Vesper

be pushing him for some while he has a massive upside

lol President Musk has Trumpy's nappy in a twist

so many MILF's, so little time and only one cosmic batty crease for their fingers to find

pathetic

and some here want to drop a shedload of quid on Guehi, who has looked meh most of the season IMHO

1 3 Havertz

Arse cannot handle Palace's press they miss Rice

damn should be 2 2

that is after scoring TWO goals in his previous 38 games

Jesus 5 goals in his last 58 minutes on the pitch

ffs! another corner goal Jesus on a hat trick 1 2

totally an Eden style goal

wooooot 1 1

nil 1 Jesus again he is on fire

Сrystаl Раlасе – Аrsеnаl England. Premier League / 21 December at 18:30 https://statistics.soccerstreams100.io/event/eng-1/arsenal-vs-c-palace-live-soccer-stats/704446

https://www.vipleague.pm/epl/crystal-palace-vs-arsenal-1-live-streaming https://www.vipleague.pm/epl/crystal-palace-vs-arsenal-2-live-streaming

Three easy dessert recipes to make ahead of Christmas Jane Lovett prepares poires belle Hélène, blueberry tart with amaretti crumb and lemon cream pots https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/food-drink/article/easy-dessert-recipes-christmas-make-ahead-time-m2rk226mx Poires belle Hélène Christmas comes but once a year”, as the proverb goes, so it beats me why we’re always taken by surprise at its impending arrival. “Gosh, only two weeks to go,” we all say in a flustered tone when it creeps up apparently “unexpectedly”. Preparing as much as possible in advance is the key to success in the kitchen and will reduce stress levels considerably. Doing a little here and there in the days beforehand really does make the final task much easier. So, with that in mind, here are three puddings that can be prepared well ahead, so they can be brought to the table with minimal fuss. Poires belle Hélène Cold poached pears adorned with hot chocolate sauce — simple but delicious. A classic French pudding that makes a lovely fruity alternative to Christmas pudding. Cook the pears in a sugar syrup if you prefer to skip the alcohol. Serves 4 Ingredients • 4 firm pears (preferably Williams or Conference), peeled but left whole • 1 bottle dessert wine • 1 tbsp caster sugar, or more to taste, depending on the wine • 1 cinnamon stick, split in half lengthways • 2 star anise • A handful of flaked almonds, toasted • Vanilla ice cream, to serve • For the chocolate sauce: • 100g dark chocolate, broken into small pieces • 150ml whipping cream • ½ tbsp golden syrup • 1 tsp strong brewed coffee • Knob of butter Method 1. Put the pears into a saucepan into which they fit neatly (about 20cm diameter), then add the wine, sugar and spices. Cover, slowly bring to the boil and then taste, adding more sugar if you like. Simmer for between 5-20 min, or until tender when pierced with a sharp knife. 2. Remove from the heat and leave to cool completely in the pan, then transfer to a container, cover and chill for at least 4 hours (overnight is even better) before serving. 3. Make the chocolate sauce. Put all the ingredients into a small pan and stir on a very low heat until melted and combined. Set aside. 