Essex food experts share what they're cooking for Christmas

Just because you’re a professional who helps keep the rest of us very well-fed, it doesn’t mean you get Christmas Day off – not if you’ve got friends and family to cater for! We find out what some of our favourite Essex foodies will be serving to their nearest and dearest on the big day, as they share both their top tips for stress-free cooking and their favourite recipes

Zoe McReynolds Image: Sam Mileto Zoe McReynolds

Zoe is a private chef and pop-up restaurateur, working throughout Essex and beyond. Along with her partner Daniele Audino, who also works in hospitality, they’ve just started opening their own Leigh-on-Sea home as The Radice Supper Club.

‘Often as a chef, whether you’re freelance or restaurant-based you have the choice of whether you want to work Christmas or over New Year. I’ve always gone for New Year – Christmas with my family in Southend is just too special to miss! I’m always more than ready for it, too, as the run-up is incredibly busy – everything from private dinner parties to drinks and canapes. I’ll also sometimes have a full Christmas dinner plus trimmings ready that I’ll drop off to a client on Christmas Eve, so that all they have to do the next day is heat it in the oven.

At home, it’s a bit controversial but I don’t do turkey, and I do do Yorkshire puddings – yes, I know you’re not supposed to have them with anything but roast beef, but don’t think my brother would speak to me if I didn’t! A total game-changer is to buy two excellent quality, corn-fed chickens as your turkey alternative – they’re so much easier to cook, with miles more taste and flavour and they take up less space in the oven. I think for so many people it’s the challenge of having to co-ordinate everything, with meat and vegetables appearing at the same time, that causes the most stress. Chicken is far more forgiving and much easier to cook as far as timings are concerned – and it makes for great left-overs too. It also helps that my partner’s Italian so I’ve got licence to offer dishes such as porchetta – we’ve even had lasagne, something everyone loves and which can be prepared well in advance.

I’m really not that interested in traditional Christmas pudding. Last year, we had pavlova and cinnamon buns, because that’s what I wanted to cook. This year, I’m sharing my recipe for a vegan desert – those with dietary requirements often mis-out when it comes to puddings, so it’s lovely that this is something seasonal that those on a plant-based diet can enjoy along with everyone else.’

zoeskitchen.co.uk

Zoe's vegan mincemeat pie. Image: Daniele Audino

Vegan mincemeat frangipane tart

(serves 10)

Ingredients

For the pastry

200g plain flour

50g ground almonds

30g icing sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

130g vegan block butter, cold and diced (I use Flora unsalted plant butter)

1 tablespoon cold water

For the frangipane

150g ground almonds

45g plain flour

30g cornflour

1 teaspoon baking powder

90g caster sugar

120g vegan butter, melted

90ml oat milk

1 teaspoon almond extract

I jar of vegan mincemeat, to which you’ve added one peeled and diced apple

50g flaked almonds to assemble

Method

For the pastry, place flour, ground almonds, icing sugar and salt in a large bowl and mix well.

Add the cold, cubed vegan butter and orange zest, rubbing them in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs and no lumps of butter remain.

Add the cold water and mix to combine. Gradually add another teaspoon or two of cold water (if necessary) to bring the pastry together into a ball. Shape pastry into a disc, wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for about an hour until firm enough to roll out.

Roll pastry out on a lightly floured surface into a circle (roughly 35cm across) big enough to line a 25cm round tart tin. Press the pastry right into the corners, then roll over the top of the tin with a rolling pin to trim off the excess.

Prick base of pastry shell all over with a fork then place in freezer for 20 minutes until solid. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan.

Line pastry case with baking parchment or tin foil, pressing it right into the corners, then fill with baking beans or dried rice, making sure the sides are propped up.

Bake for 20 minutes then carefully remove foil and baking beans and return tart shell to oven for a further 5-10 minutes until very pale golden. Remove from oven and set aside.

As the tart shell is baking, make the frangipane. Whisk together ground almonds, plain flour, cornflour, baking powder and sugar. Add the milk, melted butter and almond extract and whisk until smooth.

Spread the mincemeat over the base of the pastry case, then spread or pipe the frangipane over the top. Scatter the flaked almonds over the top.

Bake tart for 60-75 minutes, until frangipane is set and a skewer inserted into centre comes out clean. If top starts to get too dark before frangipane is baked, loosely cover tart with tin foil.

Allow tart to cool for at least 10 minutes before removing from tin, to ensure it doesn't break as you lift it. Serve with plant-based custard with a splash of brandy added if you wish!

