Mary Berry's Highland Christmas

[music] Mary: What an amazing view!

A true picture of Scotland.

[train whistle blows] The Christmas holidays always feel magical to me.

[sniffs] The smell is amazing.

And this year, I'm kicking them off in style as I take a very special trip to Scotland.

My mother was a Scot, and I remember many happy holidays with her, then with my children, so it is wonderful to be back here in the Highlands for my own Christmas.

I'll be meeting up with some familiar faces... You're in your Christmas jumper.

Very smart.

Oh, thank you.

I appreciate that.

Ha ha!

Mary!

You promised a surprise, but this is magical!

Mary, voice-over: enjoying some festive fun.

Right, come on.

How am I doing this?

Mary: That's just perfect.

It is Christmas after all.

Yes, OK. [laughter] -Och aye.

-Och aye.

Mary, voice-over: And I'll be sharing some of my favorite indulgent dishes... -That is delicious.

-Mmm!

Mary, voice-over: that can be enjoyed at any time over the Christmas holiday... Oh, it's put me in the Christmas mood already.

Mary, voice-over: perfect for treating yourself...

If it gets in my hair, I'll smell of Christmas.

Mary, voice-over: or sharing with others... -Happy Christmas!

-Happy Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Ohh!

Mary, voice-over: ...to make every day feel like Christmas.

They're absolutely beautiful.

I'm going round the corner to finish this, and you needn't watch me.

Look at the steam.

What a wonderful way to start my Highland Christmas.

And I can see snow in the distance!

[bagpipe music] [train chugging] [train horn blowing] [music] Mary, voice-over: I've always been exceedingly proud of my Scottish heritage, and where better to have a family Christmas break than the Highlands of Scotland?

During my visit, I'll be rustling up some Scottish-inspired dishes, perfect to enjoy any time over the festive season, and I can't wait to share them.

[music] This isn't gonna go well, is it?

Mary, voice-over: For Scottish tennis legend Sir Andy Murray, the festive season's a busy one.

Yes!

When he's not competing on court or spending time with family, he helps run Cromlix House, his country hotel near Dunblane.

So what do you think of the Christmas jumper this year?

Very colorful.

And that's llamas that are on it?

Yeah, I think it says, "La la llama" on it... -so that's the clue.

-That's the clue.

Quite modest for you.

I've seen far worse than that.

Mary, voice-over: Andy's granny Shirley tells me whilst he's an ace on court, he's not on top of his game in the kitchen, so I'm here to help.

Mary: It's really lovely for me to be here.

It's a glorious hotel.

Well, thank you.

Thanks so much for coming.

And you're in your Christmas jumper.

Very smart.

Oh, thank you.

I appreciate that!

Ha ha!

We do get right into it.

Everyone's got their Christmas jumpers on, and we see who can produce the worst one every year.

Now, you told me that Andy is not the greatest cook.

That is true.

[laughter] I think, now he's got a large family, that he could do just a little bit more to help in the kitchen instead of just producing eggy bagels.

Yeah, eggy bagels is my speciality at home which consists of me taking the bagels out of the packet, popping them in the toaster, frying an egg, and then brown sauce on the top.

Yeah.

But to do one thing well is good.

[laughs] Well, eggy bagel is a fairly simple breakfast, but I'm going to up your game.

-OK. -Are you ready?

I am.

I'm a little bit nervous about this.

Please go very easy on me.

Treat me like I'm a child in there, yeah.

-A competitive child.

-A competitive child, yeah.

[laughter] Mary, voice-over: While Granny has a cup of tea, Andy and I are off to the hotel kitchen to make my hearty smoked haddock kedgeree.

Andy, I'm going to teach you one of my all-time favorite breakfasts.

We're going to cook this in a very simple way.

Mary, voice-over: We'll start by preparing 14 ounces of a skinned smoked haddock on a foil baking sheet.

So if you can cut that lemon maybe into about four slices.

Cut the lemon.

I think I can do that.

I think I'll be OK with that.

Let's see.

Put it all across the top there.

Mary, voice-over: Arrange slices of lemon on the haddock, squeezing the remaining juice, and top with butter before wrapping.

Can I do this, then?

Yep.

Oh, you're being very keen.

That's right.

You tell me if I'm doing it wrong.

You've done it beautifully.

Thank you.

Very good.

And that bit, so it doesn't fly off at the end.

Mary, voice-over: In it goes to bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes.

So when we make the kedgeree, that's breakfast sorted.

What sort of things will you have for your Christmas dinner?

The family will have turkey and roast potatoes, all that stuff.

But I've started in the last couple of years having sushi for my Christmas lunch.

I got in trouble for it when I suggested it, but it's my favorite meal, so... Um, I think it's no comment, OK?

Right, so onwards and upwards.

Mary, voice-over: Heat a tablespoon of olive oil and butter on high before adding two chopped onions.

And this is finely chopped, so you've got away without having to chop this onion because I did not want you weeping over there.

Lucky you.

You've got it done for you.

-No.

OK, thank you for that.

-In goes the onion.

So give that a good stir.

