Christmas is a fun time of year, but the cooking of the main meal can be a stressful venture. We at Season’s Eatings are hosting plenty of dinner parties over the festive period and this will only be successfully achieved through carefully planning and preparation. Another way we get ahead, and we have no shame in saying this, is by using pre-cooked ingredients. In this case the chestnuts, which have been peeled, cooked and vacuum packed, so simply need re-heating.

The sprouts are not just seasonal, but compulsory this time of year and we think believe this family recipe is a great way to add extra colour and flavour to an otherwise less-than-appealing Christmas vegetable.

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 300g sprouts
• 200g whole, pre-cooked and peeled chestnuts
• 1 orange
• knob of butter

Recipe:

1. Peel off the outer leaves of the sprouts and cut a cross into the base of each one.
2. Put the sprouts in a saucepan with a large knob of butter and turn the heat up to medium. Stir around for 3 – 4 minutes.
3. Add enough water so the sprouts are half covered. Cover with a lid and leave to simmer for a further 5 minutes.
4. Add the chestnuts, zest and juice of half an orange and leave to simmer for a couple more minutes (or until most but not all the liquid has evaporated).
5. Give one final stir with a pinch of salt and a twist of freshly ground pepper, then serve up.