Check out some of our festive recipes. From mince pies to puddings, why not try them out this Christmas?

MINCE PIES

Ingredients
One packet puff pastry (thawed)
225g sultanas
75 g dried dates stoned and chopped
75g raisins
3 apples finely chopped
50g mixed peel
75 g chopped almonds
10 mls mixed spice
25 g fructose
60 ml whiskey or dry sherry.

Method 

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. It is better to make this about 2 weeks before use so it can flavour itself
2. Preheat oven to 325F / 165C
3. Roll out puff pastry and line the base of a pastry tin
4. Place the mincemeat into the cups but make sure not to overfill them
5. Place on the lids. Glaze with an egg wash (whisk a egg and a drop of milk together)
6. Place in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown
7. Leave to cool on a wire tray.

A serving is per 1 mince pie without any cream or custard on the side.

Nutritional Information per portion
Calories – 228
Fat – 10g
Carbohydrate – 32g
Protein – 3g

CHRISTMAS PUDDING

Ingredients
100g vegetarian suet
50 g self-raising flour
100 g fresh white breadcrumbs
1 teasp. ground mixed spice
200 g soft dark-brown sugar
450 g mixed fruit
100 g ready to eat dried apricots
50 g blanched almonds (chopped)
1 medium eating apple peeled, cored and grated
grated rind and juice of one orange
2 tablespoons brandy
6 tablespoons stout
2 eggs beaten

Method

1. In a large bowl, mix together the suet, flour, breadcrumbs, spice and sugar. Then stir through the mixed fruit, apricots, almonds, and the apple
2. In a separate bowl, beat together the orange rind and juice, brandy, stout and eggs
3. Stir into the flour mixture until well combined
4. Spoon into two lightly greased pint (600ml) bowls or 8 small (6 ozs) moulds
5. Cover the bowls or moulds with discs of greaseproof paper and secure tightly. Allow to stand overnight
6. To cook, place the puddings in a large saucepan and add enough boiling water to reach a third of the way up the bowls. Cover and steam over a low heat, ensuring that the saucepan does not boil dry – the large puddings require 5-6 hours of steaming and the little puddings require 3 hours
7. Cool and store in a cool dark place until required
8. Before serving, steam the puddings again- the large one will need 2 hours and the smaller ones ½ hour.
9. Serve with brandy crème, ice cream or custard.

Serves 8, not suitable for freezing

Nutritional Information per portion
Calories – 452
Fat – 15g
Carbohydrate – 77g
Protein – 6g

TRIFLE

Ingredients
150 g maderia cake
4 tablespoons of orange liqueur or orange juice
2 sachets sugar free jelly
4 satsumas or 2 oranges, peeled and sliced
2 bananas sliced
1 X 425 g ready to serve low fat custard
1 X 200 g carton virtually fat-free fromage frais
8 tablespoons light crème fraîche
To Decorate – fresh fruit e.g. physalis, star fruit and mixed berries.

Method

1. Layer the cake slices in the base of a large serving dish
2. Pour over the orange juice or liqueur
3. Make up the jellies according to the instructions on the pack and leave to cool
4. Layer the satsamas and the bananas over the trifle sponges
5. Pour over the jelly and leave to set
6. Pour over the custard over the jelly
7. Mix to-gather the fromage frais and crème fraîche and spoon over the custard
8. Decorate with fruit.

Serves 10, not suitable for freezing

Nutritional Information per serving
Calories – 201
Fat – 9g
Carbohydrate – 22g
Protein – 9g

LIGHT CHRISTMAS CAKE
*Not suitable for a person with nut allergies

Ingredients
50g (2ozs) Margarine
25g (1ozs) Fructose
75g (3ozs) each of sultanas, currants and raisins
¼ teasp mixed spice
¼ teasp cinnamon
3 large dried apricots, lightly soaked
10 fluid ozs Orange Juice or half with Guinness
¼ teasp baking powder
75g (3ozs) chopped walnuts
225g (8ozs) wholemeal flour
3 standard eggs
1 tablesp brandy

Method

1. Lightly grease and line a 7 inch square or 8 inch round cake tin
2. Bring margarine, fructose, fruit and orange juice/Guinness to just below boiling point
3. Simmer for 20 minutes and then leave to cool
4. Sieve flour, spice, cinnamon and baking powder to-gather and mix in walnuts
5. Add beaten eggs and mix lightly but well
6. Put into tin and level off
7. Bake in the centre of a preheated oven 180 C 350 F for 1 hour
8. Lower heat a little and cover with greaseproof paper loosely and cook for another 30 minutes
9. Allow to stand in tin for 10-15 minutes and then cool on a wire tray.

Serves 16, suitable for freezing but wrap in foil.

Nutritional Information per serving
Calories – 170
Fat – 7.2 g
Carbohydrate – 23g
Protein – 4. 2g

ALL IN ONE MADEIRA CAKE 

Ingredients
175 g (6ozs) low fat margarine that is suitable for baking
75g (4ozs) demerara sugar
3 eggs
1 tablesp water
200 g (9ozs) plain flour + optional 1 ½ teasp baking powder
Finely grated rind of half a lemon

Method

1. Place all the ingredients in a bowl and beat with a wooden spoon until well mixed (approx 2-3 minutes)
2. Place in a lightly greased and base lined deep 7 inch (18cm) cake tin and level the top
3. Bake in a preheated oven at 1600 C (3250F) for 60 – 75 minutes to until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean and dry
4. Cool in the tin for a few minutes and then turn out on a wire tray.

Serves 16 Suitable for freezing.

Nutritional Information per serving
Calories – 158
Fat – 10g
Carbohydrate – 15g
Protein – 3g

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

Ingredients
1 medium fresh chopped onion
1 medium celery stalk chopped
1 medium garlic clove minced/pressed
240mls of unsweetened apple juice
1lb/450g Butternut Squash peeled
seeded and diced
1 medium potato, diced
800mls vegetable stock (low salt preferably)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp ground thyme
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground nutmeg
6oz/180g fresh mushrooms sliced
3 tbsp sherry or white wine
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 pinch dried marjoram
150mls low fat milk
1 pinch salt and pepper (to taste).

Method

1. Combine the onions, celery, garlic, and apple juice in a large soup pot. Bring to the boil then reduce heat.
2. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables soften.
3. Add the squash, potato, water or stock, bay leaf, thyme, salt, and nutmeg. Bring back to the boil, lower the heat, and simmer until the vegetables are very soft, about 20 to 25 minutes.
4. While the soup simmers, sauté the mushrooms in an uncovered skillet with the sherry, soy sauce, and marjoram until the mushrooms are tender and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes.
5. Set aside.
6. When the squash and potatoes are very soft, remove the soup pot from the heat and, working in batches, puree the soup with the milk in a blender or food processor.
7. Reheat gently. Add salt and pepper and serve topped with the sautéed mushrooms.

Serves 6, suitable for freezing