Give it a stir, OK. And with the other hand hold the pan because otherwise, it can easily slip off.

Yeah, that's a good tip, OK. And now in with the spices.

Two teaspoons of cumin and ground coriander and one teaspoon of turmeric gives the kedgeree that classic flavor.

I've got a clove of garlic.

-OK. -In that goes.

I feel like you're doing most of the work here and I'm just sort of... Ah, but you're the manager.

Look at it.

You're keeping an eye on it.

Mary, voice-over: Then a couple of bay leaves, one and a half cups of basmati rice, pepper and salt, and 2 1/2 cups of vegetable stock, but add more if needed.

Then we turn the heat down, and it will gently simmer.

So am I just leaving...

I'm leaving this now?

Yes, you are.

That's one of the things I would say I find difficult in the kitchen is just leaving stuff alone.

I always want to be prodding and...

But wait a moment.

You only do bagels and egg.

I mean, it's not too demanding, is it?

While Andy focuses on leaving the kedgeree alone for 12-15 minutes, that's just enough time to check on the fish.

I can hear it gently sizzling.

Is that--is that a good thing?

That's a good thing.

The haddock should flake easily into delicious, buttery chunks.

OK, so small enough to fit in your mouth, OK. You've got the hang of it beautifully.

That's it.

So you have four children?

Yeah, yeah.

What ages are they?

I've got two, four, six, and seven.

We've just had a couple of their birthdays, so it's hard to keep track of the ages sometimes.

They must be pretty proud underneath it all.

Um, I'm not sure about that.

The seven year old is already a little bit embarrassed by me, like when I drop her at the school gate.

It's like, "Give me a hug to say good-bye, a little kiss."

And she's like, "No, Daddy.

Get back in the car!

You're so embarrassing!"

Dads can be a little bit embarrassing.

Yes.

She doesn't really like the dad jokes.

I've got an Andy Murray one.

What time's Andy Murray go to bed?

Ten-ish.

-Ten-ish.

OK. -Yeah.

What's the matter with you?

[laughter] Mary: I'm gonna put the spinach in now.

Stir in 1/3 cup of baby spinach and four tablespoons of heavy cream.

Could you chop a bit of parsley?

I'll get it for you.

Oh, OK.

Here we are.

We've got parsley and dill.

OK. Around a tablespoon of each will do.

I'm gonna do this so wrong.

My--I-- I'll just go for it.

Let's see.

That's just perfect.

Keep your fingers above the knife.

Otherwise you lose them.

You almost look like a chef but in a Christmas jumper.

That's it.

I'm detecting a bit of sarcasm there, Mary.

No, no, no.

There was no sarcasm.

Those gorgeous, buttery haddock pieces can be added to the mixture.

So do I need to be more gentle with this now?

You've got the idea already.

Yeah.

You see.

That's perfect.

Oops.

I'm dropping it all out the edge now.

That's all right.

Good.

I got an extra bit.

Mary: Look who's coming.

Shirley: Hello!

How's it going?

Andy: Hello.

Look at that.

Mary: Can you believe it?

That was all my work as well.

Did you make all that?

Yeah.

All of it.

Yeah.

Oh, my goodness.

And can you remember what you did, though?

Mary, voice-over: Garnish the kedgeree by quartering four soft-boiled eggs.

Mary: And so just lift them on the top.

Oh!

Andy: Yeah.

Mary: It looks a bit higgledy-piggledy, but there we are.

It'll taste good.

Andy: It's all over my fingers now.

All over your fingers, yeah.

A little bit of finesse.

Well, you do that in your tennis.

I do, yeah.

So I need a bit more finesse in the eggs.

OK!

[laughter] Mary, voice-over: Scatter the herbs and now to taste.

Let's hope it's good enough to add to Andy's cooking repertoire of one recipe.

Mmm.

Mmm.

That is delicious.

Well, you've been a joy to teach, and well done.

Thank you.

And I hope you make it when you get home.

I'll give it a go.

My mother was a Scot, and one of her great favorites was cranachan, and I've taken a bit of a twist on it with my pavlova.

For those who haven't tried the traditional Scottish dessert cranachan, it consists of porridge oats, berries, whipped cream, and, of course, whiskey.

But I'm doing something quite different.

I'm putting it in my pavlova.

This is a stunning showstopper but deceptively simple to make.

Start by preheating the oven to 325 degrees and whisking six large egg whites on full speed until light and fluffy.

Now, you see, it doesn't really hold its shape.

It looks like a cloud.

So when it's at that shape, I'm gonna start adding the sugar.

Add 1 3/4 cups of caster sugar a little at a time so it gets completely incorporated into the egg whites.

Look at that.

It's holding its shape, up like that.

I know you want me to tip the bowl on top of my head.

I'm not going to do that because it could drop, but you can see it's really, really firm.

That's what you're aiming at.

It's not difficult.

Mix one teaspoon of white wine vinegar with a teaspoon of cornstarch.

Add to the egg whites to give the pavlova a lovely gooey center.

Every scrap going in there.

Make sure it's really well-mixed.

And look at that.

Beautiful.

