(festive music) - I just love Christmas, it's my favorite time of year.

It's a good excuse to get the whole family together and indulge ourselves.

But no matter how many times you've cooked for it, it can seem a little bit daunting.

At the end of the day, it's all about wonderful Christmas food.

And I'm going to make it as easy as I can for you.

(wine boiling) Christmas doesn't get better than that.

You notice I take the drink first?

(gentle festive music) With Christmas almost here, it's time to start planning for the big day itself.

Tonight, I'll be making my essential classics, so you can have a stress-free Christmas Day.

An easy roast turkey crown, with fail-safe trimmings.

A trick for making sprouts that everyone will want to eat.

And my special version of a traditional mince pie.

But to start with, here's the perfect's way to begin your Christmas Day festivities.

There's nothing more Christmasy than the smell of mulled wine.

It really does warm you up and give you cheer.

Right, how to do it.

Take three lemons.

I take the skin off using a potato peeler.

Don't press too hard, if you do, you'll get the white pith.

(festive music) Squeeze the lemons and peel and juice one orange.

Then put all the citrus juice and peel in a large pan.

It's just the zest that gives a really good flavor.

Then, a couple of sticks of cinnamon.

Nobody likes to come across a clove.

So I pop it in here, it's a good tip.

About eight or 10.

In this way, you get the flavor of the cloves and they're not floating about everywhere.

(festive music) Now, for the red wine, which doesn't need to be expensive.

I'm using a couple of bottles of delicious Rioja.

The whole look of the pan is Christmasy.

Red, and this lovely spicy smell coming up.

And as soon as I warm this, it will be even better.

Pour in two pints of water and simmer for one to two hours.

(stove clicking) And that's it.

Mind you, I shall put a little bit of brandy, it gives it a bit of a perk.

(festive music) While the wine simmers, I can make my special canape.

The perfect thing to welcome the family.

Don't even think about making filo at Christmas.

I don't think about making filo at any time.

It comes very nicely in packets.

(gentle music) Lay out two sheets, side-by-side, and brush them with melted butter.

You've got to be quite quick 'cause it dries out quite quickly.

Cut the filo into three-inch squares.

Take each square and put the buttery side down and then the buttery side down again so it sticks at a slight angle, like that.

And then push them in.

So the actual part you're filling isn't buttered.

(gentle music) Bake the filo cases at 180 fan for five to 10 minutes until crisp.

Just keep an eye on them.

Want to be a beautiful straw color.

Now, on with the beef.

(festive music) I like to use beef tail filet, which is delicious, but not too pricey.

Mix the beef with 1/2 tablespoon of honey.

It's a great way to make it caramelize more quickly in the hot pan.

(beef sizzles) And immediately, spread them out.

And I'm going to turn those over as soon as one side is brown, let me have a peek.

That's it, it is already.

And it looks so appetizing when it's this wonderful, caramelized color.

Now, that is quite enough cooking.

I want it pink in the middle, so I'm going to take them straight out now, that's it.

(gentle music) While the filo cases cool, finish the mulled wine by adding 150 grams of caster sugar.

The smell is absolutely wonderful.

Oh, wait a minute!

I was going to add a little bit of brandy.

Just makes all the difference.

Now, onto serving my canapes.

(upbeat music) Fill the cases with a little creamed horseradish and top with the luxurious filet steak.

A little bit of parsley on the top.

I think that looks really tempting.

And I very much doubt if anybody would say no.

Oh, I think a little drop more.

A glass in my left hand, this beef canape in my right.

Christmas doesn't get better than that.

It's a lovely, warm feeling.

My, the brandy did give it a bit of a kick.

And that just looks beautiful.

Anyway, happy Christmas.

(gentle music) Christmas Day is all about indulging yourself.

And the one thing I always look forward to is a glass of bubbly.

But we no longer have to bring it in from France.

Here in the Sussex South Downs, the Wiston Estate has been winning international awards for their English sparkling wine.

Good morning.

- Good morning, welcome.

- So it's Pip, isn't it?

- It is, yes.

- And Rick.

I've come here to learn all about champagne.

Or should I call it sparkling wine?

- You should technically call it sparkling wine because it's not made in the Champagne area.

- Do we have the right weather and climate?

- Weather?

Not today.

(all laughing) But we're getting the right climate, we have the right soil.

- This year has been extraordinary weather-wise, hasn't it?

A wet winter and a hot, hot summer.

Is that good?

- Brilliant.

And we've got a brilliant crop this year.

