Cooking in:Alas, how time flies. It's time to start planning again, write Marie-Claire Digby
There are now four weeks left to plan for what, for many people, is the most important meal of the year. So if you haven't got a cake made, a pudding maturing nicely and a menu decided on, then it's time to get your skates on.
Whether you're an ace cook who glides through the festive season, but is itching to find a recipe or serving suggestion with the wow factor, or a wobbly first-timer who'll need a bit of hand-holding, there's plenty of inspiration and useful advice out there, if you know where to look.
It's time to decide if you're going to go with a traditional menu, following family recipes or consulting the mummies of the cookery-book scene - Delia, Darina, Mrs Beeton, even - or opting for a nonconformist menu. Even if you stick with the classics, you can give your menu a lift by following these recipes, which put new twists on old favourites.
STARTER Smoked salmon is a Christmas staple, and with so many quality Irish producers to order from, it's a safe choice. If you get your smoked salmon from an artisan producer, such as Great Taste supreme award winner Sally Barnes (Woodcock Smokery, www.woodcocksmokery.com, 028-36232) or Frank Hedermann (Belvelly Smokehouse, www.frankhederman.com, 021-4811089) you'll have nothing more to do than slice the fish and serve it with blini, or brown bread, and a few lemon wedges. Barnes also sells a sublime cold-smoked haddock; Ross Lewis of Chapter One restaurant served this gratinated with leeks at a tasting-menu dinner to launch the new Bridgestone Guides, to unanimous acclaim. If your smoked salmon's of a more ordinary variety, layering it thinly between layers of creme fraiche in a gateau or torte shape, à la Gary Rhodes (for the recipe, see www.bbcgoodfood.com's Christmas countdown) means you can update a classic - and prepare the dish in advance. Marks & Spencer's Christmas: 40 Recipes for the Finest Festive Fare, has another attractive suggestion, home-made gravlax with cream cheese.
If you're determined to have a soup on your menu, why not introduce the Brussels sprouts earlier than expected, with the Scottish writer Claire Macdonald's creamy Brussels sprout and chestnut soup, from her book Entertaining Solo (Bantam Press, £25), which is packed with tips for stress-free entertaining.
MAIN COURSE Everyone has their own ideas about how to cook the perfect turkey, so once you've nailed your chosen method, you could bring a touch of originality to the table by serving Nigella Lawson's gingerbread stuffing and allspice gravy, from Feast (Chatto, £25).
DESSERT If puddings aren't part of your repertoire, why not buy one from a good supplier? Country Choice, in Nenagh (www.countrychoice.ie, €14/400g; €26/800g), imports dried fruit from all over the world, and it is rightly famous for its puddings. Your local farmers' market is another good source of homemade puddings. You could then choose a lighter dessert to serve alongside the pud. Rachel Allen's lemon-curd-and-ginger ice cream, from Rachel's Favourite Food at Home (HarperCollins, £17.99), would be the perfect foil to a traditional pudding.
USEFUL WEBSITES Try www.nigella.com, www.deliaonline.com, www.cookingisfun.ie (for Darina Allen's recipes and weekly newsletter), www.bbcgoodfood.com and www.foodnetwork.com.
USEFUL BOOKS Try Elizabeth David's Christmas (Penguin, £14.99), Delia Smith's Christmas (BBC Books, £8.99), A Simply Delicious Christmas, by Darina Allen (Gill & Macmillan, £9.99), The Best of Mrs Beeton's Christmas (Orion, for Marks & Spencer, €8), Mary Berry's Christmas Collection (Headline, £20) and Christmas Cooking for Dummies, by Dede Wilson (Hungry Minds Inc, £15.99).