Draw a 12-inch circle on non-stick paper and then a six-inch circle in the center to use as a guide to fill with that delicious pavlova mixture.

Very often, I've got a pavlova or a meringue all ready to fill because you never know who's going to come.

You want to make a special pud, and this is just a perfect way of serving it.

I'm making this a wreath shape because it's so easy to cut pieces off it, sort of wedges, whereas if you make two big circles, it crumbles.

It doesn't look as good when it gets to the plate, but I promise this will.

Now scoop out a shallow trench in the pavlova for the cranachan to sit in.

And believe it or not, because we've done the meringue part perfectly, that won't move.

What does happen when you put it in the oven, it gets a few cracks.

Now, there's no need for you to weep about that.

Part of the charm of a pavlova is the little cracks.

Don't worry.

It all looks homemade.

It looks beautiful, looks tempting.

I think everybody's going to say, "Yes, please," and, "May I have a second helping?"

That beautiful pavlova wreath can now be put in the oven, and immediately drop the temperature to 275 degrees and bake for 1 hour, 15 minutes.

Just enough time to finish decorating my tree.

[music] And there it is.

Looks pretty good, doesn't it?

So to the cranachan.

I've got a pan here, and I'm going to toast the oats and soft brown sugar.

So just a good knob of butter.

Do you think the knife's quite big enough?

That's it.

Good knob of butter in the pan.

Fry 7/8 cup of porridge oats and two tablespoons of soft brown sugar, giving them that light golden color.

So put this to one side, let it get stone cold, and then we'll be adding it to the whipped cream and whiskey.

Whip 2 1/2 cups of that rich, heavy cream before adding two tablespoons of whiskey.

The smell alone is knocking me out.

That's it.

Stir in 2/3 of the crunchy, caramelized oats.

I'm going to add half the raspberries.

They're really beautiful.

Fold those in very carefully.

That's it.

And all I have to do now is to fill my pavlova.

[music] This is the bit that I like so much.

It's sort of a bit like being in the theater, isn't it?

Doing the final act.

Then arrange the berries and pomegranate seeds like precious stones on the wreath, with a final sprinkling of those caramelized oats.

And then you might think this is a bit over the top, but I thought I would like to see some Christmas trees, so I've got here a rosemary plant.

I'm going to just pinch out-- just have a bit of imagination here-- pinch out little Christmas trees, just put them in here like this.

And a little dusting of powdered sugar before the all-important taste test.

Bit of crunchy.

There it is.

Sheer heaven.

Just look at that sponginess in the middle, the lightness of the touch.

I'm going round the corner to finish this, and you needn't watch me.

[music] [jazz music] We spent a lot of holidays in Scotland, and sometimes we'd come up sort of early summer with our children.

They loved the space.

Lots of picnics, lots of walks.

Lots of happy times together.

I'm always happiest amongst the hustle and bustle of friends and family.

And my anytime smoked salmon and guacamole bites are perfect when people visit during the holiday.

They're delicious and so quick and easy to make.

The base of a canap to my mind should be crisp, so what better than crisp fried bread?

I like wheat bread, but white works just as well.

Take a cutter, press it down firmly, and give it a twist, and then out.

Use a cutter to stamp out five rounds from each slice.

If you haven't got one, you could just use perhaps a glass, just like that.

Surprisingly, it works just as well.

That's it.

Heat a touch of oil in a pan.

And for flavor, some butter.

Nothing like butter.

For the perfect golden, crispy bite, a couple of minutes on each side does the trick.

As I tap those, you can just hear how crisp they are.

Listen carefully.

[crunch crunch] That's it.

A sprinkle of salt and pepper, and the base of our canaps are ready.

Next, it's on to my delicious guacamole topping.

This is a Hass avocado, the ones with the rough skin, and I'm gonna cut that in half, then a gentle twist.

That is absolutely perfect.

Remove the pit and scoop out the flesh.

I so love avocados.

I can remember trying to grow a tree from it.

It did start off pretty well, but it didn't last.

Then we're gonna mash it together, and a little bit of texture's a good thing.

Don't try and make it too smooth.

Next, finely chop half a red onion.

As fine as you can do it... You don't want to come across big pieces.

...before putting to one side.

Then I've got a nice fat clove of garlic here.

You can even put more garlic in if you want, but at Christmastime, do we all want to smell of garlic?

No, we don't.

Drop in the grated garlic before adding a kick of lime.

Now, it's quite difficult to get the lime juice out.

If you warm it a bit, you'll find you'll get more juice out.

This gives the guacamole a flavor punch as well as stopping it from turning brown.

That's it.

So in goes the juice in with the avocado.

I've got a small bunch of cilantro, and I'm going to chop that up finely.

Gosh, the aroma's lovely.

Then that red onion.

There it is.

A touch of diced chili.

Then finely chopped tomato, just the flesh.

No pips.

No skin.

So let's give that a good stir.

Salt and pepper, just to taste.

Gosh, this is looking just like Christmas.

Red and green, vibrant colors.

Before I pop the guacamole on my fried bread disc, I have a special trick that keeps them crisp and delicious, smoked salmon.

And of course it's Scottish smoked salmon.

