Christmas recipes for four
Plan an intimate gathering with our Christmas recipes for four. We’ve got ideas for smaller menus such as stuffed turkey legs, turkey crown and a Christmas roast chicken, plus meat-free centre pieces and all the starters, trimmings and desserts for four you need to make December 25th a stress-free affair.
Level up your (stress-free) starter game with baked camembert with harissa honey, serve up something with a difference and try curried lamb shanks, or even try our air fryer Yorkshire puds. Plus, we promise that EVERYONE will be a fan of sprouts in blankets.
Dinner for four still deserves some pizzazz! Try our speedy Glow-Up hacks, from a fruity glaze to brush onto pigs in blankets to a savoury granola to scatter over bread sauce…
Showing 1-16 of 53 recipes
Dinner party starters
Paul Ainsworth’s The Mariners taramasalata on toast
Taramasalata on toast makes a winning dinner party starter or snack. “There’s no comparison to the homemade stuff," says chef Paul Ainsworth.
Camembert
Baked camembert with harissa honey
Oozy, gooey cheese drizzled with a fiery, sweet topping; this easy baked camembert with honey recipe is perfect for entertaining.
Lamb shanks
Curried lamb shanks with roast potatoes and red cabbage
Food writer Lara Luck's curried lamb shanks make a wonderful alternative to a classic roast, served with golden roasties and red cabbage.
Air fryer
Air fryer yorkshire puddings
You can make cracking Yorkshire puddings in an air fryer – freeing up priceless oven space when making a roast dinner.
Alternative Christmas roast
Roast guinea fowl with fennel, shallot and white wine sauce
Guinea fowl with thyme butter, bacon and a rich white wine sauce to serve four: a special roast for a smaller gathering.
Brussels sprouts
Roast sprouts with bacon, chestnuts and cream
Roast sprouts with bacon and chestnuts until tender and nutty, then stir through cream for an unapologetically decadent Christmas side dish.
Christmas trimmings, sides and sauces
Christmas peas
Buttery peas flecked with pink grapefruit provide a flash of green at the Christmas table. Not traditional, but zingily flavoursome.
Christmas trimmings, sides and sauces
Sprouts in blankets
Two Christmas icons combine to make sprouts in blankets. Even sprout haters will change their beliefs when they taste them wrapped in bacon.
Oranges
Blood orange, burrata and cinnamon-cashew salad with mulled wine glaze
Blood orange and burrata salad gets a festive spin with a spiced mulled wine dressing. Perfect as a Christmas starter or Boxing Day salad.
Duck
Sauerkraut-stuffed duck with roast apples and mulled wine gravy
This festive roast duck sings with mulled wine flavours. A rub spices the duck's skin while a mulled wine gravy adds richness.
Trout
Cured trout tartare with apple and nori
Cured trout tartare is a simple, relatively effortless Christmas starter. All it takes is time and know how. The results are astounding.
Chestnuts
Pot-roast guinea fowl with chestnuts and spiced gravy
Guinea fowl is perfect for a pot-roast, a method ideal for keeping this lean bird moist and tender. The perfect autumnal Sunday lunch.
Brussels sprouts
Garlic butter sprouts
Gently cook sprouts in butter until crisp and caramelised, then add garlic. This is how we cook our sprouts every Christmas.
Christmas for four
Root veg in blankets
Fresher and lighter than their sausagey counterparts, these roots in blankets are the best side dish you can serve up at Christmas dinner.
Christmas trimmings, sides and sauces
Mulled wine carrots with crispy sage breadcrumbs
Make glazed carrots a star of your Christmas table. Braise carrots in warming mulled wine, citrus, stock and orange until glossy.
Christmas starters
Marinated goat’s cheese salad
Infusing creamy, soft goat’s cheese with aromatic fennel seeds, rosemary and chilli is a simple way to turn an already tasty treat into something even better.
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