(mellow music) - [Mary] Remarkably, the South Downs are only 88 miles from the Champagne region, and have a similar chalky soil.

It absorbs the sun during the day and gives off a heat at night.

Perfect for growing Champagne-style grapes.

As well as picking all the grapes by hand, head winemaker Dermot Sugrue also uses a traditional wine press, one of only four outside France.

- It's an old-style, traditional technology that was designed to get the very, very best juice out of sparkling wine grapes.

- Well, I'm sure it's time that we got this into there.

- Fantastic, let's go.

Will you give us a hand?

- No.

(all laughing) There are two tons of Chardonnay grapes in these crates.

They will end up making around 1,500 bottles of wine.

- Okay, Mary, we're ready to go, let's do the first press of 2014.

- On your marks, get set, go!

- [Dermot] Fantastic!

(exciting music) We've raced into a good lead already.

- Oh, what a wonderful sight.

I've never seen so many grapes all together.

What are they doing sort of leveling it here with a fork?

- It's like a great big cake, Mary.

And we want to get it nice and level so when we bring down the press, it's nice and balanced, and the juice comes out very evenly.

All right, guys!

One, two, three, up!

(curious music) - Look, it's coming.

Do you know, it's clear like a mountain stream.

- The juice is now going to start going through a very, very basic little grill here, just to keep out any seeds.

And then it's falling by gravity into the stainless steel tanks below.

Once we add the yeast, it will start the fermentation.

We turn juice into wine.

(gentle music) - After seven months, the wine is moved from barrel to bottle to ferment and age.

But it takes a full three years for that special sparkle to develop.

The proof of the pudding is, in this case, definitely, in the drinking.

There's four bottles here.

Which one should we try first?

- Okay, I'm going to choose, considering it's Christmas, our rose.

Rose sparkling wine is a wonderfully versatile drink because it's perfect for drinking without food or with food.

We don't want it to pop.

Give it a little wiggle, and now soon we'll hear some gas leak out.

(gas hisses) See?

- That's enough talk, how about tasting?

- Absolutely.

As you can see, it's got a very, very beautiful, delicate pink color.

- It is so fresh.

It's very light.

It looks special.

When all the family are there and everyone is glowing, perfect for Christmas.

- [All] Happy Christmas!

- Happy Christmas, everyone.

(festive music) - For me, the secret to a stress-free Christmas Day is to prepare what you can in advance and give yourself an early start on the main event.

If you do, I promise you the results will be spectacular.

For many, the pressure is on when it comes to Christmas dinner.

But I always think of it as a special Sunday lunch, dead easy.

I've chosen a turkey crown.

That's a turkey without its legs and wings.

Christmas Day, for us at home, is one of the happiest days.

We're so lucky having grandchildren.

The first thing they do is get up and have their stockings.

And that keeps them quiet for a long time, playing with the toys.

I like to do as much as possible ahead of time.

It's all a matter of planning because I want to be with the family on Christmas morning.

First, mix the fresh thyme with 50 grams of soft butter and season well.

Now, loosen up the skin so you end up with a big pocket.

So push your nails up and you'll be amazed, it comes away quite easily.

Don't put your finger through it.

Loosen it all the way along.

(gentle music) Spread the thyme butter carefully over the whole breast and place eight slices of orange in two neat rows for a simply delicious, different flavor.

This will baste itself, but any butter that comes out and any juice that comes out, I will baste it during cooking.

Just to make it extra moist.

Now, you can do this the night before.

Put it into the fridge and then the next day take it out to room temperature before cooking it.

Don't forget to brush the turkey with oil, then roast at 180 fan for about 1 1/2 to two hours.

Just keep an eye on it and baste from time to time.

Whilst the bird roasts, it's time to make those very important trimmings.

(food sizzling) In our house, Christmas dinner isn't complete without a good stuffing.

I use my mother's recipe, it is a well-seasoned sausage meat, essential to use fresh herbs.

Fry an onion until soft and mix with 700 grams of pork sausage meat, 150 grams of fresh, white breadcrumbs, the rind and juice of a lemon, and chopped sage and parsley.

Christmas dinner is the favorite meal of the year.

And we have all sorts of games, old-fashioned, but, yes, great fun.

I'm always in the winning team, of course.

Nothing like your hands to get in there.

So work that together.

No, I haven't forgotten to put the egg in, it doesn't have any egg.

Because it's got sausage meat, the sausage meat helps it to cling together.

So that looks pretty well mixed to me.