The very best.

Layer each disc with a circle of the smoked salmon.

The great thing about having the disc of smoked salmon next to the fried bread, the moisture from the guacamole doesn't go down and make the bread soggy.

Right, now to the guacamole.

Dollop on top, then a little bit of salmon.

And finish with a garnish of cilantro.

Gilding the lily.

Well, I'd better taste it, hadn't I?

You can't hear the crunch, but I can.

They're absolutely beautiful, perfect to serve over Christmas.

[music] [reindeer grunting] I'm meeting Scottish comedian Iain Stirling.

And where better to meet at Christmas than a reindeer farm?

-Mary... -Hello!

How are you doing?

Iain.

What a little poppet this one is.

Iain: I know.

It's taken a shine to you.

Mary, voice-over: Iain's hosting a big family Christmas this year, and I've got a recipe that I think will be perfect for sharing.

Well, Mary, it's a big day actually, a big Christmas for me.

I'm cooking for the first time.

And what are you cooking?

-You know, the usual.

-Turkey?

The turkey.

I do Brussels sprouts, but we put it in cheese and bacon.

You'll be amazed what you can dip in cheese.

I'd put my whole head in it if I could.

I'm going to do a cheese recipe which maybe you don't know, so come and be my chief taster.

I get to taste Mary Berry's cheese?

Yeah.

What an honor.

Mary: We are going to make cheese fondue.

I love fondue.

Let's get on with the job.

Yeah, let's do it.

We need wine.

That's what gives it its warmth.

My wife says that every night.

-Oh, does she?

-Yeah.

Come on.

You can be in charge.

A large glass of wine, which that is.

That looks about a large glass to me.

There we go.

Mary, voice-over: Squeeze in a good dash of lemon juice.

Just a drop more.

Perfect.

There you go.

-Then in goes the cheese.

-Yeah.

First of all the Emmenthal and some gruyere.

Oh, there you go.

And it makes it go in lovely sort of strings.

Oh, yeah!

You see, Mary, my wife's Irish, I'm Scottish, but we live in England now, so we're having both families down this year for the first time.

So we're very excited to sort of have all our families together.

And this feels like the sort of thing you could rustle up relatively quickly around a big table.

This would be ideal.

Quite simple to do.

Simple, and also there comes a time when, after Christmas, you've got a few leftovers.

What sort of things do you have left?

You always make too many Brussels sprouts, don't you?

Mary, voice-over: There's no such thing as too many sprouts, especially with this recipe.

What's great about cheese fondue at Christmastime is you can use the leftovers for dipping.

Pigs in blanket, roast potatoes, perfect to drop in there.

Well, this is all my favorite things on a table, and I love cheese, so it'd be perfect to dip some leftovers.

Classically you always had chunky pieces of slightly stale bread to dip into it.

And the rule is if by any chance you lose it, you have to buy the drinks for everybody else.

That's a lovely idea.

And the girls had to give a kiss to everybody, but I'm not quite sure about that.

Yeah, not nowadays.

That was of its time.

The old fondue rules.

This is really bubbling up now.

We'll turn that down.

Yeah, I could see you round a sort of open fire.

Were you in, like, the girl guides or anything when you were younger?

-Och aye.

-Och aye.

I was.

I had all badges all down my arm, and I had a cooking badge.

Cooking outdoors, the food tastes so much better.

Mary, voice-over: After four to five minutes of a gentle simmer, the fondue's ready for thickening.

You want a little quick whiff?

That'll knock you out.

Oh, my gosh!

One tablespoon of cherry-flavored brandy Kirsch and one tablespoon of cornstarch helps to keep the cheese smooth as well as adding to the flavor.

There we are.

I'm going to pour that in.

As soon as it's piping hot, the fondue will start to thicken.

And I'm going to put a little bit of pepper and salt.

I like to see the flecks of pepper.

That's it.

Oh, yeah!

Cheese is quite salty, so just a little.

Give it a gentle whisk to make it beautifully smooth, and it's ready for dipping.

I'm putting it very firmly on here 'cause I don't want to lose it.

If I lose it, I've got to give you a kiss.

Don't tell my wife.

I think I'll behave for the first party.

That is looking good.

[Iain laughing] You see how it clings round the bread?

It's rather hot, so be careful.

I can't wait.

Mmm.

I'll have a little try.

So here we go.

I don't want--can I make... Don't get it in that moustache.

I might do the... -Oh, pathetic.

-How dare you.

-How dare you, at Christmas!

-How pathetic.

You don't need a plate.

You keep twisting.

Mmm.

That was amazing.

I'll try the pig in blanket.

Right!

I'm gonna have a go.

Great.

Nice?

Mmm.

Honestly, this is perfect.

Thank you, Mary.

Mary, voice-over: This is such an easy way to use up all those Christmas Day leftovers.

Kids will love it, grown-ups will love it.

And worst-case scenario, one of your bits falls into the cheese and you get a kiss from Mary Berry.

-Aw.

-So everyone's a winner.

[laughs] Mary: There is always so much going on at Christmas that I like to prepare meals ahead when I can.

