Great British Food - Christmas 2025

RoastedSquash &Apple Soup Forme, soups are always superior when the veg has been roasted beforehand (as opposed to boiled). The squash and apple in this recipe both develop a lovely natural sweetness when they are left to roast and caramelise, and the double win here is, of course, being able to shove everything in a tray to cook together. Serves: 4-6 Prepare: 15minutes Cook: 1 hour White Chocolate and Ginger Fudge This is a classic and fairly simple fudge that hasmade an appearance on our Christmas gift baking list for the past seven years. The ginger works well to cut through the sweetness of the white chocolate, but if you like you can also add a wee pinch of salt to the mix too. Crystallised ginger works best for this as I find stemginger in syrup results in amuch softer fudge, but if youwant to do amix of the two, feel free. 1 butternut squash (about 900g), peeled and deseeded, then cut into 1cmslices 2 eating (dessert) apples (about 250g), cored and cut into 1cmslices 1 large onion (about 250g), cut into wedges 4 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole 45g fresh root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped 45g apple cider vinegar 10g sage leaves 1kg chicken (or vegetable) stock Olive oil, for cooking Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper Yoghurt, to serve For the crispy breadcrumb topping: 50g fresh breadcrumbs 50g pumpkin seeds 10g sage leaves, the smaller the better, but if large tear in half Olive oil, for frying 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan (400°F). 2. Put the squash, apples, onion, garlic and ginger into a baking tray (pan) and drizzle over the apple cider vinegar and a generous amount of olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper, then add the sage leaves. Toss everything together with your hands, then place in the oven to roast for 40–50 minutes until the squash is soft and nearly falling apart, stirring halfway through. If your veg is browning too quickly, cover the tray with some foil. 3. Once cooked, spoon the vegetables into a large saucepan and pour over the chicken stock. Use a splash of the stock or some boiling water to rinse out the roasting pan, then use a wooden spoon to loosen off any caramelised bits. Add those to the pan with the veg, then bring the soup to the boil and cook for 10 minutes or until everything is simmering. 4. Remove the pan from the heat and use a hand-held blender (or food processor) to blend the soup until very smooth. Season to taste. 5. To make the topping, heat a little oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the breadcrumbs, pumpkin seeds and sage leaves for 5 minutes or until everything is crispy and fragrant. 6. Serve the soup with the crispy breadcrumbs, a dollop of yoghurt and a drizzle of oil. “Forme, soups are always superior when the veg has been roasted beforehand (as opposed to boiled)” RECI PES | FLORA SHEDDEN greatbr i t ishfoodawards.com 38