RECOMMENDATIONS

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  Cucumber, cashew nut and sesame salad

  Matt Tebbutt's crunchy, healthy salad is a delightful combination of Asian tastes

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  Cheese rissoles

  Simon Rimmer combines the textures of crisp fried potatoes with melting smoked cheese and a minty pea purée for a thrifty dinner party starter

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  Braised ox cheeks with mash

  As supermarkets seek to bring back customers with cheaper cuts of meat, Tom Parker-Bowles cooks a dish that is both cheap and comforting

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  Spicy beef salad

  A quick dish packed with zingy flavours from Paul Merrett

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  Giardiniere pickles (Italian garden pickles)

  Delia Smith's pickles are fab served with a plate of salamis, prosciutto and mortadella, and a selection of deli cheese

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  Roast crispy pork

  Ken Hom shares the secret to getting crispy skin with a technique similar to the one used for Peking Duck. Then the skin is slowly roasted so that most of the fat cooks off, leaving soft tender pork flesh marbled with velvety fat

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  Pastel de nata (custard tarts)

  Recreate this Portuguese deli treat with Lia Baiao and John Torode’s simple recipe, made with puff pastry

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  Christmas kiss

  Get your party off to a good start with Diana Henry's festive cocktail brimming with champagne, cranberry juice and Cointreau

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  Sausages with salami and lentils

  Nigel Slater makes a hearty rough-edged casserole that gives the impression of having been cooked for hours but is pretty much ready to eat in 45 minutes

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  Thai prawn curry

  Spicy and spectacular, enjoy Aldo Zilli's temptingly fragrant Thai prawn curry