Sabrina Ghayour is renowned for her relaxed approached to entertaining, perfect for a stress-free Christmas
There are three basic elements that I trade on when I cook. First, is the recipe as simple as it can be, or do I need to pare it back a bit? Second, is it economical? This is obviously a concern for people today and I don’t want anyone cursing my name for having to buy an ingredient that costs £15 if they’re not sure they will use it again. Finally, and possibly most importantly, does the flavour deliver? My new book Flavour (Aster, £26) – my ‘lucky number seven’ – is my way of trying to encourage people to approach flavour in a new way, to use ingredients that you might not have thought about in unexpected combinations. Sometimes life, kids, work, etc, can chip away at the time you have to experiment in the kitchen, as well as erode your confidence, and I’d like to help people with that.
Time is a pretty important tool when it comes to cooking. I’m a very experienced cook, but even I find that if I’m feeling under pressure in the kitchen, things can end up tasting completely different. Your confidence can really be boosted by being left alone to play and trust your intuition. My mum had no clue when it came to the kitchen but she knew it was my happy place so she’d just leave me to it.
I didn’t have anyone telling me not to do this or that, which meant that from a young age, I was really experimenting with flavour. Colman’s mustard in a stir-fry? Curry powder in a cheese toastie? Why not? The most important thing is that it tastes good, however you get there.
The same relaxed approach to flavour and cooking should apply at Christmas. In fact, it’s probably the one time of year where you should be flexible and not have any ‘givens’. If Covid taught us anything, it’s that things can change at a moment’s notice and a bit of flex is always good. I love the traditions at that time of year, but I make it work for our family. Every year I’ll be asked for a pimped up Sabrinastyle turkey recipe, which I’ll give, but at home I’ll probably just keep it simple. Salt and pepper, a good gravy. And butter. Lots of butter. You can’t help but have lots of it at Christmas. If you’re rigid about anything, go with lots of veg. It’s a good way to cut the costs, especially with spuds if, as in my house, one kid wants mash and the other roasties. Bulk up on things like carrots and sprouts so you can buy less of the more expensive accoutrements.
Ultimately, I want people to relax and enjoy being in the kitchen at this time of year. Make life easy and don’t cook more then you need to. If you’re using my book and you’re missing an ingredient, just leave it out and use what you’ve got. Hopefully, the book will give people a sense of ease – because there are no good cooks and bad cooks
