Stonehead’s pot-roast chicken

I’m not a stickler for tradition for tradition’s sake, particularly at Christmas.

With just the boys and I to cater for meat-wise—the Other Half being vegetarian—there was no point in roasting a turkey or goose.

Instead, we had one of our surplus Scots Grey cockerels waiting in the freezer as it would provide us with enough meat for three meals.

Vanilla kissel

If you’re looking for an egg-free replacement for home-made egg custard, then kissel—a Russian dessert—could be the answer. I made vanilla kissel to go with our Christmas pudding, but there are many versions including milk-free ones. All you need for vanilla kissel is two pints of milk, two ounces of cornflour, three ounces of sugar, two teaspoons of vanilla essence and, for my Christmas version, three ounces of crystallised lemon rind.