3 must-try festive recipes from Dairy Diary
While your roast may be the centrepiece of your Christmas
celebrations, it’s often the little things that make festive feasting extra
special. Our friends at Dairy Diary are here to bring a touch of magic to your
Christmas banquets with a selection of delicious side dish recipes.
Narrowing it down to just three recipes was no easy feat, but
these fruity punch, snowy festive fir trees, and balsamic honey roasted sprouts
recipes cover both sweet and savoury preferences and offer a unique twist to
classic Christmas dishes!
If these recipes have got your mouth watering, you’ll want to
enter our Dairy Diary giveaway this December. Keep an eye on our social media
for the kick off of our prize draw to be in for a chance of winning one of five
Dairy Diaries.
Read on for the full recipes and order everything you need to make
it a Christmas to remember from our Best of Local collection here.
Fruity punch
Get your taste buds tingling with this tantalising homemade fruit
punch. With grape and cranberry juices, cinnamon, mixed spice, cranberry and
blood orange tea bags, clementine and cranberries, this punch packs some of the
most festive ingredients. It’s best served warm in a large punch bowl for your
guests to help themselves to!
Ingredients
- Red Grape drink 750ml bottle
- Cranberry juice 300ml (½ pint)
- Cinnamon stick 1, halved
- Ground mixed spice ½ tsp
- Caster sugar 1 tbsp or to taste
- Cranberry and blood orange tea 2 tea bags
- Clementine or satsuma 1, peeled and segmented
- Cranberries 50g (2oz)
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a saucepan and slowly warm
through, stirring, until sugar has dissolved.
- Bring up to boil, then simmer very gently for 5
minutes, to soften cranberries.
- Carefully remove tea bags. Pour into heatproof
glasses and serve warm.
Snowy festive fir trees
Dairy Diary has pulled out all the stops to bring you these mince
pies with a twist. These fir tree-shaped treats are perfect for getting crafty
with little and big ones alike in the run up to Christmas – just make sure you
leave one out for Santa!
Ingredients
- Ready-rolled puff pastry sheet 320g pack
- Milk 2 tsp
- Mincemeat 275g (10oz)
- Flaked almonds 2 tbsp
- Icing sugar 75g (3oz), plus extra for dusting
- Lemon juice 2 tsp
Instructions
- Unroll pastry and cut in half lengthways. Cut 9
triangles per step, each 7cm (3in) across bottom and about 12cm (5in) at sides.
Reserve trimmings. Arrange triangles on 2 baking trays lined with baking paper.
Score a line around triangles to make a thing border. Cut small squares out of
leftover pastry and press onto base of each triangle for a trunk. Brush border
and trunk with milk. Chill. Preheat oven to 200°C/180°fan/Gas 6.
- Spoon a heaped teaspoon of mincemeat on each
triangle. Carefully spread inside border. Scatter almonds over. Bake for 20
minutes until crisp and golden. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
- Mix 75g (3oz) icing sugar with lemon juice and
1 teaspoon water. Drizzle icing at pointed end of trees and a little
further down to look like snow. When set, dust with icing sugar.
Cook’s Tips
Prepare one tray of trees and bake them while you prepare the other tray. If the mincemeat slides off trees while baking, quickly pile it back on as soon as you take them out of the oven. These will keep for three days in an airtight container.
Balsamic honey roasted sprouts
Take your Brussels sprouts to the next level with this gorgeous
glazed balsamic and honey roasted sprouts recipe. Apple and honey combine with
red onion, pancetta, sage leaves, olive oil and balsamic vinegar for a
delicious blend of sweet and savoury when tossed with the sprouts. Order
sprouts and other fresh essential Christmas veg here.
Ingredients
- Brussels sprouts 450g (1lb), trimmed
- Eating apples 2, cored and cut into thick wedges
- Red onion 1, peeled and thickly sliced
- Pancetta or thick smoked bacon 110g (4oz), thickly
sliced
- Fresh sage leaves 8
- Olive oil 1 tbsp
- Balsamic vinegar 2 tbsp
- Runny honey 1 tbsp
- Roast meat and vegetables to serve (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°C/180°fan/Gas 6. Line a large baking tray with
baking paper. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, add sprouts and cook for
1 minute. Drain and rise under cold running water to cool. Drain again. Place
in a large bowl.
- Mix in apples, onion, pancetta or bacon and sage.
Shake oil, vinegar and honey in a jar to combine, then pour over the bowl and
toss to combine.
- Spread mixture over the
lined tray, season and cover with foil. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove the
foil and cook for a further 20 minutes until tender. Discard sage and serve
immediately to accompany roast meats and other vegetables, if you like.
Book your Christmas delivery today
Have these recipes got you excited for festive feasting? With a range packed full of delightful treats, we’ll be delivering Christmas food right up until Christmas Eve, in line with your usual delivery. Book your Christmas delivery today to secure a slot and let us bring all the joy and magic of Christmas straight to your door, without the hassle.
