6 chefs share their ultimate Christmas Day menu
- Good Food team
Published: October 28, 2026 at 12:32 PM
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Fancy something different for your big day menu? Take inspiration from some of the stars appearing at the Festive Good Food Show
Sabrina Ghayour
My dream celebration meal will always be grilled fish and seafood. Simply cooked either fresh out of the water, or on a beach – the memory lingers even after the tan fades. For me, tuna, swordfish, squid, prawns, lobster and even langoustine served chargrilled with a selection of sauces – from simple aïoli to more exotic, fiery Thai sauces and even garlic butter – make me smile so much.
I don’t even require any sides; I’d be only too happy to gorge myself silly on grilled fish and wash it down with good fizz! I’ve swum to beach bars for grilled spiny lobster in New Caledonia, taken a boat ride to a restaurant on the side of the rocks in the Amalfi for perfectly grilled fish and seafood, eaten grilled langoustine in the cold in Scotland and sat eating grilled prawns by the river in Thailand – no matter the location, seafood always feels like such a special gift, and I’m here for it! @sabrinaghayour
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Francesco Mattana
In my house, we serve li puligioni for our primi – Sardinian mezzaluna ricotta ravioli with sweet tomato sauce. The filling is both savoury and sweet, with beautiful aroma from the citrus and saffron. In Italy, ravioli aren’t an everyday meal; they’re reserved for celebrations because they take time, patience and lots of love to make. My mamma and I always make a big batch, hoping to freeze some for later – but they never last, because everyone asks for seconds! I included the recipe in my cookbook, Eat Like a Sardinian: Live to 100. To me, these ravioli taste like home, family and Christmas, all wrapped into one little parcel of pasta. @our_cookingjourney
Ping Coombes
My dream celebration meal is a menu of all the best foods I’ve eaten that are now permanently etched in my mind. When I first won MasterChef, I was invited to cook in Hong Kong, and during that trip, I was taken to a seafood restaurant that served incredibly garlicky steamed prawns with glass noodles – they’d make the perfect hot starter. To follow, I’d have the aged ex-dairy rib-eye cooked over an open fire with charred leeks, which I first ate at Casa Julian in Tolosa during a family trip. And to finish, I’d have a baked alaska from the restaurant at my childhood swimming club in Malaysia – my mum always allowed me to order it on special occasions! @pingcoombes
Barney Desmazery
As I’ve been working at Good Food for so long, my dream Christmas meal would be made up of things I’ve worked on and learned to love over the years. To start, it would have to be a prawn cocktail. Followed by turkey – Kelly Bronze. I confit the legs and thighs and dry brine the crown for two days, which is simply roasted to 65C. I don’t need millions of sides, and would be very happy with just some braised red cabbage and roasties. There would be cheese, too; it would be chosen by Perry Wakeman from Rennet & Rind. Then, as I started retro, I’ll finish retro with another ultimate recipe: profiteroles and hot chocolate sauce. If it was my dream meal, I’d also be cooking it, as I’m truly at my happiest in the kitchen. @barney_desmazery
Maunika Gowardhan
For over two decades, I’ve walked through the bylanes of old Delhi and, as much as it has become a major food hotspot in the last few years, my memories always take me back to the 1980s, when I first visited the area with my family. On our way to Kashmir, we spent a few days in Delhi experiencing the north Indian hospitality and the best street food. A little shop in the heart of Jama Masjid called Aslam Chicken is a no-frills restaurant serving this unique butter chicken recipe that’s unlike the home-cooked recipe. The addition of cream, black salt, chaat masala and garam masala give it unique flavour. The chicken pieces are cooked over hot coals, giving it the required smoky flavour when mixed with the light, buttery sauce. A serving of roomali roti and salad on the side is all you need to savour this delicious dish. @cookinacurry
John Torode and Lisa Faulkner
LF: Clams, made by John, because they were the first thing he cooked for me – they were so delicious that by the time he sat down at the table, I’d eaten them all. He was like, ‘Oh, they were for both of us’, and that was the beginning of how it was going to be moving forward! But if I could have any dinner again in my life, it would be my mummy’s chicken tarragon, cooked by her.
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JT: First thing I ever cooked for Lisa were clams, yes. I love clams and spaghetti. When we were over in Spain, we had bowls of clams every day. You put chips in with the clams and mix them up together, and the chips take up all the juice from the clams – that’s just the best lunch in the whole world. @johnandlisaskitchenandhome
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