Great British Food Christmas 2024

In the Kitchen with THEO RANDALL Renowned chef Theo Randall welcomes us behind the scenes of his Christmas table What is your home kitchen like? My home kitchen is one of my most favourite places. The counters are made of stainless steel, and I have a Smeg A3 oven, which I have had for 16 years and it’s still going strong. I also have a large cupboard for all my kitchen equipment, large containers with lots of kitchen utensils and of course, most importantly, a large fridge which is always very useful. There is also a deep sink, plenty of cupboard space and a Pirelli orange floor which is a real standout feature! I do also try and keepmy knife selection to a minimumbut there always seems to be far too many. Our kitchen dining room is the hub of the house and is always the place that everyone congregates, especially on Christmas Day. I do try and push everyone upstairs to our living roomwith plenty of drinks and some tasty snacks so I can concentrate on finishing off Christmas lunch, but everyone comes down to the kitchen as they know that’s the best place to be. What are your favourite festive dishes? My favourite festive dishes are roast duck with honey orange, roasted carrots with pancetta and braised Savoy cabbage with roasted chestnuts, andmy favourite Christmas dessert has to be chocolate and chestnut cake with a Vin Santo ice cream. For me some good bread with butter, smoked salmon, black pepper and a squeeze of lemon is hard to beat for a pre-Christmas dinner snack. I love to get a whole side of smoked salmon and slice it by hand. It tastes so much better than the pre sliced stuff as it is so much juicier, and you can really taste the flavour of the salmon. Another festive dish that I hold close to my heart is Christmas pudding andmy mother used to make the best one, which she wouldmake a year in advance for it to reachmaturity. It was always so delicious served with cold single cream. cheese or something sweet and nutty like a cantuccini biscuit. Do you enjoy hosting at Christmas and why? I enjoy hosting Christmas as it is so nice to have all the family over and cook for them. Our dining table is in our kitchen, making it the centre of all Christmas activity! I personally tend to be running around all day making sure everything is just right, but I love watching everyone at one table eating and enjoying themselves – this for me is what Christmas is all about. There is also something magical about the smell of Christmas. My earliest memories were stockings full of little presents and of course a customary clementine at the bottom– something I will always associate with Christmas. Every year I love to get a case of leafy clementines so there is always a large bowl in the kitchen to add to the welcoming smells around the house, and for guests to help themselves to. Who are your dream Christmas dinner party guests? My dreamChristmas guests are my family, and of course my late mother who would be watching me cook and giving me advice. We always invite friends and family who might be on their own at Christmas whichmakes it evenmore special as everyone should be together. Christmas Day and Boxing Day seem to fly by, and you wonder what happened, but the memories are always there and so are the leftovers. These tend to be divided up so everyone goes home with a goodie bag. I amnot a huge fan of turkey, but I do sometimes crave a turkey sandwich on Boxing Day. The key to a pleasant Christmas dinner and keeping your guests happy is to keep it as simple as possible andmake sure you give everyone a drink and something to eat as soon as they arrive. Getting them a nice present always helps too. I miss them so much so I must start making her recipe and start the process of maturing for next year! Another one of my favourite things about Christmas is Christmas cake. I absolutely adore the fruity cake with marzipan and hard icing on top – there is nothing better than a slice with a cup of tea – especially as we always tend to start eating it before Christmas Day. What drinks do you serve during the festive season? A glass of Champagne is always a great way to start Christmas Day and then depending on what we are eating, a nice rich Chardonnay and then a good bottle of Barolo with roast duck, followed by some lovely cheese. My favourite wine to serve with cheese is Vin Santo. It is an amazing, sweet wine fromTuscany made fromTrebbiano andMalvasia grapes. When picked, they are laid carefully on strawmatting and left to dry in a cool outhouse. The grapes become concentrated and shrivel up to almost raisin texture. The dried grapes are then pressed, and the wine is poured into small oak barrels andmatured for seven years, making a rich a sweet wine with a flavour like no other. It is delicious with greatbr i t i shfoodawards.com 178 LAST WORDS | THEO RANDALL