Our favourite traditional Christmas recipes | Women's Weekly Food (2024)

While everyone has their own idea of how a Christmas lunch should be, there are a few classics that make the cut on most family’s tables each year. We’ve pulled together a collection of our most delicious recipes for the holiday season, channelling flavours that will bring a sense of nostalgia and joy. From our marmalade glazed ham and stuffed roast turkey, to our boiled fruit pudding and creamy pavlova, these recipes are guaranteed to delight your loved ones this year.

Our favourite traditional Christmas recipes | Women's Weekly Food (1)

01

Spanish-style barbecue leg of lamb

Spanish-style barbecue leg of lamb

This deliciously tender piece of lamb is cooked using traditional Spanish flavours, combining salty chorizo and fragrant garlic and thyme to create a memorable dish for a roast dinner or Christmas lunch.

Our favourite traditional Christmas recipes | Women's Weekly Food (2)

02

Christmas Yule log cake

Yule log cake recipe is perfect for celebrating the Christmas season – delicious vanilla cake filled with hazelnut cream and decorated with chocolate ganache.

Our favourite traditional Christmas recipes | Women's Weekly Food (3)

03

Prosciutto-wrapped turkey breast

Prosciutto-wrapped turkey breast

Wrapping a turkey breast in prosciutto before roasting it helps keep the meat tender and juicy as well as adding lots of flavour to the finished dish.

Our favourite traditional Christmas recipes | Women's Weekly Food (4)

04

Processor fruit cake

Processor fruit cake

Our favourite traditional Christmas recipes | Women's Weekly Food (5)

05

The great Australian Christmas pudding

Traditionally, Australians cooked English-style puddings at Christmas but, although we love them, a lighter pudding is more suited to a hot climate; hence the Great Australian Christmas Pudding was created ­ light, creamy and cool.

Our favourite traditional Christmas recipes | Women's Weekly Food (6)

06

Rabbit and hazelnut terrine

Tender and flavoursome rabbit and hazelnut terrine – the perfect addition to your next dinner party or afternoon tea!

Our favourite traditional Christmas recipes | Women's Weekly Food (7)

07

Cherry, walnut and feta salad

Cherry, walnut and feta salad

Indulge in the delicious combination of cherry, walnut and feta in this fresh wholesome salad – a perfect addition to Christmas lunch this year!

Our favourite traditional Christmas recipes | Women's Weekly Food (8)

08

Orange pudding with rum sauce

Orange pudding with rum sauce

Our favourite traditional Christmas recipes | Women's Weekly Food (9)

09

Roast pork loin with rosemary gravy

Roast pork loin with rosemary gravy

Tender pork loin stuffed with capsicum and ciabatta crumb and served with a rosemary gravy.

Our favourite traditional Christmas recipes | Women's Weekly Food (10)

10

Baked snapper with peppercorn and dill butter

Baked snapper with peppercorn and dill butter

Served with grilled asparagus, this stunning whole baked snapper is brimming with zesty flavours.

Our favourite traditional Christmas recipes | Women's Weekly Food (11)

11

Individual boiled Christmas puddings

Individual boiled Christmas puddings

Nothing says the festive season quite like Christmas pudding – dense, moist and loaded with delicious dried fruit.

Our favourite traditional Christmas recipes | Women's Weekly Food (12)

12

Ginger marmalade glazed ham

Ginger marmalade glazed ham

Ginger marmalade and ginger ale offer this ham glaze a wonderful hint of spice, while brown sugar and maple syrup impart a lovely caramel colour.

Our favourite traditional Christmas recipes | Women's Weekly Food (13)

13

Chocolate chestnut cake

Chocolate chestnut cake

This gorgeous layered cake is the perfect balance of sweet and nutty. It’s the perfect celebratory cake to serve at Christmas time.

Our favourite traditional Christmas recipes | Women's Weekly Food (14)

14

Classic roast chicken with gravy

Classic roast chicken with gravy

This classic French technique for roasting keeps chicken moist and succulent while making sure you end up with beautifully crispy, browned skin.

Our favourite traditional Christmas recipes | Women's Weekly Food (15)

15

Pavlova with berries and cream

Pavlova with berries and cream

Named after the Russian ballerina, the pavlova is a familiar and well loved Antipodean dessert. You can experiment with all kinds of fruit toppings, but berries and cream is always a winner.

Our favourite traditional Christmas recipes | Women's Weekly Food (16)

16

Roast salmon with fennel and apple salad

Roast salmon with fennel and apple salad

Our favourite traditional Christmas recipes | Women's Weekly Food (17)

17

Roasted goose with spiced apples and onions

Roasted goose with spiced apples and onions

This deliciously tender roast goose recipe is stuffed with a pisatchio and fig stuffing, perfectly balancing sweet and nutty. It’s the perfect meal for a special occasion like Christmas.

Our favourite traditional Christmas recipes | Women's Weekly Food (18)

18

Roast vitello tonnato

Roast vitello tonnato

Vitello tonnato is a well-known Italian veal dish accompanied with a tuna mayonnaise. It is usually served cold or at room temperature, making the perfect appetiser for a Christmas lunch.