4. Remove the pears from the syrup and, if necessary, cut the thinnest sliver off their bases so they stand upright. Arrange the pears standing up in a pretty bowl or in individual bowls or plates, spoon over the sauce, scatter with the flaked almonds and serve with scoops of ice cream. Get ahead Complete the recipe up to three days ahead; keep both components chilled separately (the pears will keep for a day or two longer if required and the sauce for several weeks). Reheat the sauce gently on a low heat and, if necessary, thin to a coating consistency with a little pear syrup or warm water. Blueberry tart with amaretti crumb The juicy blueberries, which pop pleasingly in the mouth, are set in just enough rich custard to hold them together, with the amaretti and crisp pastry adding some contrasting crunch as they pop. The pastry is quite crumbly but is very malleable and can be easily patched up before cooking. Serves 12 Ingredients • For the pastry: • 180g plain flour, plus extra for dusting • 90g butter, chilled and diced • 2 tbsp caster sugar • 2 egg yolks • For the filling: • 400g blueberries • 225ml double cream • 75g caster sugar • 4 egg yolks • 1-2 amaretti biscuits (depending on size) Method 1. Find a loose-bottomed, round 24cm x 2.5cm tart tin and a baking sheet. To make the pastry, put the flour and butter in a food processor and whizz together briefly until you have fine breadcrumbs. Add the sugar, whizz briefly, then add the egg yolks and 1½ tablespoons of cold water and whizz until the mixture begins to come together. Turn out onto a floured worktop, knead lightly into a ball, then flatten into a round shape. 2. Roll out the pastry thinly into a circle slightly larger than the tin (so it comes ½-1cm above the rim), line the tin and trim the edges to neaten. The pastry is malleable enough to mould and repair any cracks — save the trimmings for any repairs needed later. Prick the base all over with a fork, place on the baking sheet and chill for 30 min. 3. Heat the oven to 160C fan/gas 4. Line the pastry case with baking parchment and fill with enough baking beans (or dried rice or pulses) to cover the base and come halfway up the sides of the tin. Bake blind for 20 min until the pastry is firm, then remove the beans and paper. Return to the oven for a further 8-10 min until the case is a pale biscuit colour and cooked through. Remove from the oven. 4. For the filling, put the blueberries into the tart case in one layer, then lightly whisk the cream, sugar and egg yolks together to combine and pour this over the blueberries. Bake for about 30-35 min until barely set in the middle. Leave the tart to cool completely in the tin before transferring to a serving plate. Just before serving, crush the amaretti biscuit or biscuits in your fingers, scatter sparingly over the tart and serve with cream or crème fraîche, if you like. Get ahead Make the tart up to three days in advance, cool, cover and chill. Or freeze for up to a month. You can serve it chilled or at room temperature. Lemon cream pots Sometimes I feel that putting in this little effort when I’m entertaining is cheating, but these lemon cream pots always go down a storm — so why not, I say. Very refreshing and great for feeding a crowd, they take a matter of minutes to make, are inexpensive and can be made well in advance. It’s best to use strained Greek yoghurt, which is thicker than regular Greek-style yoghurt. Serves 6 Ingredients • 200g lemon curd • 200g crème fraîche • 200g strained full-fat Greek yoghurt • Grated zest of 1 lemon Method 1. Put the lemon curd into a bowl, stir in the crème fraîche and then the yoghurt and mix until smooth. Spoon into six small pots, ramekins or pretty glasses, but don’t smooth over the tops — leave the “spooned-in” pattern. Cover and leave to set in the fridge overnight. 2. Just before serving, decorate with the grated lemon zest. Get ahead Make to the end of step 1 up to 4 days in advance and keep chilled. A thin rim of liquid may appear around the top edge, which is fine. Extracted from The Get-Ahead Christmas Cook by Jane Lovett (Headline £28). To order a copy go to timesbookshop.co.uk. Free UK standard P&P on orders over £25. Special discount available for Times+ members

