Cooking for a crowd at Christmas

The days between Christmas and New Year have a way of filling up with hungry visitors, and the need to find another spare chair to make one more place at the table.

It’s a time for generous dishes that can be made ahead, popped in the oven or simmered on low and then brought to the table with very little fuss. Slow-cooked bowls of something warming, pies and tarts that can wait ready-made and simple tray bakes to slide in the oven all with a good pinch of Halen Môn sea salt to bring everything together. There's always a place for a reliable Welsh rarebit, too.

Slow roasted winter tomatoes 

Winter tomatoes, grown in Spain and Italy, are completely different from the ripe summer fruits we are all used to. They have a little more crunch, a slight saltiness and lend themselves so well to slow roasting. Make the most of them in this wintery dish.

Buttery citrus trout 

A celebratory citrusy trout dish for the centre of the table. The trout (and citrusy oil) is lovely served cold the next day, flaked through a new potato salad or alongside rice and greens.

Rhubarb + goat's cheese tart

This is a tart so beautiful you’ll want to frame it. A recipe from our well-loved book Sea Salt: A Perfectly Seasoned Cookbook. Can be made ahead and popped in the oven to cook at the very last minute. 

Welsh whiskey rarebit