My fennel and onion tarte Tatin and winter vegetable slaw is a luxurious veggie main that can be made in advance and tastes delicious.

When you think of tarte Tatin, you think of the French classic of the upside down apple pie.

Well, how about having a savory one made with onions, fennel, and sage?

I think you'll like it.

So to start with, instead of the apples, let's cut the onions up.

Five slices from each one.

You can always use the ends up in soup.

Thickly slice two fennel bulbs.

Make sure that you keep the root on.

Otherwise all the pieces will fall apart.

So it's no good trying to cook fennel straight roasting it because it just doesn't become tender.

So gently boil the fennel for a couple of minutes first, then add the onions.

Trying to keep them into the ring.

So I'm going to leave that for another three minutes.

Whilst the vegetables are softening, I'm going to make the glaze.

We need 3 1/2 tablespoons of butter.

Real butter, no substitute.

Let it sizzle away there.

In goes two tablespoons of soft brown sugar and three cloves of grated garlic.

So we can just cook those together until it's shiny.

This sugar glaze will turn the vegetables into a delicious caramelized treat.

Draw it off the heat, and while I've been doing that, the onion and the fennel is ready, so I'm going to lift it out.

A generous helping of fresh sage to finish off the glaze.

Lovely aroma.

Winter!

So that'll give a lovely flavor.

And carefully place the onion rings on top, so they fit snugly into the frying pan.

I'm letting that bubble away very gently, not too fast, so that when I lift up a bit of onion, it's beginning to brown.

Just listen to that.

Five minutes should be all you need for the onions to start caramelizing.

Then I'm going to put in the fennel, leaving that sizzling away.

See how well that's held together because we left the root on.

Salt and pepper and a drizzle of balsamic glaze for extra flavor.

So I've had a little peek to see how those onions are cooking.

They're pale golden underneath, and the joy is when it comes out of the oven, you turn it over and those gorgeous brown onions are the top surface.

Now, to roll out the pastry for the top, which, of course, will eventually be the bottom.

What I'm aiming is to have a circle of pastry the same size as the pan.

Ready rolled puff pastry works perfectly well here.

Everybody brings different things when they come on holiday.

Some people have a pillow that they insist on taking with them.

I always take my rolling pin.

It's not a fancy rolling pin.

It's just solid wood.

Before popping on the pastry lid, I add 3 1/2 tablespoons of grated cheese.

The Parmesan cheese goes over the top of the vegetables and just holds it together.

Otherwise when you cut it, it would all fall apart.

And finally the pastry goes on.

So you don't do anything fancy.

You don't have to crimp it, you don't have to do anything other than just press it like that.

Into the oven it goes at 425 degrees.

After 25 minutes, the pastry should be a beautiful golden brown.

Remove from the oven and rest for a further ten minutes.

So meanwhile, I'll get on with my slaw.

The slaw that I'm going to make is celeriac and sweet potato.

I bet you've never had a sweet potato slaw.

This will be a first.

For the slaw dressing, I'm using both the zest and the juice of a lime, along with a tablespoon of white wine vinegar.

Two tablespoons of grainy mustard, some runny honey, and four tablespoonfuls of oil.

I use sunflower oil as it's nice and light.

Now we need pepper and salt.

Just give that a bit of a whisk.

The last bit of zest going in.

That's my dressing done.

It's a lovely consistency.

Mustard makes all the difference.

Our first vegetable is the celery root.

It's this knobbly root vegetable.

Looks pretty nasty from the outside.

You just peel that off and then cut it into strips.

So in it goes, and the lime stops this discoloring.

And then I've got sweet potato.

I'll let you see the color.

So there you are, and it is so good in a slaw.

I've only just started using it in that way, but it's excellent in salad.

Gives a lovely bit of crunch and, of course, color, too.

Thinly sliced celery and red onion in next, and season with salt and pepper.

And it's a lovely mix of color.

If you don't use all this in one go, just pop it straight back in the fridge.

The next day, you could have it with cold meats.

It'd be perfectly all right.

On a baked potato it would go well.

Ooh.

Pile nice and high.

For that festive feel, a scattering of chopped dried cranberries finish it off.

Now the fennel and onion tarte Tatin has been just resting, and I've got to just loosen it because it could stick.

So what I normally do is give it a little shake and then put the hand flat on it and see if you can turn it.

I know now that it's free from underneath.

Have a little wish.

Not that.

I'm rather pleased I didn't drop it.

There it is.

Oh, I've had a peek before you have.

It does look remarkable.

Look at that.

[music] A final sprinkle of crisp fried sage leaves for the top.

And there you have it.

A deceptively easy recipe that will really impress.

So two different ideas for vegetarians.

Both are a great addition to the Christmas table.

[music] We had one holiday in Scotland that fell on William, our son's birthday.

And I telephoned the fishmonger in Elgin, and I said I would like to order a salmon, but I had no idea how I was going to cook it.

I had no vessel, no fish kettle or anything.

And then outside, I saw a metal tin bath that had obviously been used to bath a baby in.

So I put it on top of the cooker, poached it in water, and it was absolutely delicious.

