Though it may be traditional, and a favourite with many, turkey is not everyone’s idea of a perfect Christmas centrepiece. If you fancy trying something new this year, look no further than this selection of unique, alternative recipes, each guaranteed to make your Christmas dinner a festive feast to remember.
Jamie Oliver’s Epic Mixed Roast of Stuffed Chicken, Rolled Pork Belly and Topside of Beef
Can’t decide what kind of roast you’d like this Christmas? Jamie’s got you covered with this decadent medley of stuffed chicken, rolled pork belly, and topside of beef.
From the book
Together: Memorable Meals, Made Easy
Rediscover the joy of being together with 120 easy recipes for gatherings big and small
Find complete menus for every occasion with mix and match dishes
From summery feasts to winter comfort food, steak nights to picnics
Rachel Roddy’s Vincisgrassi
According to Rachel Roddy, “vincisgrassi are a project that will take over the kitchen, but the result is divine”. Think of this as an elevated, extra-sumptuous lasagne, enriched with fresh and dried mushrooms, soaked in béchamel, and topped with a golden layer of Parmesan.
Stuffed Four-bird Roast
The perfect centrepiece for your Christmas lunch, this recipe from Rosemary Shrager’s Cookery Course features turkey, duck, pheasant and guinea fowl, because why have one bird when you could have four? It’s Christmas after all.
Nadiya Hussain’s Chicken, Brie, Cranberry and Pink Pepper Pithivier
Nadiya stuffs a beautifully scored, French puff-pastry pie with chicken, pink peppercorns and cranberries, all arranged around an indulgent centre of melted Brie. Cut it open at the table for added wow factor.
Mary Berry’s Roast Chicken with Tarragon Butter & Melting Onions
Mary plays with classic roast chicken by smothering it in a garlicky, ginger, tarragon and lemon butter. Roasted on top of onions and served with homemade gravy, this is an elegant roast that will feed six people.
Mary Berry’s Beef Wellington
Bringing together buttery puff pastry, a tender cut of beef and a rich filling of mushroom and liver pâté, this beef wellington from Mary Berry’s Complete Cookbook is a great choice to help shake up your Christmas feast this year.
Jamie Oliver’s Overnight Roasted Pork Shoulder
The key to this delectable recipe from Jamie’s Comfort Food is the low and slow cooking time, which results in wonderfully succulent melt-in-the-mouth pork, fit for your Christmas Day centrepiece.
Mary Berry’s French Slow-roast Lamb with Ratatouille
This all-in-one, slow-roast shoulder of lamb with ratatouille-style vegetables feeds six people. Roasted for nearly five hours, it’s meltingly tender, ready to shred at the table with beautifully sweet vegetables and spiced juices to pile on top.
Lamb Kleftiko
For a Christmas with a Mediterranean twist, Rick Stein’s lamb kleftiko is roasted for over two hours with garlic, tomatoes, peppers and potatoes, and finished with a crumbling of tangy feta. It also makes for great leftovers on Boxing Day, piled into a warm flatbread.
Baked Salmon with Thyme and Thin Potatoes
The salmon in this recipe is baked on a bed of sliced potatoes, infusing them with an incredible depth of flavour as it cooks. It’s also very easy to pull together so would make for a relatively stress-free alternative to turkey (or a separate dish for your pescatarian guests).
Slow-cooked Lamb Shoulder with Fresh Dates
Sweet, fresh dates are teamed with meltingly tender lamb shoulder, onions, cinnamon and bay leaves in this sumptuous, Cypriot-inspired supper. You can even make this dish with goat shoulder for something a little different.
Slow-Roasted Pork Belly with Sloe Gin
It doesn’t get much more festive than slow-roasted meat cooked in sloe gin. Surrounded by festive pearls of redcurrant, this stunning recipe is a feast for the eyes.
Festive Roast
This vegetarian centrepiece from Mary McCartney’s At My Table is perfect with roast vegetables, all the traditional trimming and a generous pouring of gravy over the top.
Slow-Roast Duck with Port & Cherry Sauce
With rich festive flavours of port and cherry and perfectly cooked duck, this recipe from Mary Berry’s Classic is a winning choice for a smaller gathering.
