We asked you what you thought, and lots of people said they didn’t want to be overwhelmed by too many recipes for Christmas Day. So we kept it simple. Our main Christmas Day recipes will keep everyone very happy. And yet...the recipes below have a special place in our hearts.

Pigs in blankets are a moreish favourite. To serve 8 people, lay out 8 rashers of streaky bacon, place a chipolata at the end of one rasher and roll the bacon around it. Place in a roasting tray and repeat until they're all done. Roast them at 180ºC in 1-2 tbsp of oil for around 30 minutes. When it comes to cranberry sauce, we suggest buying a good quality version in the shops to save time.

MAKES 300ML

Ingredients

1 large onion

6 cloves

300ml milk

1 bay leaf

10 white peppercorns or a pinch of ground white pepper

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

60–80g coarse fresh white breadcrumbs,

depending on desired thickness

50g butter

Salt and ground white pepper

Method

1. Cut the onion in half, peel it and stud each half with the cloves. Place in a saucepan with the milk, bay leaf, pepper and nutmeg.
2. Scald the milk by heating it over a medium heat until steaming. Just before it bubbles, remove from the heat and leave to infuse for at least 30 minutes.
3. Strain the infused milk into a clean saucepan, discarding the aromatics. Reheat over a low to medium heat and add the breadcrumbs. The breadcrumbs will absorb the milk, thickening the sauce.
4. Stir the butter through the sauce to enrich it. If the sauce is too thick, add a little warm milk; it should be spoonable, but not runny. Taste and season generously.

Serve warm.

Note: You can make the sauce in advance, up the point where you have added the breadcrumbs and thickened the sauce. If cooking from frozen, loosen the sauce with a little milk. Cube the butter and dot it over the surface of the sauce, allowing it to melt and create a buttery film over the sauce. This will help to prevent a skin from forming. When ready to serve, reheat the sauce and stir the butter through. Taste and season.

Ingredients

110g unsalted butter

85 – 110g icing sugar/caster sugar, sifted

Zest of 1/2 orange, optional

2-3 tbsp brandy

Method

1. Beat the butter until soft.

2. Gradually add the sugar, beating well between each addition.

3. Add the orange zest, if using, and then drizzle in the brandy, beating well as you go.

Don't forget to stay tuned with our Leiths Advent Calendar, and follow #LeithsAdvent on Instagram, for more Leiths recipe inspiration, tips and treats from leading chefs and exclusive foodie giveaways!