Everybody was so excited.

Thankfully, I'm better equipped this Christmas and have the right tools for my next recipe.

Steak pie on New Year's Day is a much-loved Scottish tradition.

This is my take on the recipe, my very own Highland pie.

This is a seriously rich pie to serve any time over the Christmas holidays when you want something warming, full of flavor that everybody's going to enjoy.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and get the oil in the pan piping hot before adding 2.2 pounds of diced beef shank.

That's a lovely sizzle.

[sizzling] The gravy will be good.

I'm married to a gravy man, so I'm really hot on getting good flavor to the gravy.

Now set that golden brown beef aside.

Lovely color.

Then I'm going to add the onion first.

That's two onions and three sticks of celery.

It doesn't have to be cut up too finely.

Fry in that deliciously aromatic oil for four to five minutes and add two cloves of grated garlic and a tablespoon of chopped thyme.

I'm going to put the meat back in with the vegetables.

The smell.

Oh, it's put me in the Christmas mood already.

Now, this is a really rich beef pie, so I want a good slug of wine.

In fact, half a bottle of wine.

There it is.

And I didn't drink the first lot either.

Mix 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour with two cups of red wine, a little at a time for a smooth consistency.

Stir that until it's beautifully smooth.

In goes the wine and the flour straight in there like that.

Boost the dish with ten fluid ounces of beef stock for an even richer flavor.

Give it a good stir.

I want to get that sediment off the bottom of the pan, all adding an excellent flavor.

A good tablespoon of tomato puree, and, of course, salt and pepper before bringing it to the boil.

I've spent an awful lot of time of my life in Scotland, and the one thing I do remember is my mother always used to cook lots of casseroles, stews, and warming dishes because we used to love playing outside, and particularly when the snow came down, making snowmen, and we used to make snow animals as well.

Why should it always be the men that are made?

We used to do tortoises when you've only got a bit of snow with the four feet at the back.

But a little unusual, I know.

Give that a good stir.

Cover with a lid, and in it goes at 325 degrees for 3 1/2 to 4 hours until the beef is really tender.

That smells wonderful.

Now pickled walnuts.

You may not have these in your kitchen, but you can get them from most speciality markets.

We have pickled gherkins, pickled onions.

Why not pickled walnuts?

I love them.

They certainly add a little extra to my pie.

Pop the walnuts straight in, give it a stir, and now we can make it into a pie.

First of all, I need to support the pastry.

I've got a little espresso cup here.

You put it in there before you put your meat in, and during the cooking of the pastry, it sucks up the gravy, and so the last person gets plenty of gravy, and that might be me, and I love gravy.

Spoon that gorgeous tender beef into an ovenproof pie dish... That's it.

...and leave to cool.

Having lined the edges of the dish with pastry, brush gently with beaten egg before carefully placing the lid on.

Singers: Ooh ooh ooh ooh... And then I'm going to crimp the edges.

I'm going to just crimp it in the way that my mother always used to.

And so you just press it in and pinch, press it in and pinch all the way around like that.

What better way to say Christmas than with pastry?

That looks OK. And then, uh, to let the steam out, two little holes here.

So that's it.

And another one on the other side.

Cook in the center of the oven for about 45 minutes at 400 degrees, and it's as simple as that.

[music] The moment of truth.

Ohh!

That looks amazing.

That lovely shiny gravy.

A truly gorgeous pie.

[music] I have so many memories of Christmas parties in Scotland and dancing the traditional Scottish cilidh.

[music] Mary: One of the first dances that I learnt was Scottish dancing, and they're so energetic.

The halls, where we used to go and do them, were freezing when you walked in the door.

But as soon as you got dancing, you got warm.

I have just the recipe to keep everyone's feet tapping and, hopefully, warm the spirits, too.

Mulled wine, to me, means Christmas.

As soon as there's a gathering-- family, friends, or whatever it is-- it's the right thing to serve, and if it's cold outside everybody will love it, too.

First and foremost, in goes the wine, with 2.5 cups of water and 2/3 cup of fiery whiskey liqueur.

That's just the true smell of Scotland.

[sniffs] That's not very strong at all.

Now, now.

That's enough booze.

On to the fruit.

Zest of two lemons, a large orange, and two satsumas or clementines.

I can remember many, many years ago coming skiing in Scotland and coming down the mountain.

In the distance, I saw a vehicle that had an open front, and I thought, "Oh, it's gonna be mulled wine."

It was hot chocolate.

That was a bit disappointing.

Didn't quite warm the cockles of my heart.

Well, you can't blame me, and I certainly don't want to disappoint tonight, so time to crack on with the spices.

I've got a little bunch of bay leaves.

In they go.

Cinnamon sticks and about six star anise.

For a little zing, add the juice from the peeled fruit.

Gorgeous bright orange-colored juice.

Clear the decks, and now for a little sweetening with half a cup of caster sugar.

Add more to taste if needed.

Now, I'd no way hang over the top of fried onions, but to be on top of this amazing mulled wine.

If it gets in my hair, I'll smell of Christmas.

Leave that to simmer for about an hour-- very gentle simmer-- so that all those spices and the zest give it that lovely flavor.

