A versatile fruit mix recipe.

Looking for a pudding with a difference this year? Our steamed citrus brandy pudding has all that you love about the classic fruit with added zing.

This classic Moroccan side dish is boosted with citrus zing of preserved lemons and bursts of sweetnes from sultanas and the freshness of mint. Looking for more side dishes?

There's still time to make one.

You will be on Santa Claus’s ’nice’ list if you leave these shortbread biscuits for him on Christmas Eve.

A fancy twist on the classic scone.

These little Christmas puddings, all figgy and fruity and dark with Guinness, make for a sophisticated festive pudding.

Noone should miss out on fruit mince tarts.

A good pudding or Christmas cake relies on a nice boozy fruit mix. This recipe has the perfect balance and also serves as a delicious filling for your fruit mince pies.

This classic pudding is best served with plenty of warm vanilla or brandy custard

These raisin-packed crunchy buttery biscuits are not too rich and not too sweet.

Boozy fruit mince gives this classic semi-frozen dessert a Christmas twist.

The addition of sweet, creamy chocolate and nutty pecans is brilliant in this classic Christmas fruit cake recipe. Serve yourself a big slice and serve warm or cool with a drizzle of cream or ice-cream.

With a hint of rum, this delectable slice strikes the right balance between crunchy and chewy - perfect with a coffee for your 3pm pick-me-up. Even better? It's gluten-free, so no-one will miss out.

"These biscuits were unkindly called 'squashed flies' by children; this was probably due to the appearance and slightly acid flavour of the filling." This classic from The Australian Women's Weekly cookbooks will still go down a treat!

The timeless combination of rich rum and sweet, juicy raisins is brought to life with decadent caramel notes in this beautiful fudge. Serve sliced straight from the fridge for a beautiful afternoon treat.

Mike’s Top Tips: By making your own pasta, you’re learning a great new skill. Plus it’s super-easy. But if you haven’t got the time, buy fresh lasagne sheets from the supermarket and cut them into wide strips Frying the herbs for the pappardelle gives beautiful colour, texture and flavour to the dish. Just be careful […]

This Anglo-Indian chicken and rice soup is hearty enough as a meal on its own.

Nothing tops off a meal better than my grandmother’s own apple tart, which my mother learnt to make as a young girl in Holland.

Pepitas, oats and coconut add plenty of nutty, crunchy fibre to this fruity muesli slice. A great lunch-box addition, especially as this recipe nut-free.

So easy, you'll have plenty of time to make more.

Run out of time to make a proper Christmas pudding? You can still have a tasty treat on your festive table with this last-minute recipe thanks to Julie Goodwin.

There is nothing quite like the smell and taste of raisin bread with lashings of melted butter. Try this honey and oat version for something different this weekend.

Here, French toast gets a whole new look, and it’s bound to be a hit with young and old alike.

Give this traditional Aussie bread a boozy, fruity makeover with this rum and raisin damper recipe. Cooked in a campfire oven or in the comfort of your kitchen, it's the real deal. Serve piping hot with lashings of butter.

Relish can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. Relish can be used straight away. This recipe is quite spicy; for a milder version remove the seeds from the chillies or use less chilli. Note

Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Note

Brown sugar gives this nutty slice the colour and taste of caramel.

A delicious, hearty breakfast dish for the cooler months.

It is thought the Crusaders introduced these to England when they returned from the Holy Land in the 13th century. Recipe can be made two days ahead. Suitable for freezing. Note

Drambuie is a whisky-based liqueur infused with honey, spices and herbs. Soaking the fruit in the liqueur adds depth and richness to these divine cakes.

These stuffed vine leaves are rich in flavour with almonds, raisins, herbs and burghul wheat all bound together and served with a refreshing yoghurt dip.

Bite sized with a little kick and a lot of chocolate, this recipe is pure dessert perfection!

We like to use an underproof rum, but, if you like, use the stronger overproof variety. Note

Dried fruit chutney of apple, date, apricot, pineapple and raisins with a pinch of cinnamon.

Take your stew to the next level with this slow-cooked beef tagine.

Served with pistachio yoghurt, this Moroccan-inspired lamb shoulder is melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

These syrup-soaked milk balls are similar to sponge cake in texture. Popular in India and Pakistan, gulab jaman are usually served in syrup spiced with cinnamon, star anise and cardamom, and flavoured with rosewater.

