on top.

OK, and what sort of foodie gifts are you going to be making,

-then, this year?

-Obviously, this.

Now it's been on telly, everyone's going to want it.

That's how it works, right?

But I do a lot of cakes, cookies, you know,

-something that people generally like.

-Nice.

-So, that is going to set.

-Right.

OK, so after that's set, back in the fridge.

Yes, and it's nice and set and then we can just chop it or

-break it however we like and...

-Nice!

-You can see there is caramel really nicely sticky and gooey.

-Yeah, OK.

I've never seen bark with stuff in between it before, actually.

-Very clever, my dear.

-There you go, beautiful, beautiful.

This lot can't wait to try it, I'm going to carry on with this.

So, remind us what this is.

-That is dark chocolate caramel-layered bark with cardamom and cinnamon.

-Delicious!

JINGLE BELLS PLAYS

Love that music! Right, come on, take it over here.

Some Christmas fairy music!

-I know, it's great music, isn't it?

-So magical!

-Yum!

-Right, try that.

-I tell you what...

-Have we got to wait...?

..with a nice, black coffee...

-Are we allowed to go in?

-..would be delicious.

Chetna's just told me she doesn't like chocolate.

But you selflessly made some for us!

Yes, yes, totally.

-Oh, my God.

-It's not for me, it's depressing!

-It's really good.

It's nice cos it's not too sweet. I suppose the dark chocolate

means that it isn't too sweet.

Milk chocolate, for me, maybe...

-I love the spice in there, as well.

-Really good.

-Just lovely.

-Delicious.

-Delicious. Right.

Now, you do a lot of baking.

Give us your top baking tip at Christmas.

Make everything beforehand.

-LAUGHTER

-Buy everything in!

Choose something that you can prepare beforehand,

so that you can enjoy that day.

-Puddings, especially bakes, you can just do everything.

-Do it all up.

-Yeah.

-There you go.

-Good call.

-Heard it here first.

Right, thanks for that. And one good tip deserves another,

so here are more of my chefy friends with theirs.

If you're looking for a simple tip to put a great twist

on your Christmas meal this year,

just add a little bit of orange zest

and some sumac into the butter that you smother over your turkey

for a little, subtle citrus twist

and make a tiny little solution from a pinch of saffron stamens,

ground down with a little bit of hot water.

And then chuck them in with your oil all over your roast potatoes

to produce wonderful saffron roasties.

A traditional Christmas with a few flecks of the Middle East.

For Christmas I love having roast goose or roast duck,

so I suggest having some fruit with it like

blackberries or apples.

Well, I always have a little starter on Christmas day,

and sometimes I think you shouldn't because the main dish is going to be

so big and so many vegetables.

But I like maybe some oysters, maybe some smoked salmon,

maybe just a few prawns with a bit of mayonnaise.

And the other tip I have is

don't stay too long in the pub at lunchtime.

Did you know that if every good little girl and boy in the UK

left Santa a glass of sherry on Christmas Eve...

He'd be smashed.

..he would have to drink 1.3 million bottles of sherry in an hour.

So we thought we need to

shake things up for Santa, quite literally,

so Jane's got a guide to some sherry cocktails.

Who doesn't love a bit of sherry at Christmas?

-Love sherry.

-Exactly, there is always sherry knocking around.

There's always a nan, there's always a nan needing sherry.

Absolutely, and it's so on trend at the moment anyway,

just as a general drink, you know, not just as a cocktail base.

But, we have two cocktails and one mocktail,

so I'm going to get going with the first one.

First one is so easy, you don't need any kind of fancy paraphernalia...

-It's just sherry.

-And ice.

-Pretty much just sherry!

Which, to be honest, is no bad thing.

-What's that, sugar?

-This is just lemon juice

and a little bit of sugar,

and I'm just going to mix it up very quickly.

-Is it like a sour?

-Yeah, kind of, a bit like that.

-A sherry sour?

Um, that should be good. You'll be the judge of that.

And then just tip it over some ice in the bottom there.

I've probably given one of you more than the other. Never mind.

-You top it up with dry sherry.

-OK.

-I've got some dry sherry here.

One of the things that people don't realise about sherry

is it's not all about that gloopy, sickly stuff

that your gran keeps in the cupboard.

It can go from bone dry,

drier than your average Sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio,

right through to super sweet, there are lots of different stages,

which makes it an amazing food wine,

actually, because there are some brilliant matches out there.

So, do that, stick a couple...

-I know you like your garnish, Matt.

-It's like an old cigar.

Like an old cigar in it! And there it is,

your very sherry Christmas.

-Right.

-Nice title.

