Five foolproof recipes to get you through Christmas

A make-ahead curry, a classic Italian ossobuco and a crowd-pleasing black forest cake – dishes for every occasion over the festive period

While there is nothing black forest about sesame seeds, they just taste so delicious with dark chocolate and tart, cured cherries. This is a major update from the classic, but it really works, so why not? This cake gets me through the holidays because it feels like a melding of my favourite flourless chocolate cake from California and a much-loved British cake. I’m always in the UK for Christmas because my bakery is open right up until Christmas Eve and eating this helps me miss California a little less.