Rick Stein unwraps Christmas: traditions, turbot and the secrets to a perfect festive feast

Christmas with Rick Stein is firmly rooted in tradition. He shares the family rituals that shaped his Cotswolds childhood, talks about the ideas behind his new book, Rick Stein’s Christmas, and gives a glimpse of his own festive table with roast goose, Christmas Eve fish and his tips for perfect gravy.

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The Christmas tree reveal

Rick Stein’s Christmases are shaped by memory and ritual. Growing up in the Cotswolds, he experienced early festive seasons with British and German influences. He recalls the smell of Christmas more than anything else, with candles and a smoky wood fire filling the house. Real candles flickered on the tree and a yule log burned in the hearth.

The tree was always a moment of anticipation. Stein and his youngest sister weren’t allowed to see it decorated until the candles were lit. They were kept upstairs, then brought into the hall on Christmas morning for the reveal. For him, it’s these sensory details, the candlelight and the scent of woodsmoke that capture the festive spirit.

Fish on Christmas Eve, Goose on the day

Many associate Rick Stein with seafood, but his Christmas table brings together both land and sea. “We always cook turbot on Christmas Eve,” he says, recalling the old copper turbot kettle he found at a car boot sale, which could accommodate a fish large enough to feed a dozen. When serving a whole fish, he adds, you only need modest portions of around 100-150g.

Christmas Day is more traditional, although Stein has recently favoured goose. “I have been in a goose phase for the last three or four years," he says. "But while working on the recipes for the Christmas book, I cooked a turkey and remembered I quite like turkey too.” His top tips for the perfect bird are simple: don't go too big and don't overcook it. “A digital thermometer is essential,” he adds.

The local pub and family feasts

For Stein, Christmas is not just about the meal, it's about the rhythm of the whole day. “We never sit down to dinner before about half past three in the afternoon. I like to go to the pub in St Merryn for an hour, just two pints. The pub on Christmas morning is the best. All the local families come in and you meet people you do not see all year round.”

Back at home, around a dozen friends and family gather for lunch. The spread is classic with roast potatoes in duck fat, plain boiled sprouts, a purée of swede with potato and sometimes rocket, and a mix of peas, broad beans and carrots with tarragon. “If it is turkey, I always make bread sauce as boring as possible. The great thing about bread sauce is that it needs to be bland. If you add too much flavour to everything it all clashes.”

A British Christmas rules all

Having an Australian wife, Stein has also experienced a very different Christmas, with beaches, sunshine and even turkey. “There is nothing in Australia that feels similar to Christmas here. It is early summer and everyone is on the beach in shorts, but they still have turkey. The carols do not mean as much because they are all about deep midwinter, which does not quite fit.”

For all the novelty, Stein’s heart stays with a cold and crisp British Christmas. “Once you have experienced a Northern Hemisphere Christmas there is nothing like it.”

Leftovers, parties and culinary confessions

Boxing Day in the Stein household is all about turning leftovers into something worth gathering for. “We always had a party in the Cotswolds on Boxing Day as a way of using up leftover turkey and ham. I always cook a ham over Christmas too. Boxing Day is turkey, ham, a winter salad such as coleslaw, baked potatoes and plenty of condiments. All the chutneys come out of the cupboard for their annual appearance.”

He also enjoys a bit of kitchen creativity. “I make the odd turkey curry, bubble and squeak cakes and in the book there are recipes for things like turkey tacos.”

As for shortcuts, he is open to them. “I am quite happy to use bought-in things such as puff pastry. If it is simple, why do it yourself unless you can make it better?”

The secret to a good Christmas

When asked what makes a good Christmas, Stein is direct and warm. “For me, because I am selfish, it means everything went well with the cooking. But it is also that the family rows are resolved before the end of Christmas. The whole point of Christmas is working through them. You remember how much you love them and sometimes hate them.”

His festive guilty pleasure is simple. “I hoover up After Eights, but it is not guilty. It is Christmas.”

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