It’s that time of year again when our thoughts turn to cooking Christmas dinner for the family.
Grandads Cookbook is a collection of recipes from various sources reproduced here for convenience. Recipes are accredited to their original author where known and links are provided to any online source materials.
From turkey to sprouts, prawns to mince pies, here are some festive recipes to try this Christmas. Eat, drink, and be merry!
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WW2 Christmas Pudding
This Old-Fashioned Christmas Pudding revives a vintage WW2 British recipe from the 1940s.
Turkey Croque Monsieur
A French-style twist on Christmas Day leftovers, this turkey croque monsieur is the ultimate Boxing Day sandwich. Turkey Croque Monsieur A French-style twist on Christmas Day leftovers, this turkey croque monsieur is the ultimate Boxing Day sandwich. 400 g loaf Tesco Finest white sourdough bread350 g tub Tesco Finest four cheese sauce2 tsp wholegrain mustard200…
Christmas Leftovers Toad in the Hole
What do you get when you cross pigs in blankets with toad in the hole? An ideal dinner for the festive season to hunker down with or serve to visiting friends and family. This recipe can easily be made vegetarian by swapping out the pigs in blankets for vegetarian equivalents and using vegetable stock instead…
Ultimate Christmas Sandwich
Ultimate Christmas Sandwich Christmas leftovers get a wow-factor makeover in this Boxing Day treat. Ready in 10, use whatever festive leftovers you have to hand – we've even used crisps. Don't forget the gravy for dipping! 100 ml plus 1 tbsp leftover gravy75 g mayonnaise6 slices Tesco Finest white loaf with sourdough50 g cranberry sauce200…
French Dip Turkey Sandwich
Make the most of Christmas dinner leftovers with the ultimate Boxing Day sarnie, packed with sprouts, turkey and stuffing. Layer with creamy mayo, cranberry sauce and velvety reblochon cheese for extra indulgence, and serve with rich gravy for dunking. Quick, easy and totally tasty! French Dip Turkey Sandwich 110 g Brussels sprouts (cooked and finely…
Christmas Leftovers Macaroni Cheese
Combine your Christmas (or any roast dinner) leftovers with a creamy macaroni-cheese bake and everyone’s a winner. It’s the perfect way to feed a crowd. Christmas Leftovers Macaroni Cheese Combine your Christmas (or any roast dinner) leftovers with a creamy macaroni cheese bake and everyone's a winner. It's the perfect way to feed a crowd.…
Mushroom Parfait
Try out this stunning mushroom parfait recipe to impress at your next dinner party. Will Murray & Jack Croft say ‘One of our customer’s favourites, this recipe requires a good amount of prep work but it’s worth it! We think it’s the perfect starter if you want to impress’.
Pigs In Blankets with a Maple Glaze
Easy peasy pigs in blankets with a gorgeous maple syrup glaze. A Christmas favourite, these are supersized and guaranteed to go down a treat.
Spanish Christmas Bacalao with Tomatoes Capers and Olives
Sauté your bacalao with tomatoes, capers, olives, and lemon juice before roasting it in the oven until the tomatoes start to burst. If you’re looking for a dish that’s healthy without sacrificing flavour, this salted cod recipe is for you.
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Spanish Bacalao with Tomato Salsa
A true Iberian classic recipe, bacalao with salsa has that delightful combination of firm white salted cod and spicy salsa.
Christmas Ham in Cola with a Treacle Glaze
I defy anyone who cooks this Christmas ham to only do it once. When you taste the tender ham with the spices and cola-infused flavours you will be a convert I assure you.
Pigs in Macaroni Cheese
This is a great way to use up any leftover pigs (in blankets) from Christmas dinner. I can say without a doubt that there is none leftover in our house, ever, period. My lot head straight for them bypassing everything else on the table.
Bread Sauce
Easily made ahead of time, bread sauce is the classic accompaniment for the Christmas turkey.
Braised Red Cabbage with Apple
I prepare as much of the Christmas dinner as possible in advance. Braised red cabbage can be made and kept in the fridge a couple of days beforehand.
Pigs in Blankets
Christmas dinner would not be the same without pigs in blankets. These delicious little porky gems make the perfect accompaniment.
Christmas Pudding
There are more Christmas pudding recipes on the web and in cookbooks than you can shake a stick at, as the old saying goes. The most often quoted ones seem to be those from Mary Berry and Jamie Oliver. My featured recipe is the one my eldest son uses.
Christmas Carrots with Herb Butter
The idea behind these Christmas carrots is to make one part of preparing Christmas dinner quicker and easier.
Christmas Dinner Traybake
Maybe you only have a small kitchen or a studio and space is limited? Look no further, with this traybake you can have the taste and smells of Christmas dinner using just one baking tray.
Goose or Turkey for Christmas Dinner?