The best bottles of wine to serve on Christmas day, from red to fizz Jane MacQuitty picks this year’s best wines to serve on the big day, from starters through to pudding https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/food-drink/article/best-bottle-wine-serve-christmas-day-xm9l05j5c Christmas is coming, and it’s time to stock up on special bottles for the big lunch. If you’re kicking off with a smoked salmon starter, then leafy, lemony, limpid chablis is the answer. The golden, smoky 2023 Brocard Chablis has the acidic persistence to cut through the oiliness of the fish and would also work well with a seafood platter, as will Cloudy Bay’s Sauvignon. If you’re serving punchier fish dishes, try a big flavour-friendly orange wine instead — Bonny Doon’s quirkily elegant 2023 Le Cigare Orange is just the job. After a hearty white to drink with turkey and all the trimmings? My vote goes to Hunter’s awesome, flinty, French oak barrel-fermented, sandalwood-scented 2021 Offshoot Marlborough Chardonnay. If it’s got to be a red wine, New Zealand again has the answer with its delicious, silky, cranberry and red cherry-fruited 2021 Dog Point Pinot Noir. At a pinch, this would also work with fatty goose and duck, but really you need more acidity and savoury oomph, so Berry Bros Chianti Classico is the better bet. Festive game, especially venison, need bigger, bolder reds still and M&S Collection Ebenezer & Seppeltsfield Barossa Shiraz should be just the ticket. Fortnum’s Christmas Pudding Madeira with the plum pudding, of course, but snap up Aldi’s lip-smacking, crystallised peach and pineapple licked 2020 Specially Selected Sauternes too. Last but not least is great champagne. Pol Roger is renowned for its fine mousse, wonderful flavour and length; if you can afford to splash out, magnums look especially generous and festive and they are down £25 to £95 at Waitrose. Or let a wine merchant do the heavy lifting for you and order six standard Pol Roger bottles for £40 a pop each from The Wine Society, with free pre-Christmas delivery if you order by 20 December. Happy Christmas! From left: Allende Rioja Blanco, Brocard Chablis, Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, Hunter’s Offshoot Marlborough Chardonnay, Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay White 2022 Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay, California, 13.5 per cent, Majestic, £19.99, or 6 for £12.99 each until Monday Get your skates on — there’s a fiver off this big, bold, beautiful, nutty buttered toast of a white, but only until Monday. 2023 Brocard Chablis, France, 12.5 per cent, Asda, £15, down from £17 Leafy, lemony, limpid chablis cuts through the oiliness of smoked salmon, and this would also work well with a seafood platter. 2024 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand, 13.5 per cent, Majestic, £31.99, or 6 for £23.99 each The 40th vintage of this cult Marlborough sauvignon is a cracker, bursting with lemongrass, gooseberry and grapefruit. 2021 Hunter’s Offshoot Marlborough Chardonnay, New Zealand, 13.5 per cent, thewinesociety.com, £19.50 After a hearty white to drink with turkey and all the trimmings? My vote goes to this awesome, flinty, French oak barrel-fermented, sandalwood-scented chardonnay. 2020 Allende Rioja Blanco, Spain, 13.5 per cent, bbr.com, £28.95 Another winner with turkey, but with a lighter, vanilla-pod shtick. Order from Berry Bros & Rudd by December 20 for delivery before Christmas. Orange Bonny Doon Le Cigare Orange, California, 10.5 per cent, Tesco, £15 Quirkily elegant, savoury, tangy, baked quince of an orange wine. Lower in alcohol but still big flavour-friendly. From left: Dog Point Pinot Noir, Berry Bros Chianti Classico, Granite Hill Old Vine Zinfandel, Barossa Valley Shiraz Red 2021 Dog Point Pinot Noir, New Zealand, 13.5 per cent, bbr.com, £34 If it has to be a red wine for turkey, New Zealand has the answer with this delicious, silky, cranberry and red cherry-fruited pinot. 2022 Granite Hill Old Vine Zinfandel, California, 14.5 per cent, Tesco, £12 A French and American oak-aged, turkey-loving, full-bodied beast, brimming with rich, curranty, tobacco leaf fruit. 2021 Berry Bros Chianti Classico, Italy, 13.5 per cent, bbr.com, £18.50 Seriously delicious, tangy, savoury, herb and potpourri-heady chianti, from a top producer, Badia a Coltibuono. Perfect with goose and duck. 2022 Collection Ebenezer & Seppeltsfield Barossa Valley Shiraz, Australia, 14.5 per cent, Marks & Spencer, £14 Festive game, especially venison, need bigger, bolder reds, and this spicy, dark-hearted and black-fruited shiraz is just the ticket. From left: Quinta da Cavadinha Vintage Port, Christmas Pudding Madeira, Specially Selected Sauternes, Alfred Gratien Brut Champagne, Pol Roger Brut Réserve Champagne Sweet and fortified 2020 Specially Selected Sauternes, France, 14 per cent, half bottle, Aldi, £7.49, down from £9.99 Lip-smacking, crystallised peach and pineapple-licked sauternes from the great first-growth estate, Château Suduiraut, no less. 2006 Quinta da Cavadinha Vintage Port, Portugal, 20 per cent, Waitrose, £29.99, down from £36.99 Drop-dead gorgeous, single quinta vintage port, all seductive spice box and beefy plum and mulberry fruit. Christmas Pudding Madeira, Malvasia Reserva, Portugal, 19 per cent, half bottle, Fortnum & Mason, £18.50 Surprisingly silky yet zingy, golden raisin and sweet toffee-stashed madeira with a fine smoky finish. Fizz Pol Roger Brut Réserve Champagne, France, 12 per cent, Waitrose, £42.99, down from £54.99 Scrumptious White Foil is a fragrant brioche and white flowers-scented, creamy, pinhead bubble triumph. 2015 Alfred Gratien Brut Champagne, France, 12.5 per cent, thewinesociety.com, £55 Splurge on this brilliant, smoky, digestive biscuit of a vintage champagne from a hot year and a little-known house.

