Christmas Eve dinner recipes
If, like us, you love the continental approach to Christmas – where the celebrations begin with a slap-up Christmas Eve meal – we’ve got lots of dinner ideas for you, including mains, starters and sides.
There’s a classic lasagne, make-ahead fish pie, slow-cooked beef stew and lots more. Duck and prune tagine makes a great dinner with a difference, as does our mulled wine-braised venison cobbler – comforting and delicious to boot. Finish off your meal on a sweet note with Rick Stein’s double-crust apple pie.
All these recipes are effortlessly elegant but hit just the right note for a special occasion. Scroll down for some Christmas menu ideas too.
Showing 1-16 of 74 recipes
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Dinner party starter recipes
Paul Ainsworth’s The Mariners taramasalata on toast
Taramasalata on toast makes a winning dinner party starter or snack. “There’s no comparison to the homemade stuff," says chef Paul Ainsworth.
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Camembert recipes
Baked camembert with harissa honey
Oozy, gooey cheese drizzled with a fiery, sweet topping; this easy baked camembert with honey recipe is perfect for entertaining.
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Easy
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Apple pie recipes
Rick Stein’s double-crust apple pie with a touch of cinnamon
Give Rick Stein's double-crust apple pie recipe a go – it's the taste of autumn. “This is a proper old-fashioned fruit pie," says Rick.
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Duck recipes
Duck and prune tagine
This fragrant duck tagine is cooked low and slow, so the duck legs become fall-apart-tender with ease. Batch cook and freeze in portions.
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Easy
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Easy dinner party mains
Classic saltimbocca
Italian saltimbocca sees thin tender slices of veal wrapped in sage leaves and prosciutto and served with a white wine pan sauce.
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Creamy pasta recipes
Chicken alfredo
Creamy and rich with a hint of garlic and dried herbs, this easy chicken alfredo pasta is the ultimate in Italian-American comfort food.
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Easy
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Lasagne recipes
Lasagne di salsiccia piccante e polenta (spicy sausage and polenta lasagne)
This lasagne hails from Italy's Veneto region. Layers of creamy polenta alternate with a rich sausage sauce, pecorino and mozzarella.
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Easy
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Chicken thigh recipes
Chicken thighs in a mustard, tarragon and grape pan sauce
The sauce is the star of this easy bistro dish, made using all those delicious brown bits from the bottom of the pan for buckets of flavour.
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Best of the best recipes
Best of the best fish pie
Our ultimate fish pie recipe swaps milk for a quick stock and is packed with fresh herbs and zingy capers for a bright yet comforting pie.
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Wellington recipes
Tom Kerridge’s curried monkfish wellington
Tom Kerridge's spin on a classic wellington uses a spiced monkfish loin encased in fragrant coconut rice, enveloped in puff pastry.
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Christmas recipes from around the world
Christmas Jansson’s temptation
Brontë Aurell shares her recipe for Jansson's temptation (Jansson's frestelse), a classic Swedish potato dish made with cream and ansjovis.
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Duck recipes
Sauerkraut-stuffed duck with roast apples and mulled wine gravy
This festive roast duck sings with mulled wine flavours. A rub spices the duck's skin while a mulled wine gravy adds richness.
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Venison recipes
Mulled wine-braised venison cobbler
The warming, fruity flavours of mulled wine are a natural companion for venison. Pair them together under cheesy scones in this cobbler.
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Medium
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Trout recipes
Brown sugar-cured trout with easy wheaten bread
This festive trout starter sings with aniseed flavours, from the spices in the cure to the glorious tarragon herb butter on the bread.
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Mussel recipes
Grilled mussels with garlic and parsley
These grilled mussels with garlic and parsley butter make a delicious starter and they look impressive too.
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Christmas starter recipes
Marinated goat’s cheese salad
Infusing creamy, soft goat’s cheese with aromatic fennel seeds, rosemary and chilli is a simple way to turn an already tasty treat into something even better.
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Easy
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