Not long now till Christmas. Have you already done all of your gift shopping, or are you like me who leaves it to the last minute?

Either way we have you covered from top gift guides through to festive arts and crafts activities to get you in the Christmas spirit.

Now Christmas is not just getting lots of gifts. It’s about the family getting together with loved ones and celebrating, oh and eating lots of yummy food!

A Selection of Starters

So here are some amazing Christmas lunch recipes that we have put together for the whole family to enjoy:

Salmon Pikelets

You can bake your own pikelets, but this recipes is for those time poor parents like me who just love the convenience of picking up a packet of pikelets from your local Coles or Woolies. The rest is simple, add a dollop of crème fraiche to your pikelet. This can be mixed with your favourite herbs like parsley or chives. Then add a sliver of salmon and voila a yummy starter, which can also be made ahead of time for ease.

Prawn Platter

We love prawns but the most painful part is the peeling of them. So you have two options; Option 1 – it’s Christmas so what better family activity is there then roping the kids in to helping you peel and devein the prawns. Option 2 – purchase a packet of pre peeled prawns. Now as a condiment queen, this dish wouldn’t be complete without a Marie Rose sauce. This can quickly be whipped up using household ingredients like tomato sauce, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce and for those spice lovers a sprinkle of cayenne pepper (totally optional).

Antipasto or Charcuterie Board

The perfect dish to keep the family satisified until Christmas lunch or dinner. With these boards you can add your families favourite selection of cured meats and cheeses. This your chance to really get as creative as you like adding your garnishes like olives, stuffed peppers, artichoke hearts, or splashes of fruit like figs, grapes and watermelon.

Mains

Baked Ham with Sugar Glaze

What you need

• Whole ham with or without bone
• Dijon Mustard (1/4 cup)
• Brown Sugar (1/2 cup)
• Apple Cider (1 and 1/2 cup)
• Apple Cider Vinegar (1 tbsp.)

How-to-Cook:

Preheat the oven to 160 ºC. Prepare the glazing – mix in a small pan on medium heat the brown sugar, mustard, apple cider vinegar and apple cider. Whisk all together, bring to boil and let it reduce until there is half. Let it rest 10/15 minutes.  Place ham on a rack and cover with foil. Bake for 2.5 or 3 hours. Brush the glaze on the ham every 15 minutes until the thickest part of the ham reached 140 ºC.  Take the ham out of the oven, let it rest for 15 minutes and slice.

Roast Beef

This recipe is easy as it sounds.

What you need

• Any cut of roast beef
• Spices: salt, pepper, thyme, oregano, parsley, rosemary, onion powder
• Vegetables
• Beef Stock (optional)

How-to-Cook:

Grab the cut of meat and place it any oven-tray. Get really, really creative and season with some of the herbs. The more, the better. Cut the vegetables (carrots, onions, capsicum, eggplant, tomato) and place next to the beef. Now spread some olive oil and add some beef stock if you would like the meat to be more juicy. You can also mix the spices with the olive oil and spread that mix on top and bottom of the beef cut. Heat the oven on 250 ºC for 15 minutes before placing the roast. Roast for 15 minutes and lower the temperature to 160 ºC. That is to get a golden crust on the outside and a juicy and delicious on the inside. Let it cook for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Take it out of the oven, let it rest. Cut in Slice and serve!

Roasted Cauliflower

What you need

• Cauliflower
• Olive Oil
• Foil Paper
• Lemon Zest
• Parsley
• Vinaigrette

How-to-Cook:

Heat the oven to 300 ºC. Clean the cauliflower, get rid of the leaves, cut and remove the stem – leaving all the florets. Place the cauliflower on a baking dish, cover with foil and roast it for about 30 minutes. In a small bowl mix the olive oil, lemon zest with some vinaigrette and parsley. Take the cauliflower out of the oven, remove the foil and brush the vinaigrette on top of the cauliflower. Roast again for a further 25 more minutes until it is golden brown and tender. Decorate with some more vinaigrette and parsley on top.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

What you need

• Brussel Sprouts
• Butter
• Bacon
• Spring Onion
• Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper

How-to-Cook:

Cut the spring onion and bacon in slices or little pieces. Place in a frying and cook the bacon and spring onion until crisp with 1 tbsp of butter. Take off the heat when done. Meanwhile, cook the Brussels sprouts in water until tender (4 or 5 minutes). Cut the Brussels sprouts in half or you can also slice them and add them to the skillet with the bacon, spring onion then place 1 tbsp of butter and mustard cook in pan for 1 minute. Serve with some more bacon on top.