Gordon Ramsay: my 12 tweaks of Christmas — that really work How does a man with 17 Michelin stars to his name make festive celebrations special? Well, there won’t be any turkey or Christmas pud https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/food-drink/article/gordon-ramsay-christmas-meal-tips-advice-87ckwzpvq Gordon Ramsay with a slice of his favourite Christmas centrepiece, beef Wellington Gordon Ramsay has got a busy 2025 ahead of him, with his opening early in the year of three restaurants, a cookery school and a bar in a skyscraper near Liverpool Street in London. The 12-seat chef’s table on the 60th floor will be the highest restaurant in Europe and he describes the project as “the biggest launch I’ve done, not just in the UK but the world”. But any hopes of a quiet Christmas to prepare himself have fallen by the wayside. He had thought it was just going to him, his wife Tana, and their two youngest sons, Oscar, 5, and Jesse, 1, at home in southwest London, but his older children had other plans. “We’ve been out of the house for the last three years and it’s undergone a complete refurb, including digging three metres down, so obviously [his older children] Meg, Jack, Holly and Tilly all moved out. Lo and behold I found out last week that they’ve all put their apartments up for rent and they’re going to be moving back in. It’s going to be crazy.” He calculates that there will be 25 of them for Christmas dinner, including girlfriends, boyfriends and fiancés (24-year-old Holly announced her engagement to the Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty recently). There will be a party for the couple and 300 guests on Christmas Eve. “Not in the house,” the chef, 58, hastens to add, but in one of his London restaurants, Bread Street Kitchen. “Oh my God, just the thought of the house being trashed …” The next day, Oscar will be bouncing on Ramsay’s bed by 6am. “So we’ll go downstairs together and do presents for the boys. I never like to rush Christmas Day. For us it is all about enjoying the day and not stressing out.” • Four celebrity chefs and their favourite Christmas recipes Most of the kitchen prep will have been done the day before, with each of the older children specialising in their own area. “The rule for a happy Christmas is delegate, delegate, delegate. Everybody will muck in. Meg and Tilly love their vegetables so they’re brilliant on veg prep. Holly takes care of decorations and Jack’s obsessed with cooking meat. He does it brilliantly.” On Christmas Day there will be a late breakfast at about 11am of scrambled eggs on homemade brioche with smoked salmon and, as a real treat, thinly shaved white truffle. “We’ll be there around the table for at least 90 minutes and enjoy a couple of glasses of buck’s fizz or champagne before heading out on to the common for a long walk.” Finally they’ll sit down to dinner at about 5.30pm. “We like to stretch the day out and enjoy as much daylight as possible because it goes quickly.” Not too quickly. Celebrations in the Ramsay household continue until New Year’s Eve, when there will be a lunch party to celebrate twins Holly and Jack’s 25th birthdays, and it’s only then that the chef can properly relax — that’s when he, Tana and their younger two will head down to their house in Cornwall for a week. “There’s something so nice about getting that wetsuit on and getting in the cold water,” he says. He may feel he needs the practice. Ramsay, who is a keen Ironman triathlete, can’t help but feel the competition of having an Olympic athlete in the family. Talking of the 140-mile swimming, cycling and running competition, he says, “He may spank me on that swim but I will absolutely kill him on that bike. No one will catch me on the bike.” Gordon Ramsay’s favourite festive tips and recipes 1. Up your brunch game The thing about eating on Christmas Day is it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon. Don’t try to cram too many meals and too much food into one day. By having a proper brunch at about 11am, it will see you through to dinner later. There’ll be some in our house wanting waffles with berries and honey, but for me it’s got to be smoked salmon and scrambled eggs. People cook their eggs too fast — the key is to take your time, and use a very gentle heat. The pan should never get too hot to touch. Then keep folding the eggs with a spatula rather than stirring them to create beautiful soft curds. 