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Mince pies really did once contain meat — and this Victorian recipe will convince you that they should to this day
Once packed with meat, such as ox tongue and mutton, alongside dried and candied fruit and extravagant spices, the mince pie is not what it once was — and food historian Neil Buttery says that's made them worse.
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The greatest pies of Christmas past, including 300lb whopper that included 20 rabbits, 15 woodcock, a curlew and 46 yellowhammers
Today’s baked goods pale in comparison to a Georgian festive speciality, says food historian Neil Buttery, as he lifts the lid on the Yorkshire Christmas Pye.
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How the humble potato became the most important part of Christmas lunch, and how you can make them crunchier than ever
We all aspire to cook roast potatoes with the elusive shatteringly crisp shell and cloud-like interior, salivates Emma Hughes, as she discovers the golden rules for serving up the crunchiest of spuds
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Tom Parker Bowles: Forget turkey and pigs-in-blankets — the Christmas ham is the king of the yuletide feast
Ribboned with fat and gleaming with a clove-studded glaze,Tom Parker Bowles sings the praises of the succulent Christmas ham.
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Are posh mince pies worth it? Four of the best on test, from Daylesford, The Newt and more
Do you prefer a zesty, fruity filling or a crunchy pastry topping? Amie Elizabeth White asked the Country Life team to assess some of the fanciest mince pies on the market — here's how they fared.
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A Brussels sprout recipe that sounds completely bizarre, but will make you glad you didn't wait until Christmas to start eating them
Anyone for Brussels sprout spaghetti carbonara? No, really — wait until you try it.
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'Hotter than the hinges of hell': Tom Parker Bowles's 10-alarm chili
All will argue that theirs is the one-and-only true recipe, but when it comes to a Texas chili, tomatoes and beans are sacrilege
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What to get the wine lover who has everything? How about a 300-bottle barrel, a string of über-vintages or a wine that comes with a trip on a private jet
One of the most storied wine-producing families in Italy has put up a series of rather incredible bottles (and more) in Christie's impending fine wine auction.
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A cake with a surprise ingredient that's either a stroke of genius or 'grounds for divorce'
The best way ever to get one of your five a day, or a crime against baking? You decide.
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Curious questions: Where did Quality Street get its name from?
You sit there, devouring them all Christmas, and you didn't even think to ask, did you?
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'After one lunch, our server took £5 out of a tip we had left and handed it back to our gobsmacked four year old. He’s still talking about it': The best places for Sunday lunch in south-west London
Jo Rodgers tracks down the finest roast lunches in London's smartest postcodes to see you through the winter.
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Can a gentleman use food as an aphrodisiac? Tom Parker Bowles on mankind's search for the ultimate 'jiggy jiggy juice'
Tiger's penis, baboon wee, horny goat weed, snake soup — do any of these unusual dishes actually have what it takes to help the wannabe lothario?
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How to make three-cheese sourdough bread and a perfect winter-warmer soup to go with it
We'll leave it up to you to decide whether the soup or the sourdough is the star of the show in this pair of recipes...
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Salt of the earth: The secret history of the pub peanut
Having profited from the downfall of the oyster as a bar snack, the salted peanut itself is now in danger of being usurped.
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Curious Questions: Margarine used to be pink — but why?
Margarine has been a staple of our breakfast tables for over a century, but it hasn't always had a smooth ride — particularly from the dairy industry, who managed to impose a most bizarre sanction on their easily-spreadable, industrially mass-produced rival. Martin Fone explains.
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Curious Questions: Wine has been made in Britain for over 1,000 years — so why have we only just turned it into an industry?
With the UK wine industry booming, Martin Fone takes a look at its history.
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Dessert divine: A pear and saffron clafoutis
This recipe from Melanie Johnson combines two seasonal fruits you can find in your garden to create a sumptuous dessert.
