Prepare the sprouts by removing the outer leaves if damaged, and wash thoroughly.

Steam or boil until tender, and place in individual ramekins.

Crumble the cheese and sprinkle on top of the sprouts, then add a spoonful of breadcrumbs to each ramekin.

Clarify some butter in a pan (fry gently until the foam subsides), then pour one tbsp over the breadcrumbs on each pot.

Finally sprinkle a teaspoon of crushed walnuts and bake in the oven for 10 minutes at 220C. Grill for the last two minutes. Decorate with a whole half walnut and serve hot.

Soak the bread with the milk in a bowl.

Place all the ground meat in a bowl, season with salt and pepper then add the bread (after having squeezed out excess milk), the shallots, the spices and the eggs. Mix very well and then add the chestnuts.

Season the inner cavity of the goose with salt and pepper, stuff with the chestnut meat mix and sew it closed. Season the outside and place it side down on a roasting dish.

Add to the pan the diced vegetables (onion, carrot tomatoes) and the chopped giblets. Cook for 40 minutes at 180C, basting every 10 minutes. Turn the bird on the other side and cook for a further 40 minutes. Turn on the first side again and cook for 30 minutes, then on the second side again for 30 minutes. Finally turn on its back and cook for ten minutes, then breast side down for a final 10 minutes. Remember to baste regularly.

Transfer the vegetables to a plate, then strain the cooking juice and put in a sauceboat on the table. Serve with the goose.

250g blanched almonds, roughly chopped
250g blanched hazelnuts, roughly chopped
200g honey
400g icing sugar
1 egg white
ground toasted hazelnuts to cover

Beat the egg white until very firm. Then gently add the honey and keep beating until light in colour. Stir in the sugar.

Cook on a low heat (this is best done in a copper pan) until it reaches a firm consistency.

Remove from the heat and add the roughly chopped nuts, stirring to mix well.

Sprinkle a cold surface with the ground hazelnuts. Pour the mixture over this, cover with more ground nuts and shape into a rectangular log.

Leave to cool, then cut into pieces.

Preheat the oven to 180C (gas mark 4). Grease a deep baking tray and line with greaseproof paper.

Break up the dark chocolate and place with the butter in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Melt gently, stirring occasionally. Allow to cool slightly.

Beat the eggs with the sugar and vanilla extract until thick and creamy. Stir in the melted chocolate mixture. Sift in the flour and salt then fold in gently. Add the white chocolate chunks, nuts and cranberries and mix gently.

Pour the mixture into the baking tin and cook for 20 minutes. The top should have a glossy film and the centre should still be slightly gooey. Leave to cool before cutting into squares.

London (areas served by Natoora vans. Click for details)

Good news! We deliver to large parts of London, Twickenham and some Kingston postcodes with our own vans. See below for more details on when we are delivering in these areas and your last dates for ordering…

Christmas

Last Order Date: Thursday 22nd December by 11PM
Last Deliveries: Friday 23rd December until 10PM and Saturday 24th December until 1PM

New Year

Last Order Date:  Thursday 29th December by 11PM
Delivery Dates: Wednesday 28th December to Saturday 31st December
Last Deliveries: Saturday 31st December until 1PM

Deliveries in the New Year from 3rd January 2011 onwards.

Outside London (areas served by TNT. Click for details)

Christmas*

Last Order Date: Wednesday 21st December by 11PM
Last Delivery Date: Friday 23rd December between by 6PM

*Delivery surcharges may apply to certain slots during Christmas week

New Year

Last Order Date: Wednesday 28th December by 11PM
Delivery Dates: Thursday 29th December and Friday 30th December
Last Deliveries: Friday 30th December between 8AM-12PM

Deliveries in the New Year from 4th January 2011 onwards.

Please note: All slots and delivery days are subject to availability and weather permitting. As we use couriers we do not take orders for delivery on Christmas or New Year’s Eve outside London in order to avoid disappointment due to missed deliveries.

Our winning panettone: Le Cose Buone from Natoora

Panettone Le Cose Buone from Natoora

1kg, £19.90
The most expensive panettone on test, and you can tell it’s posh by the simplicity of the packaging: just-off-white paper, plain red ribbon with unshowy card. This one cut beautifully (always use a serrated knife to cut panettone, by the way, much as you would a loaf of bread), showed a cautious hand with the fruit, was moist and very moreish. The business, basically – and the only one which had me coming back for seconds, which speaks volumes. BUY NOW
★★★★★

He also tasted our Panettone from Panarello…

Panarello Panettone from Natoora

1kg, £12.95
Looks the part, and the ­flavour is spot on, but let down by being a touch on the dry side. BUY NOW
★★★