2. Everyone loves roasted nuts A few days ahead of Christmas, I’ll make a bit batch of spiced roasted nuts, and when the smell of the cayenne pepper and smoked paprika fills the house it signals Christmas is here. Put 250g mixed nuts in a frying pan over a medium heat and toast them with a couple of pinches of salt. Then sprinkle ½ tsp each of cayenne pepper and sweet paprika and finally add a sprig of rosemary. Give the pan a good toss to make sure they are all coated and they are done. 3. Have fresh figs, beetroot and ham to start I’ve already had salmon for brunch, but I want a starter to be something equally light, easy and vibrant. So we’ll put plates of ham — San Daniele and Pata Negra — in the middle of the table and garnish it with some lovely ripe fresh figs and beetroot that’s been peeled and roasted in advance with balsamic vinegar and olive oil so it is beautifully caramelised. Then everyone dives in and helps themselves. 4. Ditch the turkey Beef Wellington is the new Christmas Day turkey. There, I’ve said it. Bin the bird and go all-in for a proper showstopper. My mum will be furious because she loves the Christmas traditions, but a beef Wellington is such a thing of beauty, a table centrepiece and so much more delicious. If you are making it yourself, for four to six people you’ll need 1kg beef fillet (ask your butcher for a centre cut so it’s an even thickness) and don’t even think about making your own pastry, not when there are so many other tasks to do. Then you’ll need a mushroom mix called a duxelles. Don’t get too bogged down about which mushrooms to use — any type will do. Beef Wellington SHUTTERSTOCK Beef Wellington recipe Serves 4-6 Ingredients • 2 x 400g beef fillets • Olive oil, for frying • 500g mixture of wild mushrooms, cleaned • 1 thyme sprig, leaves only • 500g puff pastry • 8 slices of Parma ham • 2 egg yolks, beaten with 1 tbsp water and a pinch of salt • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper For the red wine sauce • 2 tbsp olive oil • 200g beef trimmings (ask the butcher to reserve these when trimming the fillet) • 4 large shallots, peeled and sliced • 12 black peppercorns • 1 bay leaf • 1 thyme sprig • Splash of red wine vinegar • 1 x 750ml bottle red wine • 750ml beef stock Method 1. Wrap each piece of beef tightly in a triple layer of clingfilm to set its shape, then chill overnight. 2. Remove the clingfilm, then quickly sear the beef fillets in a hot pan with a little olive oil for 30-60 seconds until browned all over and rare in the middle. Remove from the pan and leave to cool. 3. Finely chop the mushrooms and fry in a hot pan with a little olive oil, the thyme leaves and some seasoning. When the mushrooms begin to release their juices, continue to cook over a high heat for about 10 min until all the excess moisture has evaporated and you are left with a mushroom paste (known as a duxelles). Remove the duxelles from the pan and leave to cool. 4. Cut the pastry in half, place on a lightly floured surface and roll each piece into a rectangle large enough to envelop one of the beef fillets. Chill in the refrigerator. 