Christmas for me began as a summertime celebration in New Zealand, with long days and warm evenings. Twenty-plus years on, the wintry cosiness of a UK Christmas has taken hold. Now, my essentials include perfectly crisp roast potatoes with plenty of gravy, and sprouts (non-negotiable). Even my young niece and nephew love them, which is a small victory I’m quietly proud of.Blue cheese and honey gougèresLet there be light: Chantelle Nicholson’s blue cheese and honey gougères.Warm gougerès fresh from the oven are a pretty tricky thing to beat. However, adding blue cheese and honey steps them up another level. The best thing about these gougeres, though, is you can make and freeze them in advance, meaning they’re never more than 25 minutes away.Prep 10 minCook 40 min, plus freezingMakes 2465g unsalted butter, diced3g fine salt
1 tbsp honey
85g strong flour60g blue cheese, crumbled2 eggs, beaten1 egg yolk, beaten1 tsp honey, to finishPut the 165g water, the butter, salt and honey in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil on a high heat, making sure the butter has fully melted. Tip in the flour all at once, then stir hard until the mixture forms a smooth dough that pulls away from the sides of the pan. Take off the heat and stir in 40g of the crumbled blue cheese until evenly combined.Transfer the dough to a bowl and leave it for a minute or two to cool slightly. Add half the beaten eggs, mix until well incorporated, then add the rest of the eggs and beat until the dough is smooth and glossy. Spoon the dough into a piping bag fitted with a large, plain nozzle, then pipe out 2cm mounds on to a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or greaseproof paper (alternatively, pipe it directly into small financier moulds for neat, even shapes). Freeze until solid (about two hours), then transfer the gougeres to an airtight container and keep in the freezer until needed.To bake, arrange the frozen gougeres 2cm apart on a lined baking tray, then brush the tops lightly with the beaten egg yolk. Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7, then bake the gougeres for eight minutes. Turn down the temperature to 190C (170C fan)/375F/gas 5 and bake for 10 minutes more, until puffed and golden.Take out of the oven, brush the tops with the honey and scatter over the remaining 20g blue cheese. Return to the oven for five minutes, until the cheese melts and the tops turn shiny.Roast squash velouté, pickled walnut, Baron BigodSmooth operator: Chantelle Nicholson’s roast squash velouté with pickled walnuts and Baron Bigod.A rich squash soup is like a hug in a bowl, and this version suitably dazzles with two of my favourite winter ingredients: pickled walnuts and Baron Bigod. It’s a dish that also uses the whole squash (seeds and skin included), so there’s minimal waste and maximum taste.Prep 10 minCook 1 hr 30 minServes 41 onion squash, or red kuri squash2 sprigs fresh rosemary
