Turkey and chow mein, anyone? That’s just one of the quirky Christmas memories served up by these top TV chefs… along with the indispensable gadgets they recommend to give as gifts.
Heston Blumenthal
Favourite Christmas food and drink
More than anything I love a roast potato – so much so that at my restaurants, The Fat Duck, The Hind’s Head and Dinner, we’ve made roasties the hero of the roast dinner. Get them right and everybody will be happy, even if your turkey ends up as tough as an old boot. As for drink, I’ll probably go for a velvety bottle or two of Burgundy.
Most cherished Christmas foodie memory
When I was a kid we would often have a seasonal nosh-up at my honorary Uncle John’s house in Brixton – perhaps a roast leg of lamb, broad beans. There would be a crackling fire and the smells of wood panelling and old leather armchairs and malt whisky. For me these aromas have always been the very essence of Christmas.
Your Christmas Day in food and drink – any special tips?
My home these days is in France with my wife Melanie, and the French do Christmas differently. The big day is Christmas Eve and there’ll often be a whole plate of langoustines and another of foie gras. We do our own fusion of British and French traditions, so there’ll be a capon from Bresse, with accompaniments I associate with Christmas because of my mum – red cabbage and a swede purée. And there will certainly be roast potatoes.
At Heston Blumenthal’s restaurants, they have made the roast potato ‘the hero of the roast dinner’
Worst Christmas kitchen disaster
I don’t know whether it counts as a disaster, but it’s haunted me since childhood. My dad’s mother and my mum never saw eye to eye. One year my grandmother was on her way over for the Christmas meal, which my mum had spent all morning prepping – a ham and a turkey were both in the oven. At which point I popped into Dad’s home office just as he was talking to Grandma, saying, ‘Bring them and we’ll have a look at them.’ It turned out she too had prepped all the veg for the meal. To say this didn’t go down well would be an understatement. My abiding memory of that Christmas is my mum standing there in her dressing gown, smoking, with three paper hats on her head, saying to my dad, ‘Do you want some more potatoes, you fat b*****d?’
Brilliant kitchen gadget you’d recommend as a gift
I’m going to sound like a broken record, but a digital thermometer is indispensable. A turkey’s a tricky bird to get right: it can easily end up dry. With a thermometer there’s no more guessing.
Lorraine Pascale
Favourite Christmas food and drink
Quality Street! You used to get them in a metal tin, and it was all about squabbling over the purple one. But nobody ever quarrelled over the green triangle, which was my favourite. Drink has to be mulled wine. It just says ‘it’s Christmas’.
Lorraine Pascale starts Christmas Day with a variety of chocolates
Most cherished Christmas foodie memory
Going to my dad’s with my brother, my sister and my daughter and eating the roast my dad had cooked. Crispy potatoes, loads of gravy and the turkey would be perfect.
Your Christmas Day in food and drink – any special tips?
Wake up, have After Eights, Quality Street and Toblerone. For breakfast we’ll have smoked salmon and mimosas. I have no shame in saying it’s my husband who cooks the meal. I just sit there with a glass of something sparkling or something hearty and red while carols and Christmas songs play. My tip is the stuffing. Make sure you use chestnuts, as they make it.
Worst Christmas kitchen disaster
I went to a friend’s and they put the turkey in and we waited and waited, and suddenly we smelt burning. The turkey was in the oven but they’d turned on the grill!
Brilliant kitchen gadget you’d recommend as a gift
A few! A Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser, a madeleine maker, an Oxo Good Grips Salad Spinner and a potato ricer.
Nick Nairn
Favourite Christmas food and drink
Smoked salmon and Pol Roger White Foil Champagne.
Nick Nairn prefers to be left to do the cooking himself on Christmas Day
Most cherished Christmas foodie memory
Satsumas and Twiglets were always in my Christmas stocking.
Your Christmas Day in food and drink – any special tips?
Smoked salmon, scrambled eggs and buck’s fizz, then a roast bird with all the trimmings, and a good white and red burgundy. And if there’s room later, turkey sandwiches with home-made mayo. It’s the best bit!
Worst Christmas kitchen disaster
I get irritated when people try to help. I’d rather be left to it. I like to be in control!
Brilliant kitchen gadget you’d recommend as a gift
Our kitchen nutribullet gets used for everything from grinding spices to making mayonnaise. I wouldn’t be without it.
Jean-Christophe Novelli
Favourite Christmas food and drink
For me, Christmas means something a little indulgent but with freshness. A beautifully roasted bird, served with pomegranate and finger lime, with rich seasonal sides, perhaps root vegetables, winter greens. And to drink, a good Champagne or a fine sparkling wine.
Jean-Christophe Novelli says dessert needs to be ‘comforting but refined’
Most cherished Christmas foodie memory
I recall one early Christmas at our farmhouse in Hertfordshire when the heating and hot water weren’t working yet. What made it special for me was the shared cooking and the warmth of the people. That kind of simple togetherness, sharing great food, great company, the authentic Christmas pine tree aroma drying alongside the warmth of the fireplace. That is what I cherish.
Your Christmas Day in food and drink – any special tips?
On Christmas Day I like to start gently, maybe fresh fruit or a smoothie or juice to wake up the palate. Then mid-morning I’ll have a coffee. For the main meal I’d ensure the roasted bird is treated well: high quality, well rested, proper seasoning. Then for dessert something comforting but refined, perhaps a lemon honey roasted fruit with mascarpone or a light but rich pudding and importantly a vanilla custard. My tip would be to make sure you keep the salt under control. You can add flavour with herbs, spices and a good black pepper.
