Last-minute Christmas meal ideas

Hosting a Christmas meal but stuck for ideas? With a few key ingredients, a little festive flair and the right inspiration, you can create something magical with minimal fuss.

These are some of our favourite ideas for an easy and memorable Christmas feast.

• Get your butcher to de-bone a leg, shoulder or loin of pork, then stuff it with chestnuts, dried cranberries and herbs. Roll together with oven-safe butcher’s twine and roast until golden and delicious (it’s wonderful on sandwiches the next day too!).
• Use your favourite jam or marmalade to glaze a scored ham. We love Drunken Sailor’s Cherry and Cointreau Jam or their Spiced Cranberry and Port Jam. Bake for 40 minutes, glazing with warmed jam every 10. Serve with The Essential Ingredient Pickled Cherries.
• Dress a homemade salmon or trout gravlax with capers, caper leaves and fresh dill (find the full recipe here), and serve with a mix of creme fraiche and horseradish. Serve with our beautiful rosemary and sea salt flatbread.
• Cook a jar of Camargue Rice with Chestnuts in vegetable stock, cool with running water, then stir through chopped capsicum, cucumber, red onions and herbs with good extra virgin olive oil for an easy, colourful, summery salad.
• Top a savoury pie or tart with chopped, roasted chestnuts, hazelnuts and thyme leaves. For an extra Christmassy taste, blend cooked chestnuts and mix into pie crust dough.
• Grate bottarga over grilled asparagus for an umami hit.
• Make dressing for freshly shucked oysters with yuzu juice, soy sauce, mirin and finely chopped shallots. Serve in a small bowl alongside the oysters so everyone can add some to their taste.
• Bake whole, small apples then, when soft enough, replace the stem with a thin cinnamon quill. Serve alongside pork or duck.
• Make an American-style cocktail sauce for prawns by combining tomato ketchup, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice.
• Dried cranberries make a tart and festive addition to your Christmas fruit mince for your homemade mince tarts

Visit your nearest The Essential Ingredient store and pick up our handy Christmas tip list, featuring dozens of delicious ideas for your festive spread, plus grab all the specialty ingredients, professional cookware and beautiful tableware you need to make Christmas a success.