Not many of us couldn’t slot in the odd light, crisp, caramelised brandy snap on top of the usual skipload of festive fodder. Just don’t get all clever and try and assemble ahead of time- or they, and you, will be reduced to a mere sad, sticky mess.

Stressed about Christmas dinner? If your answer is’no’, then the chances are you won’t be preparing it. If the daunting task does fall on your shoulders this year, you don’t have to suffer turkey that straddles a fine line between dangerously raw and devastatingly dry. Have a go at my tasty beef instead.

‘Chocolate naturally lends itself to Christmas’, says Paul A Young. So he’s given us a tempting trio of festive recipes to make at home: a gingerbread-spiced truffle, a warming Aztec-inspired chocolate, and one featuring all the flavours that underpin a Christmas pud, without the belly-busting after-effects.

A bit of project cookery for kids, their overgrown counterparts, and anyone who fancies themselves handy with the old DIY. And, if it all goes tits-up, it’s both less dangerous and more delicious to eat your way out of than a more ‘industrial’ undertaking.

Cocktail mastermind Salvatore Calabrese is currently proffering a selection of alarmingly gluggable Christmas Cocktails at his eponymous Mayfair bar. Over a tipple, we persuaded him to part with the recipes so you can show off your shakin’ skills this festive season. 

Easy, tasty. savoury- who doesn’t love a cheese straw at Chrimbo?

When mulled wine-induced ennui sets in, nip over to the dark side and sup on one of these tasty tipples from Tia Maria.

Paul A Young: chocolatier extraordinaire and self-confessed ‘cake-a-holic’. Alright then Paul, give us your stickiest, most intense muffin recipe for festive munching. And, sure enough, with these muscovado-cocoa-nib creations, boy done good…

Nathan Outlaw’s partial to a nice cheesy tart this Christmas.

Don’t be put off by the long list of ingredients; when you’ve assembled them, making the Christmas pud is easy – and immensely rewarding. Just don’t expect to eat it the same year you make it – it’s better if allowed to mature for a year or more in repeated doses of booze.