River Cottage Christmas Special

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall celebrates Christmas. Image courtesy of the ABC.

My mouth was watering as I watched Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall collect fist sized walnuts fresh from a nut orchard in Devon and then bake them into a walnut and honey tart, accompanied by creamy celeriac ice cream! (Watch this space, I'm going to try that recipe!).

Drop net prawn fishing is next, the most sustainable way of catching prawns. The prawns are cooked on the wharf to capture that exquisite 'sea fresh sweetness' and then, back in the kitchen, tossed into fiercely hot oil, with a pinch of garlic and chilli, a dash of cider brandy and a knob of butter. Served in martini glasses, this makes for a delicious prawn cocktail no matter what the season or what part of the world you're in, methinks.

Also on the menu, there's an array of bite sized canapés, including chestnut and sage soup, and tender free range wild boar with roasted Brussels sprouts, parsnip puree and boar stock gravy. And then those walnuts again. What a cracker of a Christmas get together!

The River Cottage Christmas Special will screen on ABC1 on Saturday, 22 December at 6.00pm.