Nigel Slater's Christmas party

The menu

• Starters & nibbles

  Stilton puffs

• Main course

  Salmon Wellington

• Side dishes

  Sticky cranberry sausages

• Side dishes

  Porcini nut patties

• Desserts

  Festive fruit salad with brandy snap

• Cakes and baking

  Marzipan berry cakes

• Drinks and cocktails

  Ginger fizz

Menu ingredients

Serves 10-12

• Fruit and vegetables

  • 2 medium cucumbers, peeled

  • 50g/1¾oz fresh dill, finely chopped

  • 2 red onions, sliced

  • 200g/7oz fresh or frozen cranberries

  • 1 clementine, zest only

  • 40g/1¾oz dried porcini mushrooms

  • 250g/9oz chestnut mushrooms

  • 2 tbsp groundnut oil, plus extra for greasing

  • 200g/7oz kale

  • 1 orange, juice only

  • 1 lime, juice only

  • 1 lemon, juice only

  • 1 mango, cut into cubes

  • 4 clementines, separated into segments

  • 1 pomegranate, seeds only

  • 6 cape gooseberries (physalis)

  • 100g/3½oz blueberries

  • 400g/14oz frozen cranberries, plus extra for decoration

• Tins, packets and jars

  • plain flour, for dusting

  • 5 tbsp Dijon mustard

  • 1 heaped tbsp cranberry jelly

  • 1 x 400g/14oz tin flageolet beans, drained

  • 2 heaped tbsp golden syrup

  • 4 tbsp plain flour

  • 80g/2¾oz plain flour

• Cooking ingredients

  • 2 tbsp clear honey

  • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar

  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • plain flour, for dusting

  • 2 tbsp olive oil

  • 150g/5oz chestnuts, cooked and peeled

  • 100g/3½oz Macadamia nuts

  • 3 tbsp honey

  • 3 tbsp soy sauce

  • 100g/3½oz breadcrumbs

  • 2 tbsp caster sugar

  • 1 tsp ground ginger

  • 2 tbsp chopped pistachios

  • 180g/6¼oz caster sugar

  • 150g/5oz ground almonds

  • 100g/3½oz marzipan, cut into 1cm/½in pieces

  • icing sugar, to serve

  • 2-4 knobs of preserved stem ginger (depending on how gingery you like it)

  • 3 tbsp syrup from the stem ginger jar

• Drinks

  • 1 tsp brandy

  • 500ml/18fl oz cider

• Dairy, eggs and chilled

  • 1 x 380g/13oz ready-made puff pastry sheet

  • 300g/10½oz Stilton

  • 1 free-range egg, beaten

  • 100g/3½oz parmesan, freshly grated

  • 1 x 380g/13oz ready-made puff pastry sheet

  • 1 free-range egg, beaten, combined with a little milk

  • 1 free-range egg

  • 60g/2¼oz butter, plus extra for greasing

  • 180g/6¼oz butter, softened

  • 2 free-range eggs

• Meat, fish and poultry

  • 1 x 2.8kg/6lb salmon, skin removed and filleted into 2 pieces

  • 400g/14oz uncooked cocktail sausages

• Other

  • 300ml/10½fl oz hot water from the kettle

  • 200g/7oz ice

By Nigel Slater