Meanwhile, set your glasses with a satsuma or clementine slice in each for extra flavor.

Ahh!

The smell is amazing.

Now here goes.

That's Christmas.

[music] A good cilidh is thirsty work.

I hope my mulled wine hits the spot.

-Hello!

-Hello!

Have a taste.

Gosh, you must be exhausted.

That's rather nice, yep.

-Ooh, that's lovely.

-Thank you very much.

Hope you're enjoying it.

Happy Christmas!

-Happy Christmas!

-Merry Christmas!

Mary, voice-over: Looks like the mulled wine has given our dancers a second wind.

[music] [cheering and applause] Happy Christmas.

Nothing goes better with a festive hot drink than my fruit studded stollen.

Baked around a core of marzipan, it's the perfect indulgent snack for the festive season.

I first came across stollen when I was a chalet girl cook in Switzerland with a great friend, and the skiers used to come in in the afternoon absolutely freezing, and I'd give them a nice mulled wine and some stollen.

They used to love it.

To make this scrumptious German fruit loaf, start by adding two cups of bread flour, half a teaspoon of grated nutmeg, and half a packet of fast action yeast into the mixing bowl.

And I'm just going to give that a bit of a stir so that it's mixed in.

[tap tap tap] Then I'm going to add butter.

Now, the butter wants to be really, really soft.

If it's not soft and it's a cold day, you could rub it in at this stage.

But this is beautifully soft.

Just push it in.

Sprinkle in 2 1/2 cups of caster sugar and whisk an egg with 3 1/2 tablespoons of milk.

Then in goes the milk and the egg, and just mix that well together.

It'll go in smoothly in the end because the milk is cold.

If the milk was hot, of course, it would be a bit lumpy.

Now this will all work its way together.

Pound it down.

When I'm mixing this, I want it to be a fairly wet dough because it rises better.

A wet dough makes a good scone.

It's the same with something like a stollen.

Now for a bit of elbow grease.

Knead the dough on a floured work surface.

And just go on kneading that for about five minutes.

It depends how quick and efficient you are and how much you're doing it and what you're thinking about, but about five minutes.

Once kneaded, pop the rich, buttery dough into a lightly oiled bowl and leave to proof for one to two hours.

I've left mine on the warming plate, but anywhere warm will do.

Oh, that's well risen.

And it's just under double the size.

It's sort of puffy.

A little bit of flour on the table.

So I'm going to knock it back.

All the air that came in, and it's rising, will be beaten out of it.

This brings the yeast, sugar, and moisture back together, improving the bread's flavor and texture.

When it's back at its original size, I will add the other ingredients.

That's about right.

So I'm gonna flatten that a bit.

Add the zest of one lemon and mixed dried fruit for some wonderful Christmassy flavors.

That's it.

And then pull the dough over the top.

Some will fall out, and then just put it back in again.

It's a lovely, soft dough.

It's not difficult to handle at all.

Just a little bit of flour to stop it sticking there.

Not much.

And just go on kneading until you get it evenly distributed in the dough.

I've got non-stick paper here.

I'm going to roll my dough out.

I'm gonna start off by pressing it, and then I'll do it with a rolling pin.

You can see it's really, really crammed, jammed full of lots of fruit.

And now it's time for the sweet surprise ingredient, 175 grams of marzipan.

No need to make it yourself.

Shop-bought marzipan is perfect.

Roll into a sausage shape the same length as the dough.

Put it on one side and then roll it over.

And then the ends, just pinch it together because it's a very soft dough, just round the marzipan there.

Slide the paper and stollen onto a baking sheet and pop it once more in a warm place.

You want to get it a bit steamy underneath.

So if you take perhaps a small roasting tin, just put that over the top.

Leave to rise again for about 45 minutes, allowing the stollen to puff up, bearing the fruit like jewels amongst the sticky dough.

Brush with an egg for a lovely golden shine.

And in it goes for about 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees.

Well, I'm pretty proud of that.

Give the bread a final finesse with a dusting of powdered sugar before making the first cut.

There we are.

The moment of truth.

Mmm.

Perfect with a cup of coffee in the morning.

[music] Christmas is a perfect time to make memories with friends, and I've invited multi-award-winning singer, and self-confessed nervous cook Emeli Sand, to lend a hand with my next recipe, my decadent bche de Nol made with a chocolate Swiss roll filled with whipped cream hidden under piped chocolate ganache.

Now, you're not in your comfort zone.

You'd rather be singing, but you are the original party girl.

Is that right?

Yes, I do enjoy a Christmas party.

Cooking, yeah, I'm definitely out of my comfort zone.

But Christmas parties I can do.

Well, this is a real Christmas party dish, bche de Nol, which is a chocolate Swiss roll.

OK.

It's rich.

It's got lots of chocolate in.

Is chocolate one of your favorites?

It is actually, yes.

Ha ha!

Mary, voice-over: Begin by melting six ounces of semi-sweet chocolate before separating six egg whites from the yolks.

Were you actually born in Scotland?

No, I was born in Sunderland in England, and then I moved up to Scotland when I was five.