This is the best way to divide it into 16 portions.

(dramatic music) (stuffing sizzles) They brown very easily, rather quicker than sausages do.

You can easily prepare these beforehand and leave them in the fridge to reheat on Christmas Day.

These just need to go in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until they're done.

(festive music) Not everyone likes sprouts.

But I'll challenge anyone who doesn't like my sprouts, with pancetta and chestnuts.

(pancetta sizzles) Begin by frying 200 grams of chopped smoky pancetta.

It's important to divide this so that it all becomes crispy.

Once crisp, drain and use the fat to cook a diced onion (food sizzling) and some chestnuts.

Return the pancetta to the pan.

So in go the sprouts.

I've already cooked the sprouts, but only for about three minutes.

I think sprouts have got a bad reputation because most people overcook them.

Cut it down the middle and it cooks in half the time.

They look pretty good, don't they?

Can't resist.

That is really special.

And a perfect accompaniment to that turkey.

(gentle wistful music) The turkey is cooking and the trimmings are prepared.

But I have one final thing to show you.

Something that will make your Christmas feast even more special.

I don't think that the Christmas dinner is complete without cranberry sauce.

And mine is fresh cranberry sauce, no cooking.

(upbeat music) Roughly chop an orange and put in a blender with 225 grams of raw cranberries.

They're not about all year round, but they're very plentiful in December.

To sweeten, add 150 grams of sugar and a teaspoonful of mixed spice.

In that goes.

Next, fresh nutmeg.

A nutmeg like that will keep for five years.

If it's ground, it will only keep for a year.

So a good grating of that going in.

I can remember coming back from Malaysia having picked these, bringing it back and thinking the children would be interested.

They weren't in the slightest bit interested.

And they said, "What else have you brought, Mum?"

(processor whirring) (festive music) Process until the juices flow and it becomes a beautiful sauce.

That looks perfect.

So that's it.

Nothing could be simpler.

And it is so fresh and delicious.

(festive music) This cranberry sauce will keep for a week in the fridge.

And it's just the thing for Boxing Day sandwiches.

That reminds me, time to check on that bird.

Oh, there we are.

Gosh, the smell!

Mm, lovely.

Oh, that went in like butter.

And the juices that flow should be clear.

Oh, yes, they are.

Absolutely.

So let's lift that onto the plate.

That's it.

Leave the turkey to rest for half an hour and it will hold its heat well because it's solid meat.

While it rests, I'm going to make a rich gravy.

(upbeat music) Skim off four tablespoonfuls of fat from the juices in the pan and add three tablespoons of flour.

When bubbling, add 450 ml of hot chicken or turkey stock.

But you see, if you use a whisk and you have hot stock, it becomes smooth very quickly.

Then a little port, about six tablespoons.

How about that?

Add a few drops of Worcester sauce, two tablespoons of soy sauce, for color and for flavor.

The rich pan juices.

Taste and season well.

It's got a lovely gloss to it, which I like.

You can see the consistency, there's nothing like a good gravy.

I like the bit of port in that.

(upbeat music continues) I'm going to add nothing else, it's just right.

So there you have it.

A different twist on the turkey.

Everything easy to make and not too much stress.

(upbeat dramatic music) We all have our very own special Christmas Day traditions.

I've come to Henry VIII's Hampton Court, to see if my Christmas lunch bears any resemblance to what they would have cooked almost 500 years ago.

Food historian Marc Meltonville is already busy in King Henry VIII's great kitchen.

(dramatic music) Now, how would Christmas have differed to ours?

- They go to church on Christmas Day and that's sort of Christmas over.

But they have 12 days of feasting.

- So what sort of dishes would they have?

- The whole point of coming here at Christmas is to have fresh meat when everybody else doesn't get any.

Every day of that 12 days, there's roast beef on the table, roast mutton.

- So what about our favorite, turkey?

- Well, oddly enough, the turkey has just come over to Britain in Tudor times.

They come over from America, it's the only thing the bring over quickly, but it's not associated with Christmas for a long, long time.

- [Mary] In fact, our Christmas turkey has only been popular since the 1950s.

In Tudor times, it would have been more common for the court to be served spit roast goose, with an exotic spiced sauce.

(gentle music) - By putting these three peppers in a sauce, in a palace in England, you are saying, "My people travel the world."

- [Mary] The sauce is made from a rich stock and thickened with croutons, cooked in bacon fat.

The blend of three peppers, from as far away as India and Java, and a drop of vinegar provide the flavor.

- It's not fiery at all.