5. Lay a large sheet of clingfilm on a work surface and place four slices of Parma ham in the middle, overlapping them slightly, to create a square. Spread half the duxelles evenly over the ham. 6. Season the beef fillets, then place them on top of the mushroom-covered ham. Using the clingfilm, roll the Parma ham over the beef, then roll and tie the clingfilm to get a nice, evenly thick log. Repeat this step with the other beef fillet, then chill for at least 30 min. 7. Brush the pastry with the egg wash. Remove the clingfilm from the beef, then wrap the pastry around each ham-wrapped fillet. Trim the pastry and brush all over with the egg wash. Cover with clingfilm and chill for at least 30 min. 8. Meanwhile, make the red wine sauce. Heat the oil in a large pan, then fry the beef trimmings for a few minutes until browned on all sides. Stir in the shallots with the peppercorns, bay leaf and thyme and continue to cook for about 5 min, stirring frequently, until the shallots turn golden brown. 9. Pour in the vinegar and let it bubble for a few minutes until almost dry. Now add the wine and boil until almost completely reduced. Add the stock and bring to the boil again. Lower the heat and simmer gently for 1 hour, removing any scum from the surface of the sauce, until you have the desired consistency. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve lined with muslin. Check for seasoning and set aside. 10. When you are ready to cook the beef Wellingtons, score the pastry lightly and brush with the egg wash again, then bake at 200C/gas 6 for 15-20 min until the pastry is golden brown and cooked. Rest for 10 min before carving. 11. Meanwhile, reheat the sauce. Serve the beef Wellingtons sliced, with the sauce as an accompaniment. From Gordon Ramsay’s Ultimate Cookery Course (Hodder & Stoughton £30). To order a copy go to timesbookshop.co.uk. Free UK standard P&P on orders over £25. Special discount available for Times+ members Roast potatoes with thyme and garlic GETTY IMAGES 5. The secret to the perfect roast potato Simmer your potatoes in water with bay leaves, fresh thyme and garlic. Then, once they are parboiled, drain off the water, crank up the gas and put them back on the heat for 30 seconds, shaking the pan. Then leave them to steam, the longer the better. The edges will become fluffy and they will absorb more of the flavours of the herbs and garlic. Then roast them in hot oil — people get obsessed by goose fat but to be honest, vegetable oil is just fine — but don’t use too much. You want the potatoes to roast, not to deep fry. • James Martin’s ultimate potato recipes: roast, dauphinoise or mashed? Roasted sprouts GETTY IMAGES 6. Roast your sprouts This is a game-changer. Sprouts get a bad rap because no one, and I mean no one, likes an over-boiled sprout, so roast them instead. Blanch the sprouts the day before and plunge them in iced water so they keep their colour, then dry them between two tea towels. On the day, add a little oil and a few chunks of pancetta to a roasting tray, tip in the sprouts and cook them for 15 minutes or so alongside the potatoes, until they are slightly charred on the outsides. 7. Add clotted cream to your bread sauce You don’t have to be a super-confident chef to add something special that will elevate the flavour of the accompaniments. Try whisking a good dollop of clotted cream or mascarpone into bread sauce before finishing it with a grating of fresh nutmeg, or add a splash of port to the gravy or cranberry sauce to get things a little richer. 8. I’m not a big drinker but at Christmas I do like a glass of … Champagne. I mean, it’s a time for celebration, isn’t it. It’s been a big year for the Ramsay household, what with Meg joining the police, Jack coming home on leave from the Royal Marines and Holly getting engaged to Adam [Peaty]. There’ll be sauvignon blanc and pinot noir on the table too, but I won’t overdo it. I don’t want to fall asleep on the sofa and wake up to find Oscar has drawn whiskers all over my face. Mint-flavoured ice cubes GETTY IMAGES 9. Up your ice game A simple way of making drinks a bit more special is to make herb and fruit-flavoured ice cubes to garnish simple cocktails or soft drinks. You can use anything from raspberries, mint or even rosemary to jazz up a G&T or a glass of sparkling water. Alternatively, add a few pomegranate seeds and a splash of juice to a glass of fizz to create an instant festive cocktail with a lovely red colour. 