Everything you need to read, watch and listen to this month
READ
For fans of the OG
RICK STEIN’S CHRISTMAS: RECIPES, MEMORIES & STORIES FOR THE FESTIVE SEASON
It’s 40 years since Rick Stein first appeared on British TV. Since then he has become a household name, too, with restaurants from his native Cornwall to the south coast of Australia, and TV shows documenting food-related travels. This is his first dedicated Christmas cookbook, with 100 recipes for essential roasts such as turkey and goose, as well as trimmings and desserts both familiar and obscure. Stein’s anecdotal approach is just right for the season, with plenty of cosy chats about his festive customs and preferences.
For the posh cook
FORTNUM & MASON THE COOKBOOK BY TOM PARKER BOWLES
Authored by respected food writer Tom Parker Bowles, this compendium is a definitive collection of recipes featuring select ingredients from Fortnum & Mason. While his background certainly adds a touch of pedigree, Parker Bowles’s established reputation ensures the recipes, which range from simple classics to extravagances such as caviar boiled eggs, are both accurate and inspiring. This volume is a rich blend of the store’s history and the fascinating story behind some of the commodities it sells, making it a perfect Christmas gift, too.
For fans of Southern culinary traditions
CHRISTMAS WITH SOUTHERN LIVING 2025 BY RUBY LOWE
The year 2026 will mark the 60th anniversary of Southern Living, the lifestyle magazine that has steadily become part of the cultural fabric across the lower regions of the United States. That publication is especially renowned for its recipes, and this bumper festive edition helps you create what might be called a Southern-fried Christmas, working through region-specific seasonal dishes such as buttermilk pie and sweet potato biscuits, as well as ideas for DIY crafts and decorations.
WATCH
IS IT CAKE? HOLIDAY SPECIAL 2025
If you’ve never seen this high-concept baking contest then you don’t yet know how bizarrely compelling it can be to guess whether a given presented object is edible or not. The forthcoming Christmas special is a good place to start, as last year’s included cakes made to resemble seasonal items such as ice skates and nutcrackers, all impossible to tell from the real things. Participating chefs compete to win prizes up to 75,000 USD, while the audience at home partakes only for the fun and kudos of successfully guessing what is cake, or not.
LISTEN
SEASON’S EATINGS
Europe, and latterly the United States, hold a certain monopoly over Christmas culinary traditions, but professional baker and podcast host Glen Warren takes a commendably cross-cultural approach to this illuminating show on festive foods from around the world. Each episode covers a holiday dish from a different global tradition, with selections including Ethiopian chicken stew doro wat, the Vikings’ favourite pastry aebleskiver and the Indonesian custard klappertart, adapted from a Dutch colonial recipe.
