SERVES 4-6 PREP 20 mins plus cooling COOK 50 mins EASY 1 medium pumpkin or butternutsquash2 tbsp olive or rapeseed oilpinch of Aleppo chilli flakes, plusextra to serve (optional)3 tbsp maple syrup100g

This impressive plan-ahead Christmas lunch from Flora Shedden is a mouthwatering mix of traditional recipes and deliciously unexpected flavours

A crowd-pleasing pie with a rich, buttery filling. Sage leaves are baked into the pastry while the beetroot adds vibrant colour. SERVES 8 PREP 30 mins plus40 mins chilling COOK 1 hr 30 mins MORE EFFOR

To get the best from a kale salad, you need to chop it up finely. I love using curly kale, as I find it’s more tender. If you have time, dress the salad 10 minutes before you serve it, as the kale lea

This could be the recipe you need to convert all sprout sceptics. It combines two of my favourite ingredients: brussels and bacon. I make extra so I can turn leftovers into bubble and squeak for Boxin

I cannot overemphasise how utterly sublime Brussels sprouts cooked this way taste: the leaves charred and crisp, then tumbled in a sticky sweet-and-sour sauce of mashed dates and balsamic vinegar… the