Chris Laurie. Image: Christopher Laurie Christopher Laurie

Highly commended in the Essex Small Business Awards 2024, Chris cooks bespoke feasts for private dinner parties and events throughout the country and, along with his brother Paul (better known as @essexwineman), organises his own food and drink events, too. chefchrislaurie.com

‘The one thing I say to everyone when it come to Christmas is don’t over-complicate things – it’s just one day. Mind you, things are slightly more complicated at our end this year – not because of the food but because we’ve got two children under five and we’ve just moved to a bigger house in Benfleet. We’ve got out of it in the past, but more space this year means we’ll be hosting! I might do beef but if I’m doing a bird, I’m a fan of goose – always succulent and of course the fat is fantastic for roast potatoes. It’s not the healthiest option, but lard is something else that makes for a great roastie if you’re not going to make a habit of using it. The trimmings make all the difference, so I never stint on things like home-made bread sauce – easy enough to make yourself and people will always be impressed when you do. I’ll make a couple of types of stuffing and do my pigs in blankets with honey and soy sauce for a twist, too, but I believe in minimising the number of vegetables on offer – you only need two or three, done well. For gravy, save any juices you’ve had from earlier roasts, freeze and then use at Christmas. I don’t think it matters if it’s beef stock in turkey gravy – you’re just looking for an all-round good, meaty flavour.

If I’m doing something different, Asian flavours are really popular with our clients – in fact we now produce our own range of spices – so I really recommend making a curry with any left-over meat for Boxing Day. And make things easy for yourself by supplementing what’s on your table with locally-produced cheese, ham and fish – Essex-smoked salmon on a blini with creamed horseradish is so simple but always impressive.

Desserts-wise, I'll stick to the French classics but with infusing them with Christmas flavours - rub- port-stewed plums or a mulled-wine fruit compote served with a cinnamon and orange chocolate fondant, for instance. As for booze: drink less, drink better. And you can’t go wrong with a bottle of Bailey’s – it’s Christmas in a glass, isn’t it?’

chefchrislaurie.com

Chris Laurie's Malaysian Curry. Image: Christopher Laurie

Chris's Malaysian Curry

Clear the fridge on Boxing Day with this fragrant spicy curry, helping you use up some of those left-over veggies and meats from the big day - with the fragrance of fresh lemongrass, ginger and turmeric, this curry hits the spot.

Ingredients for 4

Cooking time 30mins

200g pack Malaysian Curry paste ( order via Chris's website spicecollections.co.uk)

2 x cans coconut milk

2 tbsp caster sugar

500g left-over veggies (carrots, sprouts, cauliflower, greens, onions - whatever you've got)

800g left-over meats ( turkey, beef, chicken or Pork)

1 bunch fresh coriander

1 bunch fresh Thai Basil (optional)

2 tbsp fish sauce (optional)

Salt and pepper

Method

Start by putting the curry paste into a deep sided saucepan on a medium heat with the caster sugar.

Stir the paste for 10mins until the sugar has dissolved and the curry paste has cooked out.

Add the coconut milk, stir and bring to the boil.

Turn down the heat and add your shredded veggies and cooked meats to the curry.

Bring back up to the boil and add your fish sauce (optional) half a bunch of chopped coriander and half a bunch of chopped Thai basil (if using). Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve your curry with jasmine rice or even your left over roast potatoes for a twist with the remaining coriander and Thai Basil.

Caroline Jones. Image: Caroline Jones Caroline Jones

Caroline runs Pippins Cookery School in Little Hallingbury, offering courses to everyone from children and beginners to experienced cooks.

‘Work wise, the run up to Christmas is busy – people either want to do our canape-making classes, knowing that they can freeze what they make and just reheat on the big day, and our Edible Gifts courses are really popular too. Participants make biscuits and chutneys and we have everything they need to package it up into small, pretty hampers. My last clients come on the 22nd, and it’s lovely – they’re a family who’ve made coming to us part of their Christmas traditions for the past few years – we always do something different, but we also always make mince pies and sausage rolls!

At home, I go the whole hog as far as Christmas is concerned – I was already testing out a potential starter of Pea & Mint soup for my own family Christmas in September! It’s traditional – I’m turkey all the way – and we don’t want our Brussels sprouts messed about with – just steamed. I think I’d rather have a good Brussel sprout than a roast potato if I had to choose…And my husband insists on I always make my pickled cabbage, a great dish to do in advance as it needs time to mature. I make my Christmas pudding to a three-generations recipe in September. Do I include a gold coin? No – my dear late father was a dentist and he used to get so fed up having to mend broken teeth post-Christmas pudding-eating that I’d never include one! And my advice to other people preparing their own Christmas feasts? Remember that many things – like croquettes and arancini as canapés – can be prepared in advance then cooked straight from frozen, do write yourself a time table for Christmas Day in advance – and don’t have that first glass of champagne until the turkey’s in the oven!

pippinscookeryschool.co.uk

Pickled red cabbage is a great option, as it's best made well in advance, allowing its flavours to develop. Credit: Getty