‘When I was little, Christmas came to my rescue without fail’

In novelist Susie Boyt’s childhood, Christmas was the world as it should be, not as it was. And she still won’t hear a word against it

Matthew Bourne: ‘We were always singing at home; my dad thought he was Frank Sinatra’

As a starstruck teenager, the Nutcracker choreographer was a keen autograph hunter. And the thrill of the stage has never left him

Anja Dunk’s Christmas cakes, bakes and chocolate recipes

Spiced biscuits, marzipan cake and Flammkuchen – a celebration of festive German baking

Florence Knight’s secret ingredient: bicarbonate of soda

The best way to crisp up your Christmas turkey, bake really short shortbread, or make honeycomb at home

The best Christmas party food and drinks – tested by Nisha Katona

Smoked salmon, mulled wine and more, rated by the founder and executive chef of Mowgli Street Food restaurants

The best Christmas chocolates and cheese – tested by Tom Kerridge

Supermarket chocolate boxes, stilton, chutney … which ones should you buy?

The best Christmas cakes and bakes – tested by Georgina Hayden

Panettone, mince pies and more, from supermarkets and online. Which ones should you buy?

The Black Friar, Salford: ‘An ambitious pub that’s evolving quickly’ – restaurant review

Don’t be put off by the uncompromising location or ambitious pricing, the cooking here is big, bullish and beautiful

The 10 foodie things that saw me through 2021

From perfect fish pie to the power of food as a gift – here are some of the things I’ve been grateful for this year

Gina Yashere: ‘I’ve only been drunk twice. Why do people do that to themselves?’

The comedian on the perils of TV set snacks, the comfort of smoothies and the lure of sugar

Six by Nico, London W1: ‘It feels a bit like a neglected All Bar One’ – restaurant review

‘If this is the future of hospitality, I’m going to retrain as a plumber’

Want to see the world’s worst pizzas? Step this way

The Random Restaurant Twitter feed shows that mini chip fryer baskets and terrible food photos are a planet-wide phenomenon

Unalome by Graeme Cheevers, Glasgow: ‘Self-consciously ambitious’ – restaurant review

Might it bring another Michelin star to Glasgow? Jay Rayner isn’t sure he cares

Celentano’s, Glasgow: ‘A delightful hodge-podge’ – restaurant review

‘It might be the perfect Saturday outing: spend an entire morning perusing Glasgow’s Necropolis, before wandering over to Celentano’s to honour the living’

Andi Oliver’s Christmas recipes: spice-rubbed roast chicken; slow-roast carrot and pumpkin

This festive menu from the Great British Menu presenter fuses classics from her Antiguan heritage with delicious vegan options