Read the full article here

Looking for more Christmas inspiration? Visit our Christmas shop today for the best selection of festive food. SHOP NOW

Visit our Christmas Shop for more…

Time is running out to book your Christmas delivery and slots are filling up quickly.
View our Christmas delivery times here

London (areas served by Natoora vans. Click for details)

Good news! We deliver to large parts of London, Twickenham and some Kingston postcodes with our own vans. Unlike courier deliveries, these are unlikely to be affected by bad weather,  except in the most extreme circumstances. See below for more details on when we are delivering in these areas and your last dates for ordering…

Christmas

Last Order Date: Thursday 23rd December by 11PM
Last Deliveries: Friday 24th December until 8PM (but try not to leave it to the last minute in case we eat all the mince pies!)

New Year

Last Order Date:  Thursday 30th December by 11PM
Delivery Dates: Wednesday 29th December to Friday 31st December
Last Deliveries: Friday 31st December until 8PM

Deliveries in the New Year from 4th January 2011 onwards.

Outside London (areas served by TNT. Click for details)

Due to the backlogs caused by the bad weather of 2 weeks ago and with more bad weather expected over the weekend, deliveries by courier are likely to be delayed or subject to cancellation. We will do our best to keep you informed and we would ask that if you experience heavy snowfall and think it is unlikely that couriers will be able to reach you, then please let us know.

For more information on terms and conditions surrounding delays and cancellations, please click here and refer in particular to section 8.

In case of severe weather disruption, we may attempt to fulfill deliveries close to London using our own vans. If this applies to you, we will be in touch as soon as possible to arrange this. It may be necessary to rearrange the delivery date in these cases.

Christmas*

Last Order Date:  Tuesday 21st December by 11PM
Last Delivery Date: Thursday 23rd December between 8AM-12PM

*Delivery surcharges may apply to certain slots during Christmas week

New Year

Last Order Date: Tuesday 28th December by 11PM
Delivery Dates: Thursday 30th December
Last Deliveries: Thursday 30th December between 9AM-6PM

Deliveries in the New Year from 5th January 2011 onwards.

Please note: All slots and delivery days are subject to availability and weather permitting. As we use couriers we do not take orders for delivery on Christmas or New Year’s Eve outside London in order to avoid disappointment due to missed deliveries.

With less than a month to go before the big day, it’s time to think about what will be gracing your festive dinner plate.

Turkey

Traditionally turkey is the most popular choice and with our Appledore Free Range Bronze Turkeys, you can forget about dry, tasteless meat…

Appledore Free Range & Organic Bronze Turkeys

Appledore turkeys are a slow growing traditional breed and have been raised to full maturity for a deliciously dense meat and a natural layer of fat under the skin to retain moisture whilst cooking. In December, the turkeys are dry-plucked by hand and game-hung for at least two weeks in the traditional way. “This enables the rich, traditional flavour to develop fully, ensuring the finest taste and texture for Christmas day” (Richard, Manager, Moen and Sons)
Shop Now From £30.74
Try our Turkey Crown Meal Box, £78.75

Goose

If you’re looking for a step away from the traditional turkey, try a Goodman’s goose. They have a thick layer of fat to keep the bird nicely succulent but be sure to render the fat down and baste frequently to avoid it becoming too fatty. The meat is richer than turkey and more flavoursome…

Goodman’s Free Range Goose

Goodman’s Geese come from a proud heritage of expert farming. All geese are reared free range, grazing over large grass paddocks and fed an all-natural diet of home-grown corn, grass, straw and a specially prepared ration containing no additives or growth promoters.

Shop Now From £64.80
Try our Goose Meal Box, £188.89

Capon

Capons are becoming an increasingly popular Christmas Day alternative as the meat is very tender compared to other birds. You may have noticed that all the top chefs rave about capon, so why not bring a little something special to the table this year…

Johnson’s Organic Free Range Capons

Capons are perfect for a festive meal as they have a flavourful flesh which is more tender than other birds. All our capons are organic, free range and from a top quality producer meaning superb taste!

“Johnson’s capons are fed an all-natural diet. They are fully matured and absolutely delicious” (Richard, Manager, Moen and Sons)
Shop Now From £33.60

Multi-Bird Roasts

Still can’t decide? How about a multi-bird roast!

Multi-Bird Roasts from Moen and Sons

Create a real stir this Christmas when you present to your festive table an outstanding 3 or 5 bird roast. Enjoy the flavours of Free Range Chicken, Duck and Pheasant on your Christmas dinner plate! Shop Now From £52.80

Click here to visit our Christmas butcher.

“NATOORA.CO.UK ‘Totally and utterly addictive, Natoora is a top-quality, online deli with an Italian slant. The cheeses and fresh pastas are divine.’ ”