It’s the most wonderful time of the year! As always, TASTE is here to help you plan the best menus for your festive season, whether you’re working on your Christmas menu or just gathering with friends to bask in December glory. Abigail Donnelly shares her famous Christmas menu that puts a modern twist on traditional Christmas favourites. Clem Pedro prepares the second main recipe done on a braai. Private chef Megan Kate Swan shares an ingenious make-ahead Christmas menu, and Khanya Mzongwana shares pickle recipes you can gift this year.

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OFF THE MENU

Whether you’re cooking at home or heading out to explore, here’s what’s hot in the food world right now:

• The grand opening: Consider this our early present to you: a meticulously curated gift selection to help you nail Secret Santa at the office, Christmas Eve with the in-laws – and every other unwrapping in between.
• That 70s show: Retro-cool dishes, maximalist décor and no phones at the table? Yes, please! Get your groove on with this inspired festive menu curated entirely from Woolies’ Our Best Ever range. (Lazy Susan, optional).
• Anatomy of a dish: Proving not all heroes wear capes, product developer Thulisa Martins went all the way to Thessaloniki to perfect the recipe for Woolies’ Our Best Ever spanakopita – a showstopper of crisp phyllo pastry, fresh spinach and three cheeses.

THIS WAY TO WONDERLAND

For her 2025 Christmas table, Abigail Donnelly has – once again – thrown tradition to the wind while respecting the classics (roast potatoes, always). Featuring seasonal ingredients with touches of serious luxury, this menu is all about bringing something extra to your celebrations, just because you can.

CHERRY, OH BABY!

Fresh, sour, dried, pickled, glacé, Maraschino – cherries are the fruit of the festive season, so Abi Donnelly used them in everything from a glaze for gammon to a chocolate cake with Black Forest aspirations.

AHEAD OF HER TIME

Come with us as we follow our favourite private chef, Megan Kate Swan, as she creates a Christmas menu that achieves the impossible: it lets you enjoy Christmas.

PUTTIN’ ON THE BLITZ

Our best Christmas tip? Save on oven space by doing your second main on the braai. Cook the gammon ahead to glaze over the coals for a smoky finish, “roast” a leg of lamb, beef rib or fillet for carpaccio. You can braai anything you can think of, says Clem Pedro, and we trust him.

OUT TO BRUNCH

Call it breakfast, call it a picnic, Khanya Mzongwana’s brunch recipes are a moveable feast – from an inspired granola trifle and her take on Scotch eggs, to luxurious cured salmon and her signature giant “bagel”, these are the dishes of your lazy holiday dreams.

SOUR POWER

What’s better than a perfect pickle? The home-made version, of course – the kind you can give to friends or family as a gift, courtesy of Khanya Mzongwana. From Pamela Anderson-inspired rose-infused pickles to a peachy hot sauce, here’s all the inspiration you need.