“It’s chaos, but great fun!”: Christmas with Marcus Wareing

What does Christmas in the Wareing household look like?
When the kids were little and I worked on Christmas day, it meant getting up early and opening presents, then at 11 o’clock I was off to the restaurant. We’d end up having lunch around teatime.

These days it’s about being at home, having immediate family from both sides over. I’m lucky to have a house big enough to entertain a lot of people, so the more the merrier! Everyone comes, they bring their dogs and it’s chaos, but great fun. Everyone just mucks in.

How important is French cuisine to you?
My book, Marcus’s France, may seem a little odd because I’m not French, but French cuisine has been present throughout my life. As I looked back through all the different books and recipes I’ve done from all over the world, it struck me how much chefs are influenced by one food culture. And that for me it’s French. So the book starts off with college, where I first learned the principles of French cooking, then works its way through to the present day.

With Christmas hosting in mind, how do you think the French compare to us?
They make the effort to cook and entertain all year round. Here, we only get special at Christmas, or we only get special because we have a dinner party, and that’s when the stress levels go up because we’re trying something we don’t do regularly. It’s a stressful time for so many people, but not in my house. It’s about good planning and organisation: who’s coming? What do we like to eat? Which new dishes are we going to try out before we get to the Christmas period?

What will you be eating?
Turkey was always on the menu at my restaurant so I’d say to my chef, “Just organise me a turkey,” but one year he forgot to order it. So I went to my local butcher and he said, “The only thing we’ve got are capons.” I have to say, I was blown away. We’ve had a capon for the last three years! It’s a male chicken, not too big, not too small, but it’s got great flavour.

We don’t have a starter – we have canapés instead. It could be smoked salmon, a bit of caviar if I can find some. Then there’s dessert, cheese and Christmas pudding. We have pretty much the full range of Christmas favourites – there’s always a trifle, mince pies, sausage rolls…

What does your Betwixtmas look like?
At some point we get that feeling of “Right, when are the relatives going to leave?!” They’ll drop off one by one, then it’s all about spending time together as a family. Reading, TV, cinema, booking a meal in central London, long walks, keeping fit, going to the gym – and not opening my laptop.

What are your thoughts on the Betwixtmas brunch?
Now the kids are older they get up at weird times, so brunch lends itself well. We lean towards fish between Christmas and New Year – perhaps my omelette Arnold Bennett (below). And I love a glass of champagne with brunch, an excuse to start early… It’s a bit naughty.

Is it possible to make entertaining and hosting a joy?
Hosting is my life and I’m lucky that it comes naturally. I think about the whole package: the glassware, the drinks we’re going to make, the wine we’re going to have… I make a huge effort. For instance, when we had turkey, it was always boned and rolled.

People often say, “You make Christmas dinner look so easy.” Prepping the day before helps massively. An empty dishwasher before you start cooking, then washing up as you go along, is a big thing of mine. My best tip? Keeping as many of the family out of the kitchen as possible – because everyone has an opinion.

Marcus’s Betwixtmas brunch favourite

Omelette Arnold Bennett

“This is a dish I learned at The Savoy – perhaps unsurprising as that’s where it was invented, in the 1920s. It was created for the author Arnold Bennett, who was staying at the hotel. The omelette provides a base for smoked haddock, cheese and a rich hollandaise, grilled until golden. A great centrepiece for a celebratory brunch.”

Recipe taken from Marcus’s France by Marcus Wareing (£26 HarperCollins), available from Amazon and via Harper Collins, and tested by delicious. We may earn a commission when you click on a link on our site but this does not affect the price that you pay.

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