A cheerful collection of festive mains that make holiday cooking, easy recipes for any home cook. This guide gathers classic favourites and clever twists—glazed roast ham, turkey cooked two ways, salmon en croûte, a showstopping vegetarian pithivier, beef options and a hearty nut roast—each written to be approachable, flavourful and reliably delicious.
Sticky Black Pepper and Marmalade Gammon
This is the ultimate crowd-pleaser: a gently poached gammon finished with a crisp, peppery marmalade glaze. The technique focuses on two stages. First, poach the salted joint slowly with aromatics to keep it juicy. Second, score and roast to render and caramelize the fat.
- Poach: Submerge the gammon in water with carrots, celery, peppercorns, orange zest and a bouquet garni. Simmer for about 1 1/2 hours.
- Trim and score: Remove skin, leave a thin layer of fat, score crosswise to create a crisscross pattern so the glaze and pepper cling.
- Glaze and roast: Blast at 170°C/325°F to sizzle the fat, then brush generously with marmalade and black pepper. Roast for about an hour, basting periodically until sticky and golden.
Serving tip: Finish warm with an extra spoonful of marmalade and a fresh dusting of black pepper for contrast. This ham turns any deli board, buffet or Sunday roast into celebration food and is a perfect example of simple, bold flavours in cooking, easy recipes.
Turkey, Two Ways: Crown and Rolled Legs
Cooking the bird in two parts gives maximum flexibility and perfect portions. Use one robust stuffing for both the crown and de-boned legs rolled porchetta-style. The legs become a honey-kissed, sliceable roulade that’s brilliant for carving and reheating.
- Prep: Ask the butcher to remove the legs and debone them, reserve giblets for gravy.
- Stuff and roll: Pack the stuffing into the crown and the de-boned legs; roll the legs tightly and tie or secure with butcher’s twine.
- Finish: Roast both at the same temperature until cooked through. A light glaze of honey just before resting protects the skin and adds shine.
This approach keeps holiday cooking, easy recipes practical for larger gatherings and makes slicing and serving effortless.
Salmon en Croûte with Herby Spinach and Rosé Cheese Sauce
A modern take on a retro classic. The salmon sits on a bed of herby spinach, wrapped in puff pastry with a creamy sun-dried tomato and Red Leicester sauce that melts and gratinates beautifully.
- Spinach filling: Sweat garlic and onions with oregano, add frozen spinach plus fresh greens and cook down until dry. Cool before assembling.
- Rosé cheese sauce: Sauté leeks and sun-dried tomato, deglaze with white wine, thicken with flour and milk, blitz with cayenne and Red Leicester for richness.
- Assemble: Leave a 10cm border of pastry for the stuffed crust, push the spinach to the edge, lay the seasoned salmon and roll to create the stuffed edge. Pour over sauce, egg wash and decorate with oiled oregano flowers.
- Bake: 220°C/425°F for 30–40 minutes until the pastry is crisp and the top golden.
The result is flaky fish, crunchy pastry and a saucy, comforting centre—a smart festive main that shows how cooking, easy recipes can still look luxurious.
Vegetarian Pithivier: Roasted Celeriac and Blue Cheese
This impressive French-style pie is built around slow-roasted celeriac slices layered with a rich leek and mushroom bechamel and a hit of blue cheese for depth. It’s assembled, chilled overnight and wrapped in butter pastry for a show-stopping bake.
- Roast the celeriac: Oil, salt and pepper, foil-wrapped at 200°C/400°F for 90 minutes until tender.
- Sauce: Gently cook leeks, garlic and mushrooms, thicken with mustard and flour, add milk and finish with parsley and blue cheese.
- Build and chill: Layer thin celeriac slices with sauce, press, chill overnight, then encase in puff pastry and bake at 180°C/350°F for about 2 hours.
Prepare this dish a day ahead to relax on the day and enjoy a vegetarian main that even meat-lovers admire.
Beef Fillet Wellington and Roast Beef Basics
For a showstopper, beef fillet wrapped in a mushroom and chicken liver pate and encased in butter pastry is classic and indulgent. For simpler roasts, topside, sirloin or rib roast prepared with a trivet of root vegetables gives great gravy and easy slicing.
- Wellington: Spread mushroom and liver mix over pastry, lay seasoned fillet, roll snug and glaze. Two-minute hob blast before roasting keeps the bottom crisp. Roast at 210°C for 40 minutes for a golden crust.
- Roast beef: Bring meat to room temperature, sear, roast on a bed of aromatic vegetables and herbs, rest well. Use the tray juices plus red wine and a spoonful of jam for a glossy gravy.
These techniques turn classic roast principles into reliable festive centrepieces in the repertoire of cooking, easy recipes.
Nut Roast with Salsa Rosa Picante
A modern nut roast full of texture from quinoa, mixed nuts, chestnuts and squash, finished with a spicy tomato-chili sauce and a grating of cheddar. It’s terrific for vegetarians and earns rave reviews from omnivores.
- Roast diced squash, sauté onion, garlic, mushrooms and chestnuts; season with cayenne, smoked paprika and oregano.
- Mix with banged nuts, cooked quinoa, dried fruit and eggs to bind. Press into a lined dish and bake at 180°C/350°F for 45–50 minutes.
- Top with roasted chilies, cinnamon and thyme, simmer tomatoes with balsamic for 10–20 minutes, spoon over the loaf and finish with cheddar under the grill for 10 minutes.
A comforting, textured main that proves vegetarian options can be centre-stage without fuss. This is friendly, festive cooking, easy recipes style.
Top Tips for Smooth Holiday Service
- Prep ahead: Make sauces, stuffings and the pithivier filling a day ahead to reduce day-of stress.
- Rest meats: Resting keeps roasts juicy and makes carving neater.
- Simple sides: Roast potatoes, greens and Yorkshire puddings are reliable companions to any main.
Enjoy the Feast
These recipes keep holiday cooking joyful and manageable. They combine classic techniques, bold flavours and straightforward steps to deliver impressive results. Whether planning for a large table or a cosy gathering, this collection proves that festive cooking, easy recipes can be both showy and simple.
This article was created from the video Christmas Main Course Ideas By Jamie Oliver with the help of AI.
Christmas Main Course Ideas for cooking, easy recipes. There are any Christmas Main Course Ideas for cooking, easy recipes in here.