You’ll need 3 bunches of baby carrots. Note

This is a traditional cake from north-eastern France; you find similar cakes in Germany, Austria and eastern Europe (the names vary slightly: Kugelhopf, Gugelhupf ). You will need an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook for this recipe as the dough is too soft to knead by hand.

Lift these tasty beef samosas to the next level with this fresh peach and raisin chutney.

Perfect for school lunches or morning or afternoon tea, these fig jam and raisin rolls will not fail to satisfy. Spread them with a little butter and enjoy with your next cuppa.

Put the kettle on and indulge in a thick slice of this crumble-topped raisin cake.

Vary the flavour by changing the dried fruit to chopped dried apricots, raisins, seeded dates or seeded prunes, or a combination of any of these. Note

Rich, fruity and aromatic with brandy, this steamed Christmas pudding is gorgeous served warm with either brandy butter, double cream or vanilla custard.

Filled with plump raisins and drizzled with a rich chocolate glaze, this luscious cake makes the perfect afternoon treat or dessert.

Dundee cake is a famous traditional Scottish fruit cake with a rich flavour.

Some occasions call for a more sophisticated kind of sweetness, complex flavours rather than pure sugariness. If you're after something memorable, this rich red wine chocolate cake is an elegant, refined confection.

Fragrant and flavour-packed Moroccan chicken with couscous, raisins, apricots and mint.

This bread should keep for about 3 days. Note

These bite sized truffles make great gifts, especially at Christmas, as well as a sweet treat for parties or afternoon teas. If you want to go all out, dust with little fragments of gold leaf.

Plump raisins and tender pecans make this fruit loaf a great choice for breakfast or afternoon tea.

Roasted pumpkin with bacon and fetta from AWW May 2008

A clear lunch-box winner, packed with fruit and fibre, these banana, craisin and macadamia muffins are utterly delicious.

It is fine to use just the one 300ml carton of cream for this recipe. You can use any dried fruit in place of the raisins in this recipe such as dried apricots or peaches. Note

If you cannot find doongara rice, use white long-grain rice instead. Doongara rice was developed and is grown in Australia. It’s a white, long-grain rice similar to basmati, and has a higher content of amylose (starch) than other rice, which means it is more slowly digested ­ it has a lower glycaemic index than most […]

Stollen is delicious toasted lightly under a griller (broiler); serve it buttered. Bread flour is a strong flour, meaning that it has a relatively high gluten (protein) content; this causes the bread to rise, giving it shape and structure. It is available from most supermarkets. Note

Stand nut rolls, upright in tins, on oven tray The tin needs to be coated thickly with melted butter so the roll won’t stick to the inside of the tin. Don’t use cooking-oil spray, as this doesn’t give a good enough coating and the roll will stick and be hard to turn out. Serve nut […]

These are just as good served at room temperature as they are served hot, and they make perfect finger-food for a cocktail party or for inclusion on a large selection of mezze dishes. Note

You need only slender small servings of this ultra-rich cake, which is why we’ve chosen to bake it in a lamington pan. The layer of marzipan in the middle keeps the cake moist as well as adding to the flavour. Buy the best marzipan (or almond paste) you can find. Note

You will need a 60cm square of unbleached calico. If the fabric is new, soak in cold water overnight, then boil for 20 minutes; rinse well before using. Use day-old breadcrumbs for this recipe. Chop all the fruit to the same size as the sultanas. Wrap the pudding in plastic wrap, seal tightly in a […]

You don’t have to use fruit bread, ­you could use white bread, croissants or panettone. Croissants are particularly delicious with the strawberry jam. Note

You could stir some finely chopped and seeded cucumber into the remaining yoghurt. Note

Fruit mince is a mixture of dried fruits such as raisins, sultanas and candied peel, nuts, spices, apple, brandy or rum. It is used as a filling for cakes, puddings and fruit mince pies. Note

Keeping time: 3 days. Note

It is fine to use just the one 300ml carton of cream for the mocha sauce. Note

Use a serrated knife to cut the cakes. These cakes will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for four weeks; the toffee will soften after a few days, depending on the weather. Note

This moist cake can be eaten warm or cold. Note

A Moroccan-style chicken stew packed full of almonds, raisins, ginger, cinnamon and white wine.

You need six 30cm (12-inch) squares of unbleached calico and six 1m (1 yard) lengths of kitchen string. Note

Top puddings with a slice of glacé orange. It is available from gourmet and health-food stores. If the six 30cm squares of unbleached calico have not been used before, soak them in cold water overnight. The next day, boil them for 20 minutes then rinse in cold water. Puddings can be cooked in two boilers […]