So it's a lovely place to come home to at Christmas, because it usually snows and you get the real Christmas feeling.

You have, in fact, sung in very grand places-- the Olympics and the White House.

The White House, yes.

It's amazing where music will take you.

Do you sing while you cook?

I do, yeah.

On the rare occasion I'm cooking.

Yeah.

I do enjoy singing.

Who does the cooking?

Well, my dad's a really good cook.

My sister's also very good.

Uh, my partner's a great cook, so I'm surrounded by great cooks to be honest.

Do you sing at all?

Uh, you wouldn't want to hear me.

I'm as flat as flat.

Mary, voice-over: My vocal chords may need some sharpening, but, hopefully, this dessert makes up for it.

So next, the egg whites should be whisked until stiff.

Is this going OK?

It's not my forte.

I just want to double check.

I think you're doing an excellent job.

Taking it very seriously.

Ha ha!

There it is.

Look at that.

Yeah.

Absolutely beautiful.

Mary, voice-over: Pop that to one side and whisk six ounces of caster sugar with the egg yolks before gently mixing in the melted chocolate.

Carefully add the egg whites into the beautifully smooth mixture.

You see, there's lots of little bubbles there.

I don't want to lose them.

So instead of sort of beating hard, I'm gonna stir it and cut through the middle.

Stir it and cut through the middle.

That's called folding.

Have a go.

OK, stir... And cut through.

That's it!

Right around the outside.

Takes a time, but it's good.

OK. And finally, in place of flour, two tablespoons of cocoa powder is sifted into the mix for an intense chocolate flavor.

We're quite a good team, aren't we?

-Yes.

-There we are.

Right.

Two hands, Emeli.

OK!

[laughs] In you go.

Tip it in.

Smells really nice.

Smells good and chocolatey!

[music] And into the oven it goes at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.

Now to create the decadent ganache.

Start with 2/3 cup of heavy cream.

Everything in here?

Everything in there.

That's it.

Mary, voice-over: Heat the cream, then add 10 1/2 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate pieces until melted.

A lower cocoa content means the ganache won't split.

Lots of chocolate.

Lots of chocolate.

That's plain chocolate.

Mary, voice-over: Gorgeously gooey chocolate mix can be left to cool while we turn to our beautiful bake.

There it is.

Absolutely beautiful.

Just a light dusting of cocoa powder to smooth the landing.

Like snow, only it's chocolate.

So I'm gonna tip that quite boldly on there like that.

Oh, yeah, that looks juicy.

It's good, isn't it?

Now for some Scottish festive cheer.

Whiskey.

I think we need a bit of encouragement.

Just a drop.

It is Christmas after all.

Isn't it?

[Emeli laughing] Yes, OK. Merry Christmas.

There we are.

Merry Christmas.

Mary, voice-over: But it can't all go in the glass.

Brush the surface of the cake with two tablespoons of whiskey for a truly special Scottish Christmas flavor.

Emeli: Chocolate and whiskey... -Must be good.

-Yeah!

Mary, voice-over: While Emeli lightly whips 1 1/4 cups of heavy cream, I'm creating a half-inch mark along one edge of the roulade.

If you don't do that little cut, it will flop over in a piece and it won't roll evenly.

That's a really good tip.

Then put the cream on top.

The diet's gonna have to wait with this recipe.

Ha ha!

Mary, voice-over: Using the paper, fold the roulade where it's scored to make a tight roll and cut at the top.

So that looks just like a branch.

Emeli: Yep.

Decorate with piped rows of that intense chocolate ganache icing.

Now you see, that wasn't too difficult.

Yeah.

Time for you to have a go.

OK.

This is a first for me.

That's absolutely brilliant.

Look at it!

Well done.

Are you proud?

Yeah, I am quite proud of myself.

You make it look very easy.

I don't know how I'd get along without you.

We could do Facetime, couldn't we?

With some finishing decorative touches and a dusting of powdered sugar, it really can't get any more Christmassy in this kitchen.

Mmm.

Is it going down well?

So well!

Ha ha!

Oh!

I almost forgot.

We've got some whiskey here.

Yes.

Here's to you.

Cheers.

Thank you so much for having me.

And as a thank you, I've arranged a surprise for you.

Carolers: ...snow is glistening... Just grab your jacket.

We're going outside.

Right now?

Yes!

OK, come on, then!

Walking in a winter wonderland In the meadow we can build a snowman Snowman Then pretend that he is Parson Brown He'll say, "Are you married?"

We'll say, "No, man" "No, man" But you can do the job when you're in town Later on, we'll conspire As we dream by the fire To face unafraid The plans that we made Walking in a winter wonderland Walking in a winter wonderland You promised a surprise, but this is magical!

Thank you.

[cheering and applause] All: Merry Christmas!

Mary: To all of you!

We wish you a merry Christmas We wish you a merry Christmas We wish you a Merry Christmas And a happy new year Good tidings we bring To you and your kin We wish you a merry Christmas And a happy new year We wish you a merry Christmas We wish you a merry Christmas We wish you a merry Christmas And a happy new year