Here at Darts Farm we're spoilt with such an amazing array of artisan food & drink. Michael Dart shares his 'must-haves' for the Christmas period.

The night before...

On Christmas Eve, before we shut, I go round the food hall and grab my favourites - Willie’s Praline Truffles with Sea Salt, limoncello panettone, Patchwork pâtés and terrines. All the lovely meats - ham, beef, salami. Vicky’s Bread, cheese, pickles and chutneys. A nice bottle of wine.

Christmas morning...

You want it to be an easy time, and with everyone coming from different places, you can’t be tied down to a timetable. We keep it very simple, delicious - and local. So it’s all the usual lovely canapés: honey glazed sausages, smoked salmon, Good Game chorizo, Quicke’s cheddar. Everything is ready to serve or to put in the oven, and we wash it down with Pebblebed sparkling fizz made just down the road.

The main event...

We always have a fantastic roast turkey from our Master Butchers, which is reared by our local turkey farmer Steven Slade up the road; and so many homegrown vegetables - Brussels sprouts,

grandma Tess’ famous red cabbage, parsnips, roast potatoes and lots, lots more. Bread sauce, cranberry sauce. Sausages wrapped in bacon. And masses of gravy. Your plate is all heaped up, because you don’t want to do without any of it.

Time for pudding...

We’ve known Georgie Porgie, who makes our Christmas puds, since day one of his business. In fact, we know personally nearly every producer who has worked so hard to produce the food on our plate - who’s raised the turkey, looked after the pig, handcrafted the sauces. We’re so lucky because Darts Farm is the hub, where all this passion and expertise come together. It makes our Christmas perfect.

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