Mix with the best this Christmas
Vermouths, bitters, fruit liqueurs – retro mixers are just the thing for a festive cocktail
Food
The Christmas taste test challenge: the chef v the critic
Ravinder Bhogal and Jay Rayner eat their way through the supermarkets’ mince pies, cheese, chocolates and more. Whose verdict do you trust?
‘Butter makes anything taste amazing’: why Michelin-starred chefs dollop it on
You’ll be hard pressed to find a professional cook who doesn’t swear by butter – lashings of it make so many dishes, from roast veg to banana bread, better
‘All I want is chocolate’: Jamie Oliver and other top chefs on their Christmas wish lists
Tinned fish, ceramic tableware and cornettos – Santa’s sack is full of unusual treats for our chefs and food writers
What does colour tell us about wine?
The boundaries between red and white wine are blurring. So what does colour reveal about flavour – and where does orange wine fit in?
The 10 best hot drinks to share outside – from mulled beer to hot-buttered coconut rum
For many of us, meeting for a drink inside is now prohibited, and cold drinks aren’t much fun outside in winter. Here are some great ideas to take you beyond hot chocolate