Chestnut
One of the very best things about autumn, chestnuts now come vacuum-packed, so you can enjoy their sweetness and texture all year round. Use them for petits monts blancs, roulades and in casseroles with game and other meats.
Serves 8Petits Monts Blancs
A brilliant party dish this, as it's so easy to make - all you need is bought meringue nests and a tin of sweetened chestnut puree, one of Delia's favourite ingredients.
Serves 4Chestnut Soup with Bacon and Thyme Croutons
Ready-cooked chestnuts allow you to make this soup in no time at all and you'll be well rewarded: the chestnuts add richness and a sweet flavour which goes really well with the other ingredients: a perfect winter soup.
Makes about 14Christmas Easy: Party Cheese Twists
A great way to use up leftover ready-rolled puff pastry, these moreish cheese straws are made in minutes and will go down a storm at a drinks party!
Serves 4Pot-roasted Pheasant with Port and Chestnuts
A superb alternative to turkey at Christmas and throughout the game season, this pheasant dish is crammed with robust flavours and wintry sustenance.
Makes 8Petits Monts Blancs
A brilliant party dish this, as it's so easy to make - all you need is bought meringue nests and a tin of sweetened chestnut puree, one of Delia's favourite ingredients.
Makes enough for a 12-14 lb (5.5-6.5 kg) turkey but would actually be okay for any size of birdEighteenth-century Chestnut Stuffing
This gorgeous stuffing recipe is proof that some of the old ones are the best! If you don't like peeling chestnuts, look out for vacuum-packed ones for speed and ease.
Serves 8Iced Chocolate Chestnut Creams with White Chocolate Sauce
Easy to make, these impressive creams are one way to get ahead at Christmas: make them up to six weeks ahead for hassle-free entertaining.
Serves 4Chestnut Soup with Bacon and Thyme Croutons
A bone from a baked ham makes a superlative stock for a number of soups (such as lentil or split pea), but it helps to make the very best chestnut soup of all.
Serves 6Pot-roasted Turkey Drumsticks with Port and Chestnuts - recipe cost £14.04 (£2.34 per person)
Like any slow-cooked dish, this lovely turkey casserole is best made the day before for a stress-free time on Christmas Day. Adding bacon rolls and stuffing gives you all the festive flavours too.
Makes about 14Party Cheese Twists
The thing about buying ready-rolled puff pastry is that you often have some left over and this recipe is a brilliant way to deal with it. These crispy, flaky twists are absolutely scrummy – perfect for New Year’s Eve with apéritifs or a drinks party.