- It's very good.

- It's not a simple- - Do you know, that would go with our turkey, let alone the goose.

It's not too vinegary, you've obviously had very good, concentrated stock.

It is delicious.

Mm!

(lively music) But roast goose was only for the rich.

It used up expensive fuel and required a spit boy to turn it for hours.

Ordinary folk would have had boiled meat.

- That's a nice, crispy sound to the skin.

It is cooking me quite considerably.

- That looks lovely.

Right.

- I'm now roasted for Christmas, too.

- Doesn't that look a mouthful?

- [Marc] And then you would wash your hands on your napkin.

- That is memorable.

The skin is so crisp and yet the breast is so moist.

It is quite amazing.

And the sharpness of that sauce, the little bit of vinegar you added to it- - [Marc] Just cuts through the fat.

- It's delicious!

The closest thing the Tudor court had to pudding was frumenty, a grain-based porridge, softened in beef stock and sweetened with fruits.

- The little twist that makes it a bit like a Christmas pudding is you're instructed to put your dried fruits in there.

So you end up with a sort of sweet, savory, pudding-y thing long before they've invented pudding.

- You'd have it in the palace, but would other people at home have this?

- This is the one that seems to cross all boundaries.

Amongst ordinary people, you take a bowl of this to your friends at Christmastime.

Are you going to be the cook and taste it from the pan?

- [Mary] I am indeed.

- So this is a pure taste of ancient Christmas.

- I love the grain.

I would think it was very much a barley risotto with fruit.

And I like it, it's different.

And I think it would go very well with turkey, with goose, but I wouldn't be having it as pud.

- No, I'd treat it as a sauce.

(upbeat music) - The Tudors frumenty was the beginning of our traditional plum pudding.

And for me, Christmas isn't complete without one final special treat.

Mince pies are traditional at Christmas, but if you want to stand out from a crowd, try this recipe.

(gentle music) For the pastry, you'll need 175 grams of plain flour and 75 grams of cold butter.

Simply whisk together in the processor or rub in by hand.

It looks a bit like snow.

Add 25 grams of icing sugar, and my special addition, the grated zest of an orange.

(processor whirring) No need to think about water, whether it's the right consistency.

I've found an egg is just about right.

There we are.

(processor whirring) (upbeat music) There really is no need to be scared of making pastry.

This sweet pastry is foolproof, it works every time, as long as you've measured carefully.

Into the fridge until it's firmed up a bit.

After 10 minutes, the sweet orange pastry is firm and ready to roll.

I like nice, thinly-rolled pastry.

And you can see the flecks of orange which give it its flavor.

And then take the cutter.

The cutter wants to be bigger than the diameter of the tart tin, so that you've got lots of room for filling.

(mellow music) I like using a fluted cutter for a smart finish.

There's no need to grease the tin with pastry if you have over half fat to flour, which I have.

So take a fork and just prick the base, otherwise if you don't prick them, they'll rise up in a bump.

For a no-fuss filling use bought mincemeat.

And to make it more special, add 100 grams of chopped, dried apricots.

For these, I'm not putting a traditional layer of pastry on top, I'm putting marzipan instead.

Grate 125 grams of chilled marzipan and sprinkle a little over each one.

And it will melt down and become a little bit brown on top.

It will just add to the recipe.

For a crisp base, slide onto a preheated baking sheet and cook at 180 fan for about 15 minutes.

(mellow music continues) Oh, that's a bit of all right.

They just look different and most tempting.

(festive music) There we are, 12 beautiful mince pies.

And you want to see underneath?

Lovely and crisp right through.

And then, it's Christmas, a dusting of icing sugar.

There are times when I burned the corner of a cake, yes, believe it or not, a little dusting will cover up things.

Just needs a bunch of holly, and it's Christmas.

That is oh, so good.

A thin layer of pastry underneath, masses of mincemeat, sprinkling of grated marzipan and a dusting of icing sugar, sheer perfection.

(festive music) And there you have it.

There we are.

Have you got the carving knife?

A wonderful Christmas feast, without the stress.

(family chattering) - Where do Santa's little helpers go to relax?

- Oh.

Lapland?

(man faintly speaking) - No.

- No!

- To a stable?

- No.

- Where do they go?

- The Elf spa.

(all laughing) - Oh, I like it!

- Elf spa, oh!

- Elf spa.

- [Mary] What do you like best?

- The turkey.

- The turkey.

All that remains for me to say is have a very happy Christmas.

(dramatic upbeat music)