Nigel Slater

This dinner is a fry-up, of sorts. The smell of apples and smoked bacon frying on a damp day brings everyone into the kitchen, plate in hand.

I know a salad of Brussels sprouts sounds mirthless, but I urge you to give it a chance. It has enough citrus, almonds and rough-skinned apple to be interesting.

A classic, simple mince pie, devoid of bells, whistles and creative meddling. The pastry is a rich but workable short crust. It won't collapse in the carol singer's mittens. The pies themselves will stand or fall by the quality of mincemeat. Go for broke, Christmas is not the time for parsimony. The little darlings are at their most delicious when eaten warm. Baked a day or more before, they reheat nicely.

Crisp crumbs work well with the soft flesh of a squash and become even more interesting when they aren't packed on top like a crumble, but lightly scattered over and between the pieces of squash.