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The greatest pies of Christmas past, including 300lb whopper that included 20 rabbits, 15 woodcock, a curlew and 46 yellowhammersToday’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 everWe 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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The wine merchant: 'We’re all shattered by the time we close at 3pm on Christmas Eve'In the last of our series on the people who make Christmas in the country what it is, Paula Lester speaks to wine merchant Tom Ashworth.
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Tom Parker Bowles: Forget turkey and pigs-in-blankets — the Christmas ham is the king of the yuletide feastRibboned 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 moreDo 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 themAnyone for Brussels sprout spaghetti carbonara? No, really — wait until you try it.
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A few of my favourite things: Dame Mary BerryThe culinary writer and broadcaster, who turns 90 next year, tells Hetty Lintell about three objects she can't live without.
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Champagne with fish and chips, and what to drink at Christmas with Oscar Dodd of Fortnum & MasonFortnum & Mason's wine and spirits guru Oscar Dodd joins the Country Life podcast.
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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 jetOne 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 huge bubbling, burping, living thing: The rise (and rise) of sourdough starters‘We look after not only our recipes, but our starters themselves — the forces of nature that keep us all going’
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Best bar none: The London pub renaissanceAgainst all odds, the pubs of the capital are thriving. William Hosie raises a glass to their comeback.
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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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An unofficial guide to some very nice whiskies that you can drink this Christmas (or before, if you like)Freshen up your drinks cupboard with these two fine special releases, as well as three classics that everyone should own (in my unofficial opinion).
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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 LondonJo 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 itWe'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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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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'A British comfort-food classic, it soothes and satisfies in equal measure': Tom Parker Bowles and the perfect cottage pieA British food classic, the humble cottage pie–lusciously rich beef mince, topped with buttery, yet crisply tipped mashed potato–is guaranteed to sooth and satisfy in equal, economic measure.
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The Dawn Chorus: We tried a Guinness shandy so you don't have toPlus the quiz of the day, swimming the Channel three times to raise money for the Garden Museum, and why the moon looks so big and bright.
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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.
