Sweet charity

The world's top chefs have donated recipes to raise money for the homeless charity, Crisis, this Christmas

Who’s got room for pud?

Hefty slabs of plum pudding after turkey and all the trimmings isn't everyone's cup of tea. Bill Granger has some good alternatives, from chocolate almond cakes with chocolate sauce, to apple pancakes and cranberry cookies

Catch of the day

Santa claws? Chef Oliver Rowe - sourcing most of his ingredients from within the M25 - cooks up seafood from the Thames for Christmas

If you think he’s hard … try his recipes

Genius may have helped Gordon Ramsay earn his Michelin stars but the real secret is slaving over a hot oven for years on end. So what is he cooking this Christmas day morning? Oh, just breakfast for about 20 friends at home - and then lunch for the 200 guests turning up at Claridge's. As these dishes show, he's not a man to take the easy route by

The best and worst Christmas food

Matthew Harris , head chef at Bibendum, chooses the best mince pies and puds while his brother, Henry Harris, chef-patron at Racine, selects the top hams and Stilton ...

Book early for Christmas

From St Barth's to Bollywood via Hunan province, Caroline Boucher picks the best cookbooks for Christmas.

Nigel Slater’s countdown to Christmas

In this exclusive extract from The Kitchen Diaries, Nigel Slater relishes the days spent planning and preparing for Christmas and offers his recipes for cake, pudding and winter suppers.

First build your bird

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall: Don't agonise over whether to cook goose, turkey or pheasant this year - have all of them. One inside the other ...

Nigel Slater’s Christmas recipes, part two

I get more excited about Christmas in the kitchen with each passing year. I love the warm fruit and spice notes that float through the house; the rich, sweet flavours and the sheer abundance of it all. With classic recipes and once-a-year favourites, there is never a better time for the cook of the house to have a good time in the kitchen ...

Nigel Slater’s Christmas recipes, part one

I get more excited about Christmas in the kitchen with each passing year. I love the warm fruit and spice notes that float through the house; the rich, sweet flavours and the sheer abundance of it all. With classic recipes and once-a-year favourites, there is never a better time for the cook of the house to have a good time in the kitchen ...