Worst Christmas kitchen disaster
You really don’t want to miss the gas delivery if you live in the countryside! One Christmas we ended up having to have a round of sandwiches – and the only thing that we had to cook with was the fireplace. But that didn’t stop the fun.
Brilliant kitchen gadget you’d recommend as a gift
A peeler with a julienne tip. When you slice, it creates fine julienne strips instead of thick ribbons. A thermometer with a wire and timer (2-in-1) – it’s perfect for precision cooking or even making your own cheese. A bread-making kit, including proving baskets, a Dutch oven, and a proper proving box. And a compact wooden hygienic chopping board – durable, space-saving, and easy to clean.
*Jean-Christophe Novelli mentors young chefs in The Heat, coming early 2026, ITV2.
Anna Haugh
Favourite Christmas food and drink
Roast ham. It was a free for all. We’d store it in the sink in the downstairs bathroom because that room was too cold for anything else. So any time we were passing we’d grab a piece of ham and go.
Anna Haugh recommends gifting a ‘really good gravy jug’
Most cherished Christmas foodie memory
Making Christmas pudding with my mum. Everyone would be called into the kitchen to grab the wooden spoon and make a wish while stirring the mixture.
Your Christmas Day in food and drink – any special tips?
It should never be a one-man show. It’s got to be a shared responsibility. There should be someone decorating the table, another on the drinks, someone else clearing away, another orchestrating the food.
Worst Christmas kitchen disaster
When I arrived at my sister’s one year she asked me to help serve the soup. This ended up with her handing me a packet of parsnips so she actually meant, ‘Can you make the soup?’ We didn’t eat until midnight, but it was still an amazing Christmas.
Brilliant kitchen gadget you’d recommend as a gift
It’s not a gadget as such, but a really good gravy jug. It should be a tall one, so it keeps heat in and looks beautiful when picked up. It can then be passed down through the generations for years to come.
Jonathan Phang
Favourite Christmas food and drink
Turkey with all the trimmings is a must, but I always include a few dishes from my Caribbean-Chinese heritage – a rum-glazed ham, macaroni cheese pie and a chow mein. I always finish with a Guyanese black cake [a rum-soaked fruit cake] for pudding. I treat myself to a good bottle of Champagne while I’m cooking.
Jonathan Phang says he can’t manage in the kitchen at Christmas without a reliable meat thermometer or a knife sharpener
Most cherished Christmas foodie memory
Christmas mornings spent on my parents’ bed, with my brother, sister and I lined up in a row. My father would feed us spoonfuls of garlic pork and pepperpot [a meat stew], two national dishes of Guyana traditionally served on Christmas morning.
Your Christmas Day in food and drink – any special tips?
Preparation is key to a calm and joyful cooking experience. I tackle everything the day before, except the potatoes. I bone the turkey and stuff and roll the thigh meat, which ensures it cooks evenly and perfectly. I roast the turkey on Christmas Eve, allowing it to rest and cool completely. I then slice it and arrange it in serving dishes, covering it with gravy, so it’s ready to heat just before serving.
Worst Christmas kitchen disaster
My only kitchen disaster occurred when I tried to cut corners by purchasing pre-prepared items from a well-known high street supermarket. The taste simply didn’t compare.
Brilliant kitchen gadget you’d recommend as a gift
I can’t manage without a gravy boat fat separator, a reliable meat thermometer, and, most importantly, a knife sharpener.
Paul Rankin
Favourite Christmas food and drink
Nibbles. Smoked salmon with cream cheese, red onion, chives and capers on Irish soda bread, and a leek, potato and goat’s cheese tart. To drink, Spanish vermouth over ice, seasoned with a little gin, Campari, bitters and a slice of orange. So warmly complex and beguiling.
Paul Rankin says Christmas is the only day of the year he’d eat chocolate for breakfast
Most cherished Christmas foodie memory
As a rugby-playing teenager I was hungry all the time, so the prospect of a massive feed on Christmas Day was very exciting. We’d have soup, turkey and Christmas pudding. In the evening we’d have our Christmas salad, which was actually a cooked ham, leftover turkey, stuffing, potato salad, beetroot, apple and walnut salad, jellied carrot and orange salad, and tomatoes. Mum would make four or five desserts, including lemon cheesecake, which was very exotic in the 70s.
Your Christmas Day in food and drink – any special tips?
We start with coffee and presents. And it’s probably the only day of the year I’d eat chocolate for breakfast. Proper food starts with smoked salmon, cream cheese and soda bread, maybe prawns or langoustines. Lunch is a broth of chicken, veg, barley and parsley – it’s a family recipe and needs no modern twists. Then it’s turkey. I take the legs and back off, bone the legs, and stuff and roll them with the crown. Veg includes red cabbage, roast and mashed potatoes and sprouts. And lashings of gravy. Then it’s Christmas pudding with whiskey custard and vanilla ice-cream.
Worst Christmas kitchen disaster
I once decided to do a little wine tasting while cooking. Then I got called to construct my son’s basketball hoop, and I’m terrible at all things DIY. I had to construct this 3m metal pipe that would support the hoop, all while drinking my delicious wine. The pipe fell over and smacked me over the head. I saw stars. I have no idea how long I was out for, but no one noticed. I actually felt a bit tearful when I came round. And I have no idea how the day ended.
Brilliant kitchen gadget you’d recommend as a gift
First one is a little kitchen sharpener by AnySharp. It costs about £10 and is great for any household. It might just be my favourite gadget. The other thing is a large, conical parmesan grater by Alessi.