Our favourite traditional Christmas recipes | Women's Weekly Food (19)

19

Fruit cake and eggnog cheesecake

Fruit cake and eggnog cheesecake

With a fruitcake base, creamy cheesecake filling and fruit topping drizzled with toffee, this Christmas dessert is a wonderfully decadent treat.

Our favourite traditional Christmas recipes | Women's Weekly Food (20)

20

Roast pork with cranberry sauce

This delicious cranberry and pistachio stuffed pork is tender on the inside, crispy on the outside, creating the perfect balance of flavours and textures for a roast dinner.

Our favourite traditional Christmas recipes | Women's Weekly Food (21)

21

Beef rib roast with spiced salt

Beef rib roast with spiced salt

Spice up your beef rib roast, the king of roasts, with spiced salt and serve with luscious garlic mayonnaise on the side.

Our favourite traditional Christmas recipes | Women's Weekly Food (22)

22

Maple-glazed baby carrots

Gorgeously sweet orange and maple glazed baby carrots. The perfect accompaniment for your next dinner party.

Our favourite traditional Christmas recipes | Women's Weekly Food (23)

23

Roast turkey with prosciutto and pear stuffing

Roast turkey with prosciutto and pear stuffing

The contrast of salty and sweet in the pear and proscuitto stuffing adds great depth of flavour to this roast turkey with herbed butter.

Our favourite traditional Christmas recipes | Women's Weekly Food (24)

24

Asparagus and goats’ cheese tart

Indulge in this deliciously crisp, cheesy and tender asparagus and goat’s cheese tart.

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Our favourite traditional Christmas recipes | Women's Weekly Food (2024)

FAQs

What is the traditional food for Christmas? ›

Traditional Christmas dinner features turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, and vegetables. Other types of poultry, roast beef, or ham, are also used. Pumpkin or apple pie, raisin pudding, Christmas pudding, or fruitcake are staples for dessert.

What do you eat on each of the 12 days of Christmas? ›

12 Days of Christmas Recipes
  • Day 1: A Partridge in a Pear Tree. These Baked Pears are EASY and delicious with 4 simple ingredients. ...
  • Day 2: Two Turtle Doves. ...
  • Day 3: Three French Hens. ...
  • Day 4: Four Calling Birds. ...
  • Day 5: Five Golden Rings. ...
  • Day 6: Six Geese a Laying. ...
  • Day 7: Seven Swans a Swimming. ...
  • Day 8: Eight Maids a Milking.
Dec 25, 2020

What food do Americans eat the most on Christmas? ›

Every family in every part of the world serves their own traditional Christmas foods, but in the U.S., some are enjoyed nationwide:
  • Turkey.
  • Prime Rib.
  • Baked Ham.
  • Mashed Potatoes & Gravy.
  • Stuffing.
  • Green Bean Casserole.
  • Candied Sweet Potatoes.
  • Roasted Vegetables.
Dec 19, 2022

What do Italians eat for Christmas dinner? ›

Pasta is a must for an Italian Christmas Dinner. Lasagna, Stuffed Manicotti and other cheesy baked pasta dishes are a hit with all ages—this is classic Christmas fare in Southern Italy.

What to eat on Christmas Day night? ›

Christmas dinner ideas
  • Perfect roast chicken.
  • Perfect roast beef.
  • Whole roasted cauliflower.
  • Persian squash & pistachio roast.
  • Gluten-free spinach & ricotta roulade.
  • Vegetarian nut roast.
  • Cooking the turkey.
  • Prepping the turkey.

What Christmas food brings good luck? ›

Expert-Verified Answer. The Christmas food that is been considered as good luck when it is been eaten one of on each of the 12 days of Christmas is Mince Pies. A mince pie can be regarded as sweet pie that can be traced to English origin, this pie is usually a mixture of dried fruits as well as spices.

What is the main Christmas meal consists of 12 dishes? ›

Why do Poles eat 12 dishes during the Christmas Eve dinner? Tradition calls for 12 traditional courses to be served during the Polish Christmas Eve. This number is a symbol of wealth, the 12 Apostles and a representation of the 12 months of the year. But in the past, dinner consisted of an odd number of dishes.

What is the most popular item on a Christmas dinner plate? ›

Roast potatoes and gravy are the most ubiquitous items on the Christmas dinner, with only around half opting for turkey.

What is the most popular Christmas Eve dinner? ›

Turkey is classic, of course, as is ham, but you could also serve a roast chicken, roast beef, or pork tenderloin. Fill out your meal with some Christmas-y side dishes, and you'll be all set for the perfect holiday dinner.

What foods will be served at Christmas dinner? ›

Christmas dinner recipes
  • Flavour-bomb roast turkey & gravy. A star rating of 5 out of 5. ...
  • Hot honey-glazed gammon. ...
  • Mini maple & mustard pigs in blankets. ...
  • Cranberry, orange & rosemary sauce. ...
  • Shredded carbonara sprouts. ...
  • Croissant bread sauce. ...
  • Turkey crown with roast garlic & pancetta. ...
  • Honeyed hasselback carrots.

What is a traditional Italian Christmas dinner menu? ›

In Northern Italy, Lasagne Bolognese and filled pasta like manicotti and ravioli are traditional Christmas fare. Next comes the main event, the meat. Roasted veal, baked chicken, sausages or braised beef are common Natale entrées worth celebrating.

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