Why do most of us choose turkey for Christmas dinner when there are other birds like goose, duck or even pheasant?
Baked Portobello Mushrooms
Equally good as a side or main dish, these baked portobello mushrooms are full of flavour and make a great vegetarian option for Christmas day.
Roasting Pheasant
Tender and succulent, roast pheasant cooked properly has a subtle game flavour and is a lean healthy alternative to chicken or turkey.
Spanish Style Slow Roast Lamb and Beans
Traditionally cooked Spanish roast lamb for a spectacular Sunday dinner or alternative Christmas feast.
Spanish Almond Cookies
Spanish almond cookies or polvorones are a very soft and crumbly type of shortbread made of four basic ingredients: pork lard, flour, sugar and cinnamon.
Polvo in Spanish means powder or dust and these cookies crumble to dust in your mouth when eaten.
Do Christmas Dinner Spanish Style
🎄When to Eat? To do Christmas dinner Spanish style, you eat on Christmas Eve unlike here in the UK where we traditionally eat in the middle of Christmas day. 🎄A Bit of Family History At my parent’s house, we ate at 1:00 pm prompt. Overcooked dry turkey, soggy bitter whole brussels sprouts, pigs in blankets,…
12 Grapes for New Year: A Spanish Tradition
Lucky Grapes Eating 12 grapes at midnight on New Year’s Eve is the traditional way to welcome the New Year in Spain. The grapes are considered lucky las doce uvas de la suerte (“the 12 lucky grapes”). They have to be eaten one at a time with each of the twelve chimes of midnight. The…
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Bubble and Squeak
Monday night’s dinner would not be complete without all those leftover roasties from Sunday chopped up and mixed with mashed potato and green vegetables all fried together. Cabbage and Brussels sprouts are particularly good done this way.
Roasted Chestnuts
Roasted chestnuts are a long-standing festive tradition. So is burning your fingertips and blowing on them madly to cool them down enough to eat. Immortalised in ‘The Christmas Song’ by Nat King Cole, “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire …” they are part of Christmas tradition. Visiting Trafalgar Square in London to see the Christmas…
Festive filled Brioche with Baked Camembert
This celebration festive filled brioche from Great British Bake Off’s Kimberley Wilson is perfect party food just made for sharing. This is a lovely recipe but is quite involved and needs a fair bit of preparation the day before. If family or friends are coming round and the clocks ticking then try this cheat recipe…
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Easy Roast Turkey Crown
Mary Berry’s roast turkey crown with orange and thyme. One way to make cooking turkey at Christmas less stressful is to not cook a whole bird. Whole turkeys can be difficult to store and can take a long time to cook. They are easy to overcook or undercook as different parts of the turkey take…
Sprouts and Christmas, a British Love Affair
Sprouts and Christmas dinner, a great British tradition which divides opinion. Rather like Marmite you either love or hate them. Anyone who has had an overcooked soggy green ball on their plate knows what I mean. Perhaps “I’m a Celebrity” could use them in an eating trial? Modern stir-fry style recipes incorporating bacon and nuts…
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Christmas Gravy
Christmas gravy is a must for any festive roast. Our gravy is a long-standing family tradition and Christmas dinner would not be the same without it. It probably seems a lot of effort for some gravy, but a great gravy lifts any roast dinner. Make the stock ahead of time, we all have enough to…
Golden Crispy Roast Potatoes
Perfect golden crispy roast potatoes with a crunchy shell and soft fluffy insides. No roast dinner is complete without decent roast potatoes. When we have the family round for Sunday lunch, for instance, or a festive event there are never any leftovers. Clean plates all around. For anyone wanting seconds, a couple of the roasted…
Sprouts with chorizo and almonds
Let’s face it, the small miniature cabbages we call sprouts are the cause of many a festive menu dilemma. Fortunately, this recipe saves us from past traumas with pan-fried sprouts complemented with chorizo and toasted almonds. The classic sprout of my youth, large, green, overcooked and smelling vaguely of rotten eggs with a consistency of…
Honey Roasted Parsnips
Golden honey roasted parsnips are a traditional accompaniment for roast turkey. Add some festive lift with some parmesan and chilli for a twist on a classic. Honey roasted parsnips Roasted parsnips with a honey glaze 500 g parsnip1 tbsp Plain flour1 tbsp Honey2 tbsp Sunflower oil2 tbsp Buttersprigs ThymeSea saltFreshly ground black pepperOptional1 tsp Dried…
Smoked salmon and roasted beetroot salad with horseradish dressing
My wife and I were looking for a different starter for the festive family meal this year. This smoked salmon and roasted beetroot salad recipe from Sainsbury’s took our fancy.
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Caramelised Red Onions
Caramelised onions are cooked low and slow until they are deeply golden and sweet. The onions will get jammy and become so addicting you’ll be snacking right out of the pan.