RECOMMENDATIONS

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  Crab cakes with lime mayonnaise

  Galton Blackiston serves up an elegant starter of fried coriander crab cakes with a swirl of brown crab meat and a dollop of zesty mayonnaise

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  Mulled wine

  For a warming winter tipple try Simon Brown's simple recipe for spiced wine, great for parties

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  Steak with chimichurri salsa

  Rachel Allen’s Colombian-inspired steak supper combines citrus flavours of orange, lemon and lime with an exotic avocado and watercress salad

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  Poached eggs with pomegranate molasses

  For breakfast with a difference, Allegra McEvedy cooks a simple traditional Lebanese egg dish called Beid bi debs el remenn

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  Goat’s cheese with walnuts and roast beetroot

  Tangy goat’s cheese is perfectly balanced with sweet beetroot in this simple starter from Paul Rankin

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  Banana meringue tart

  Dorienne Robinson makes a banana tart with a crisp pastry shell and a fluffy meringue topping

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  Christmas Waldorf salad with grilled goats’ cheese

  This Women’s Institute salad is a perfect beginning to the Christmas meal - it is light, colourful and most of it can be prepared in advance

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  Savoury lamb cupcakes

  Bob Blumer's pretty pink cakes are made with braised lamb and are decorated with beetroot and potato 'icing'– don't knock 'em till you've tried 'em!

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  Roast goose with foie gras, apples and rosemary

  Matt Tebbutt's incredibly rich dish requires nothing more than simple roast potatoes and maybe mustard dressed green salad to serve

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  Coffee meringue with cream and summer fruits

  Galton Blackiston’s dessert looks dramatic, but is a cinch to make - just be sure your oven is turned down really low and you give the meringue a good hour and a half