How to Have a Merry Christmas: “Recipes, Rituals, and Real Magic for the Season of Kindness”

How to Have a Merry Christmas is a domestic companion for the British season, guiding you from the first Advent candle to Twelfth Night with food that works and rituals that make sense.

The recipes are long-form and prescriptive where it counts—temperatures, timings, resting and reheating—yet adaptable with gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian and vegan notes.

 Each chapter includes calm planning and housekeeping touches: the Christmas Eve lay-up, a cook’s timetable, leftovers labelling and a freezer guide. You’ll find the classics where they belong (bread sauce the night before, roasties in the bird’s resting window, pudding on Stir-Up Sunday), plus breakfast ideas, edible gifts and a British cheese board section with oatcakes and quick chutneys.

The book closes with a gentle seven-day reset and an expanded epilogue on packing Christmas kindly, so your house is ready to welcome the light back next year. Traditions are tools, not rules; this book shows you how to use them.