-Yeah.

-Oh, lordy!

-Oh, that's quite deadly.

-Yeah.

-That's nice.

-I gave Andi a tad more sherry.

-I like that.

-Well done, that's delicious.

-Yeah.

-It's nice, like that.

It's a bit like a pear drop.

Like a pear drop?

-You're not wrong, actually.

-A very delicious, alcoholic pear drop. Yum!

OK, the next one I'm going to do is the mocktail,

so this is called Rudolph's Ruby Fizz.

-What's that?

-Two parts...

-Cranberry juice.

-Cranberry juice thank you.

-There you go.

A little bit of egg white and some lemon juice.

Stick it all in there together, and then I'm going to

shake this and then Matt's going to...

-..going to undo it for me.

-Nice technique, nice technique.

Thanks. Do your magic and get that.

Oh, there you go, I think it's going to be an easy one.

-I've done it for you.

-She's done it.

You really want to mix it for quite a long time so the egg white

really gives it that creamy, sort of richer texture.

-Um, and then...

-Is this one not really ready?

It's totally going to be ready, of course it's going to be ready!

Ah, yes.

-There you go, see?

-Very pretty.

Um, very pretty, nice, Christmassy colours.

-Um, and then...

-A bit of garnish.

-Bit of garnish.

-Rudolph-y garnish.

-That's what we want.

-There you go.

You've got this one, Vivek.

Vivek's got like a little foamy...

-Vivek's has a head because...

-Vivek's has been done properly.

..it's been shaken for longer, yes.

-Oh!

-That's all right!

-It's nice cos it's not to sweet again,

I like things like that.

Yeah, you don't want it too sweet, it gets too sickly.

Especially when there's so many rich flavours at Christmas-time.

If you're passing on the drink and you're driving, then, yeah.

It's a fun thing to have.

-It's all right.

-Quite right.

And the shape of the glass makes you feel a bit grown-up.

-Feel like there's something in there.

-Part of the party.

Exactly, and then the final one we've got is the fun one.

So this is a take on a sherry trifle,

-but in a liquid form.

-Ah.

-Right.

So, um, we've got some apricot nectar, some lemon juice,

some orange juice, some cream sherry, which is a sweet sherry,

mix all that together, and then I'm just going to add in,

just again for Christmas effect,

and for flavour, a little bit of pomegranate syrup.

-Nice.

-A tiny drop.

-And then the fun bit.

-Oh, some of that!

-Do you like that?

-That smells amazing.

-There's the potential for chaos here.

-You're quite excited

-about the squirty cream, aren't you?

-I'm very excited, yeah.

-Look at her face light up!

-Anything with squirty cream is fun, isn't it?

It just harks back to your childhood days.

Isn't it? This is the fun bit. I don't get to do this very often.

So, are you supposed to drink this?

Yeah, of course you are!

-And then garnish it with a cherry...

-Ah, a maraschino cherry.

-..or two, if you want.

-Do you not like those cherries?

-Do you know a fun fact?

-What?

-We eat more of those little cherries

in this country than any other place in the world.

I don't!

Do you not like them? I love them.

-And another fact, they make them that colour.

-Do they?

They bleach them, then they dye them red again.

-They dye them red.

-Yeah.

-They just freak me out.

-Have a try.

-Oh, that's nice.

-Yeah, cheers!

-Cheers!

-I'm going to go round the other side.

-Cheers! Cheers!

-Oh, that's nice.

-What do you think of that?

-Oh, that is nice!

-Is that your cup of tea?

So to speak?

Yeah!

Instead of a cup of tea, that would be delicious!

Wonderful. Thank you very much, Jane.

Nearly everyone has one reliable old recipe they bring out every year,

a classic Christmas recipe that stands the test of time.

Or so they think.

Here's the two fat ladies with a nostalgic '70s dinner party dish.

I'm going to cook the mousse of the egg,

as all the '60s and '70s food seems to be coming back.

I thought it would be nice to resurrect it for our angelic choir.

This is a jug of aspic, it's a pint,

which I have flavoured with a little lemon and a little vermouth,

just to give it a kick.

And I'm going to pour a little of it into this ring mould...

..so that it will set and make a sort of dainty top

when I turn it out afterwards.

Would you be a dear and pop that in the refrigerator so it sets?

Yes, ma'am.

Now, I'm using 12 eggs, hard boiled eggs.

I'm keeping two for decoration afterwards,

And these ones, I removed the whites from the yolks.

The yolks are in here,

and I'm going to pass them through the mouli.

Then what I do, paprika is one of the ingredients,

and it's much easier if you put it in at this stage

about a tablespoon full,