Great British Food - Christmas 2025

Makes: 16 bars Prepare: 15minutes plus chilling time Cook: 10minutes 750g caster sugar 250g liquid glucose 425g double cream 125g cold unsalted butter, cubed, plus extra for greasing 500gwhite chocolate, roughly chopped 300g crystallised ginger, finely chopped 2 tsps vanilla bean paste 1. Grease a 20 x 30cm tin and line with baking parchment. 2. Combine the sugar, glucose and cream in a large saucepan and bring to the boil over a medium-high heat. Whisk regularly, then start to whisk continuously towards the end to prevent the bottom from sticking and burning. Continue to cook until the mixture reaches 118°C on a sugar thermometer. Remove from the heat. 3. Add the cold, cubed butter to the pan. Whisk to combine, then set aside to cool for 5 minutes. 4. Add the white chocolate to the pan and whisk to combine. (If you add this in straight from the heat, the mixture will seize up.) When the chocolate is fully melted and combined, add the chopped ginger and the vanilla. Stir through, then, working quickly, pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Spread it out level, then set aside at room temperature to cool. 5. Once cooled, cover with cling film (plastic wrap) and leave to set completely at room temperature overnight. 6. The next day, remove the fudge from the tin. Cut the fudge in half lengthways so you have two 15 x 20cm pieces. Cut each piece into 2.5 x 15cm bars. You will get 16 bars in total. 7. Wrap the bars in cellophane or greaseproof paper and tie with a ribbon ready for gifting. Alternatively, you can slice the bars into little cubes of fudge for serving at a party. 8. The fudge will keep in an airtight container somewhere cool for up to 6 weeks. Clementine Fizz Adelicious, less boozy alternative (you can omit the Cointreau for non-drinkers) to Buck’s Fizz, which I have never really been able to get behind. This, however, has a great kick from the kombucha and would be a lovelyway to start proceedings on Christmasmorning. Serves: 4 Prepare: 5minutes 300g freshly squeezed clementine juice (fromabout 6-8 clementines) 50g Cointreau (optional) 450g ginger or plain kombucha Sprigs of rosemary, to garnish 1. Mix together the clementine juice and Cointreau in a glass or jug (pitcher), then divide between four Champagne flutes. Top up with the kombucha (gently, as it will fizz up) and serve with a sprig of rosemary. Recipes extracted from Winter in the Highlands by Flora Shedden, published by Quadrille. Photography by Laura Edwards. “This is a classic and fairly simple fudge that hasmade an appearance on our Christmas gift baking list for the past seven years” RECI PES | FLORA SHEDDEN 39 greatbr i t i shfoodawards.com