10. Christmas pudding is too rich I have a sweet tooth, and I do love a great dessert, but much as I love flambéeing a Christmas pudding, it’s so rich I can normally only manage a small spoonful. One thing I do love to finish a meal with is my Christmas bombe, made with shop-bought Swiss roll, cherries in kirsch and meringues and cream. You can make it a month in advance and keep it in the freezer for when you want a hit of creamy, chocolatey, boozy goodness. Gordon Ramsay’s christmas bombe CHRIS TERRY Christmas bombe recipe Serves 8-10 Ingredients • 400g good-quality chocolate Swiss roll (jumbo size) • 390g jar cherries in kirsch-flavoured syrup • 180g caster sugar • 75ml water • 2 large egg whites • 300ml double cream • 50g preserved stem ginger in syrup, chopped, plus 1 tbsp syrup from the jar • 1 tbsp Grand Marnier or Cointreau • 50g chopped mixed glacé fruit • 30g marron glacé (optional), chopped • 30g shelled pistachio nuts, toasted and roughly chopped • Few redcurrant sprigs, to finish (optional) • Icing sugar to dust (optional) Method 1. Line a 2-litre bowl with a double layer of clingfilm, leaving some excess overhanging the rim. Cut the Swiss roll into 1cm slices and use to line the base and sides of the bowl, cutting a few of the slices into pieces to fill the gaps as necessary. Drain the cherries, reserving the syrup. Drizzle the Swiss roll slices with the kirsch syrup, saving a few tablespoonfuls for the top. Set aside. 2. Put the sugar and water into a small heavy-based saucepan and stir over a low heat to dissolve. Increase the heat to high and boil until the syrup registers 120C on a sugar thermometer. Meanwhile, in a clean large bowl, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks. 3. When the sugar syrup is ready, gradually pour onto the egg whites in a steady stream, whisking as you do so. Continue to whisk until the meringue has doubled in volume and the sides of the bowl no longer feel hot. 4. In another bowl, whisk the cream to soft peaks. Fold in the ginger syrup and orange liqueur, followed by the meringue. Taste and sweeten with a little more ginger syrup if required. Stir through the cherries, chopped ginger, glacé fruit, marron glacé, if using, and chopped pistachios. Spoon into the Swiss roll-lined bowl and level the top. 5. Cover with the remaining Swiss roll slices, cutting them to fit as necessary. Drizzle with the rest of the kirsch syrup, then fold the excess clingfilm over the top to seal. 6. Place a flat plate on top (one that just fits inside the rim) and weigh it down with a heavy tin. Chill for an hour, then remove the weight, wrap and freeze the bombe. 7. To serve, unwrap the bombe and place on a flat plate or cake stand. Decorate with sprigs of redcurrants dusted with icing sugar if you like, or serve it just as it is. Let it stand at room temperature for about 15 min before slicing. From Christmas by Gordon Ramsay(Quadrille £15). To order a copy go to timesbookshop.co.uk. Free UK standard P&P on orders over £25. Special discount available for Times+ members 11. End with a British cheeseboard Britain makes some of the best cheese in the world, so rather than cramming my board with loads of inferior cheeses, I like to offer a few of my favourites: stichelton, which is similar to stilton but made from unpasteurised milk; a mature farmhouse West Country cheddar; Baron Bigod, which is like a British brie, and a soft goat’s cheese such as Ragstone, Dorstone or Rosary. 12. Leave enough for leftovers With so many youngsters in the house, things you had your eye on can disappear overnight. The older kids will go out to see friends and come back at midnight with the munchies and the next day you find the beef Wellington’s gone. But no waste! That’s the Ramsay mantra. Boxing Day will be cold meats with piccalilli and nice salad, or my favourite, a kind of hash brown made with grated potato and finely sliced sprouts, and then a fried egg on top. Restaurant Gordon Ramsay High, Lucky Cat Bishopsgate and the Gordon Ramsay Academy open from February 3. gordonramsayrestaurants.com