If you’re not a fan of traditional turkey or standard sides and fancy a change this Christmas, get your chops round our mouth-watering alternative Christmas mains and desserts with a twist. Plan the ultimate Christmas dinner with hearty sharing recipes, inlcuding our vibrant veggie mains using seasonal ingredients.
Looking for even more stunning Christmas centrepieces? Check out our fabulous collection of roasts, pies and pastries.
Top 10 alternative Christmas dinner centrepieces
Top 5 alternative meaty mains
Do Christmas a little differently this year and try a turkey alternative. Don’t fancy cooking a bird? Try a glistening glazed ham, roast lamb or a decadent duck recipe. Experiment and find your new favourite.
1. Stuffed saddle of venison with prunes & brioche
Find more venison recipes in our collection.
Watch our video tutorial and learn how to glaze and cook a ham.
Discover even more amazing roast chicken recipes in our main collection.
4. Marmalade glazed roast duck
Try even more versatile roast duck recipes in place of your traditional roast.
5. Roast lamb stuffed with apricot & mint
Get your fill of our moreish roast lamb recipes – they’re not just for Easter.
Top 5 veg alternatives
Never fear, nut roast alternatives are here! Try a savoury slice of veg cake, a cheesy truffled pudding or an Italian-inspired gnocchi dish. Take a look at our vegetarian Christmas collection for more enticing meat-free meals.
1. Cauliflower, chestnut & sage cake
2. Parsnip, mushroom & barley wreath
3. Truffled parsnip & brioche pudding
5. Beetroot & red onion tarte tatin
Our favourite alternative desserts
If you love baking but aren’t a fan of traditional puddings, we have a whole host of brownies, cakes, cheesecakes and ice creams to get your mouth watering. Take Christmas pudding and turn it on its head. Try a scoop of Christmas pudding trifle, a slice of pudding cheesecake or a bowful of Christmas pud ice cream.
Christmas cake
Want a stunning sponge to take centre stage this Christmas? Embrace all the flavours of the season, with our own clever twists. Our gingerbread cake with caramel biscuit icing is deliciously decadent, complete with coconut ‘snow’. Get a taste of the tropics with our pineapple & rum cake, filled with sunny Caribbean flavours. Ditch the fruit cake and try our white chocolate, orange & cranberry cake with picture-perfect meringue toppers.
Mince pies & yule log
Perk up your standard sweet offering with our golden-brown puff pastry mince pies. They’re easy and can be made with just a handful of ingredients. Try another glorious mash-up in the form of our mince pie baklava – serve small bites with coffee or a hearty serving warm with ice cream. Bring a pop of colour to your dinner table with our stunning rainbow yule log, a striped Swiss roll makes a centrepiece that’ll get everyone talking. If you need something sweet to satisfy your cravings, try your hand at our salted caramel yule log. A slice of this is the perfect end to a festive meal.
Enjoyed these recipes? Try our other Christmas classics…
Easiest ever Christmas dinner
The best ever Christmas cocktails
Christmas projects for kids
What’s your essential Christmas dinner dish? Leave a comment below…