Hugh-Fearnley Whittingstall's Festive Fumble recipe

Christmas is about bringing people together in a spirit of generosity and hospitality [writes Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall], and giving them just what they need to cast their cares aside and talk, laugh and eat – simple gifts and beautiful, natural decorations but, most importantly, good food and drink. Whether you are religious or not, the Christmas meal is something pretty sacred. It is a time when we are looking to feed our better selves.

And so the food we choose to eat needs to spread love, warmth, goodwill, forgiveness and optimism around a table of people who, though bonded together by varying levels of shared genes and shared history, might not otherwise choose to sit down and eat together! It needs to weave a spell of magic that suspends any disbelief in the meaning of family, and indeed in the meaning of Christmas. And although normal, sceptical service may resume with the Boxing Day hangover, something of the spirit of that meal should linger deep in the unconscious, helping to keep us sane and sanguine for the year ahead.

The recipes I’ve put together, with the help of the brilliant River Cottage team, will do just that. We have a showstopper of a Christmas feast, featuring fantastic seasonal food cooked or served just a bit differently – with a streak of originality and some tweaks to the Christmas classics. Chargrilling your cabbage on a wood fire or barbecue may seem unorthodox in December, and braising your beef ribs to accompany a rare roast is a labour of love, but the results are so worth it. I urge you to give them a try.

We are famous for our feasts and celebrations at River Cottage and we’re proud of that. But the heart of our mission is to teach and inspire people to grow, source and cook food in ways that enrich their lives, and connect them with more natural and ethical sources. That’s a mission for life, of course, but I also think the way we source our food takes on a deeper significance at Christmas. Whether you’re reaping the rewards of a kitchen garden, making the most of a gifted glut or buying local produce, provenance is key. Knowing where your ingredients come from, even who grew and raised them, will make your festive offerings feel more special.

This particularly applies to meat and fish, so make the former local and free range, or better still organic, and source the latter as sustainably as you can. Shop and cook responsibly and the spirit of goodwill and generosity extends not just to those around the table but to the food on your plate, to the farmers, growers and artisans who’ve worked to provide it, and thence to the planet itself. And, more than ever, that’s something to be mindful of this Christmas.

Cooking at River Cottage is a joyous blend of seasonality and sustainability. Created over 15 years ago by celebrated writer and broadcaster Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, this little corner of Devon is totally committed to local ingredients, ethical sourcing and lavish feasting. Now, you can go behind the scenes in the River Cottage kitchen and gardens with a Learning with Experts River Cottage Cookery course.

Through a selection of 48 online cookery lessons, Hugh and his top team of chefs will guide you through a range of skills – from baking your own sourdough to filleting fish and making your own pickles. You can pick and choose one or two courses, and do all 48 to earn the prestigious River Cottage Cooking Diploma. Whether you want a career change, you’re already working in the food industry or you’re an amateur hungry to learn more, this course will inspire you to more culinary adventures in 2022.

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Full menu

Printed in December 2021 issue of Country Living

• Leek, Cheddar & smoked fish tart

• Roast rib eye of beef & braised beef ribs

• Merguez roasted roots with prunes & chestnuts

• Chargrilled hispi cabbage with pears & kimchi

• Festive fumble

• Stem ginger truffles

• Mulled hedgerow cider

Recipe: Festive fumble

A fruit fumble is a cross between a crisp-topped crumble and a creamy fool. It can be served hot or cold, and the fruit element is endlessly variable.

• Preparation: 10 minutes

• Cooking: 30 minutes

• Serves: 6

For the crumble:

• 50g butter, diced (or 50ml vegetable oil for a vegan crumble)

• 75g light wholemeal cake flour or wholegrain spelt flour

• 50g porridge oats or fine oatmeal

• 50g ground almonds or hazelnuts

• 100g almonds, hazelnuts or walnuts, bashed or chopped, or 100g cooked chestnuts, crumbled

• 30g sugar (soft brown, golden granulated or demerara)

• Pinch of salt

For the compote:

• Juice of 1 lemon

• 1kg Bramley or other cooking apples

• 12 dried lemon verbena leaves

• 50G-100g caster sugar

• Plain yogurt or lightly whipped cream (or a mixture of both), to serve

1. For the crumble, preheat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan) gas mark 5. Have a large baking tray to hand. Either rub the butter into the flour in a large bowl to get a breadcrumb texture, then stir in the other ingredients, or soften the butter first and mix it all together using your hands (best if you have used the oil).

2. Spread out on the tray, keeping a few chunkier clumps. Bake for 15-20 minutes, stirring once, until golden. Leave to cool.

3. For the compote, put the lemon juice in a large pan. Peel, core and slice the apples and toss in the juice so they don’t brown. Add the verbena leaves, 50g sugar and 2 tbsp water.

4. Bring to a simmer and cook gently, stirring to help the apples break down, for about 20 minutes until you have a chunky purée. Taste and add more sugar if you like – but keep the compote tart to balance the crumble. Either serve straightaway or cool, then chill.

5. To assemble, divide the compote between serving glasses. Add a dollop of yogurt or cream and top with a layer of crumble mix.

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