Anja Dunk’s Christmas cakes, bakes and chocolate recipes
Spiced biscuits, marzipan cake and Flammkuchen – a celebration of festive German bakingThis cake takes its inspiration from a Linzer biscuit. Two almondy cake halves sandwiched together with a...
View ArticleWant to see the world’s worst pizzas? Step this way | Jay Rayner
The Random Restaurant Twitter feed shows that mini chip fryer baskets and terrible food photos are a planet-wide phenomenonIt’s a familiar image. There’s a well-stacked burger: domed bun, a couple of...
View ArticleThe 10 foodie things that saw me through 2021
From perfect fish pie to the power of food as a gift – here are some of the things I’ve been grateful for this yearI ate the most delicious and original dinner of 2021 at the Black Bull in Sedbergh,...
View ArticleGina Yashere: ‘I’ve only been drunk twice. Why do people do that to themselves?’
The comedian on the perils of TV set snacks, the comfort of smoothies and the lure of sugarMy family’s Nigerian, but I was born and raised in England and I was very much a British kid. So at school I...
View ArticleThe best Christmas cakes and bakes - tested by Georgina Hayden
Panettone, mince pies and more, from supermarkets and online. Which ones should you buy?The best Christmas party foodThe best Christmas chocolate and cheeseVergani pistachio and chocolate...
View ArticleThe best Christmas chocolates and cheese – tested by Tom Kerridge
Which supermarket chocolate boxes, stilton and chutney should you buy? Let a Michelin-starred chef be your guideThe best Christmas party foodThe best Christmas bakes and cakesWaitrose No 1 luxury...
View ArticleThe best Christmas party food and drinks – tested by Nisha Katona
Smoked salmon, mulled wine and more, rated by the founder and executive chef of Mowgli Street Food restaurantsThe best Christmas chocolate and cheeseThe best Christmas bakes and cakesCo-op Irresistible...
View ArticleFlorence Knight’s secret ingredient: bicarbonate of soda
The best way to crisp up your Christmas turkey, bake really short shortbread, or make honeycomb at homeBicarb provides that important melt-in-the-mouth almost sour flavour. I love short shortbreads...
View ArticleMatthew Bourne: ‘We were always singing at home; my dad thought he was Frank...
As a starstruck teenager, the Nutcracker choreographer was a keen autograph hunter. And the thrill of the stage has never left himIt’s tempting to see a Hollywood trajectory, a yuletide miracle, in Sir...
View Article‘When I was little, Christmas came to my rescue without fail’
In novelist Susie Boyt’s childhood, Christmas was the world as it should be, not as it was. And she still won’t hear a word against itChristmas doesn’t bring out the sanity in me. I like total...
View ArticleWelcome to December’s Observer Food Monthly
Christmas is about sharing food, recipes and stories. We have all of these here, and moreChristmas dinner is, in my house at least, a merry-go-round of classics and family favourites and so it probably...
View ArticleMix and match: easy Christmas cocktail recipes
Mulled gin, negroni punch and a vegan white Russian – seasonal drinks to give you and your guests festive cheerAt its best, Christmas is a mix of new discoveries and cherished traditions. Holiday...
View ArticleEssential recipes from Nigel Slater, Claudia Roden and Ottolenghi: the best...
Perfect presents for friends, family and fans of Stanley Tucci, Rachel Roddy, and Anthony BourdainMed: a CookbookClaudia Roden(Ebury, £28)More than 50 years after her groundbreaking, genre-defining A...
View ArticleRoast duck and baked quince: Nigel Slater’s recipes for festive gatherings
A terrine to share, a homemade chutney and candied peel tartlets – Christmas cooking for all-comersI drag a branch into the hallway, a broken bough to sit in a tall pot by the fireplace, its branches...
View ArticlePort, sherry, whisky - Christmas drinks are all about the wood
When alcohol is aged in oak barrels, magic happens. And the nights between Christmas and New Year are the best time to sit and sip Around about this time last year, a few sips into one of the drinks...
View ArticleThere’s nothing worse than a restaurant that makes you feel like an old git |...
Give us over-50s a menu we can read, grownup waiters and the chance to hold a conversation. It’s not too much to ask – and it makes business sense tooThere is only one thing worse than having to thumb...
View ArticleThere’s a new till-free Amazon Fresh shop near me – so I popped in for spring...
Capitalism’s great trick is to make us long for the useless and unnecessary. Under the bright lights, I felt that itch starting upAll I can say is that I should have known better. No, my decision to...
View ArticleEd Gamble: ‘As a child I was a human dustbin. I’d eat every morsel'
The comedian and new Great British Menu judge on the horror of the children’s menu, a surprise encounter with Jamie Oliver’s pants and a lockdown barbecue obsessionI think about food 80% of the time. I...
View ArticleUyen Luu’s secret ingredient: coconut water
The food writer on the depth of flavour this common Vietnamese ingredient adds to sweet and savoury dishes alikeI use coconut water instead of wine, chicken stock or water in curries, stews, braising...
View ArticleAn ex-plumber, a pie maker, a pair of pioneers: Jay Rayner picks his rising...
Six chefs whose careers you should follow this year, as tipped by the Observer’s restaurant criticChief pie-maker, Holborn Dining Room, LondonContinue reading...
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