Christmas with Tom Kerridge

It’s Christmas Day in the Kerridge household; what’s being served for dinner?

Always a roast turkey, it wouldn’t be Christmas without it. We try to get a really big bird so that we have loads of leftovers. Nothing beats cold turkey with pickles and bubble and squeak!

Are there any other foodie family traditions you have over the festive period?

I try to be prepared early, and do vegetable prep the day before so that in the morning it’s all about the turkey. We tend to have lots of family and friends over so our Christmas dinner is very relaxed and people help themselves so the food doesn’t go cold.

Have you got any tips for making veggie sides more exciting?

For the potatoes, the best way to get them nice and fluffy is to boil them all the way through, then remove them from the water and put them onto a cake rack to let them dry and give a crispy outside. Once dry you can add to a baking tray of hot oil in the oven to roast, turning them every now and then, to get them golden brown and fluffy.

For brussels sprouts, you can add some chestnuts and bacon. Adding double cream and cooking down will add an extra layer of indulgence.

It feels like the run up to Christmas is full of festive parties. Have you got any ideas for easy Christmas canapés that will really wow guests?

To really wow guests this Christmas season with bold flavours, you can’t go wrong with beef tartare. Make it with caviar, juniper, chestnuts and horseradish cream on a Carr’s Large Table Water cracker, a lot of which can be put together ahead of time.

Christmas is over, and everyone has over-indulged. What sort of meals do you eat to recover and revive?

I love a good soup and with all the delicious winter vegetables around it’s the perfect season for hearty, warming soups. I would make anything from a winter vegetable soup to curried cauliflower, chicken and sweetcorn or turnip and horseradish soup with crispy beef!

Need Recipe Inspiration?

Tom has created five festive canapes, each aimed at a different personality type and served on a Carr’s cracker.

See Tom’s Festive Canape Recipes