Rich, indulgent and massively moreish, Cheese Fondue is the ultimate sociable sharer – just make sure, folks, that everybody has their own dipping fork and transfers their bespoke cheesy mouthful to their own serving plate rather than straight from fork-to-mouth; double-dippers are distinctly unwelcome at this particular party.

Cheese Fondue is traditionally served with chunks of crusty bread, crudités (carrot batons, sliced peppers, green beans, etc) and cornichons, for dipping – if tradition tickles your Fondue fancy, there'll be few complaints. But substituting the cold stuff with a platter of hot, thyme-roasted baby new potatoes turns this chic, cheesy feast into a substantial supper.

Ingredients (serves 4)

750g baby new potatoes, whole and unpeeled
2tbsp olive oil
3 sprigs of thyme
100g Comté, grated
100g Gruyère, grated
100g Emmental, grated
2tsp cornflour
1 large garlic clove, peeled and chopped in half
350ml dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris or unoaked Chardonnay all work well here)
100ml Calvados or kirsch (optional, but highly recommended)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C, gas mark 6. Tip the potatoes into a large roasting tin, drizzle with the olive oil and toss with the thyme sprigs. Season well and roast for 20-25 minutes until the potatoes are soft and the skins turning golden. 

2. Meanwhile, toss all three grated cheeses with the cornflour and rub the base of a large saucepan with the garlic then discard. Add the wine to the pan and heat until simmering gently before adding the cheese and cornflour mix in small, gradual handfuls, stirring continuously. When each handful of cheese has melted, add another until the cheese has thoroughly melted into the wine.

3. Stir the Calvados or kirsch (if using) into the mix and serve immediately, either in a tabletop fondue pot or straight from the hot pan.

Christmas is a'comin' in! Get ahead of the crowd by preparing and freezing a selection of party food favourites including a glamorous showstopper dessert that, once prepped, is ready to serve when you are.

Mini Sausage Rolls (easily adapted to vegetarian; makes 20)

Blend 1 x 400g high-quality sausages (skins removed) or vegetarian/vegan sausages in a food processor to form a rough paste. Unroll 1 x 375g pack of ready-rolled puff pastry and cut in half lengthways. Divide the sausage paste in two and divide between both halves of the pastry sheet in a cylindrical shape, leaving a 1cm edge. Tightly roll the pastry around the sausage paste, brushing the ends with beaten egg to form a secure seal. Cut each roll into 10 pieces with a sharp knife, each about 2.5cm long, and arrange on a lightly greased baking sheet. Double-wrap the uncooked sausage rolls with cling film and freeze immediately. To cook, preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 5. Remove the sausage rolls from the freezer and glaze with beaten egg. Bake for 35-45 mins until the pastry is crisp and puffy and the sausage meat thoroughly cooked through. Serve warm.

Individual Pizzas (makes 12; vegetarian)

Make up 1 x 500g packed of bread mix (ciabatta works well here) according to the instructions on the packet. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and roll into balls before covering with a clean tea towel and leaving to prove in a warm place for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp olive in a large frying pan and sauté 1 small chopped onion, 1 small red pepper (deseeded and chopped), a handful of chopped chestnut mushrooms, a couple of tbsp chopped sundried tomatoes, a handful of chopped black olives, 1 garlic clove (crushed) and 1 tsp dried oregano until soft and fragrant. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces, roll out into discs each around 10-11cm in diameter and place on a lightly greased baking tray. Spread each disc with the sautéed vegetable mixture and a liberal sprinkle of mozzarella cheese. Cover with greaseproof paper, double-wrap the whole tray with cling film and freeze immediately. To cook, preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 5. Remove the pizzas from the freezer and sprinkle with more dried oregano. Bake for 18-22 mins until the pizza bases are cooked and the cheese has melted. Serve warm.

Mince Pies (makes 12; vegetarian)

On a flour-dusted surface, roll 1 x 500g pack of sweet shortcrust pastry out to around the thickness of a £1 coin. Using an 8cm pastry cutter, stamp out circles of pastry to line the lightly-greased holes of a 12-hole bun tin. Divide a 300g jar of mincemeat between each pastry case, then use a 6cm pastry cutter to stamp 12 lids out of the remaining pastry. If you have any pastry left over, you can use it for extra decoration: cut some stars out of it to lay on top of the pie lids. Top the mincemeat with the pastry lids (and stars), push around the edges to seal and poke neat little holes in the centre of each lid to allow steam to escape when baking. Double-wrap the whole tray in cling film and freeze immediately.To bake, preheat the oven to 180c/gas mark 5. Remove the mince pies from the freezer and brush the top of each with beaten egg or a milk . Bake for around 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden and crisp and the filling piping hot.

Chocolate and Chestnut Parfait (serves 8-10; vegetarian)

Rinse a deep loaf tin with cold water and shake the water out, leaving the tin slightly dry. Line the tin with cling film (smoothing out as many wrinkles as you can) and set to one side. Melt 200g milk chocolate in a pan set over another pan of boiling water (do not allow the chocolate pan base to touch the water!) or in short bursts on a low setting in the microwave. Add 2 x 250 sweetened chestnut purée and 100g crumbled soft amaretti biscuits to the chocolate and stir well before adding 2 peeled, segmented, roughly chopped oranges and the zest of 1 orange to the mix. Stir well until combined. Softly whisk 450ml double cream and gently fold into the mixture. Spoon the mixture into the loaf tin, smooth the top and double-wrap in cling film before freezing immediately. Twenty minutes before serving, remove the parfait from the freezer, briefly dip the tin in hot water, remove the cling film and invert onto a plate. Scatter the parfait with finely grated dark chocolate and a dusting of icing sugar, and slice.

Mixed case wines for the festive season

The Great Wine Co have specially selected some fantastic wines for its seasonal 12 bottle mixed cases range… and the prices are rather tempting too. Here are two mixed dozen boxes we think you’ll enjoy. Each box is priced at just £120.

Both twelve bottle cases represent wines from trusted winemakers from across the world. High quality wines, utterly delicious and reliable for Christmas drinking.

Highgrove Celebration Christmas Hamper

Let them celebrate Christmas in gourmet style with the Highgrove Celebration Hamper filled with treats for the festive season and beyond. Presented in a traditional wicker basket, this hamper contains a selection of Highgrove organic foods - the ultimate gift for food lovers! There’s a bottle of dry, crisp and fruity champagne to pop open on Christmas Day, made in France by Laurent-Perrier, and, ready to enjoy with your Christmas meal, a bottle of our dark berry Côtes du Rhône and light and fruity Macon Davayé.

You’ll also find a host of traditional Christmas favourites, including a classic boozy Christmas Pudding with Brandy Butter to top it off. As if that wasn’t enough, there’s also Christmas Shortbread. Highgrove has even got breakfast and teatime sorted, with classic Prince of Wales blend loose tea tin, as well as strawberry jam, marmalade and fruity chutney, all made by hand to traditional recipes in England. £180.

To bag the hamper, click the button below. There are also a lot more great gift ideas and treats to be found at the Highrove Christmas shop. Visit highgrovegardens.com

UK grown Wasabi Company release Wasabi Tartare Sauce

The Wasabi Company, the only growers of wasabi in the UK has completed the hat-trick this year with a new Wasabi Tartare Sauce that combines the fire of fresh English grown wasabi with the sharpness of traditional gherkins and capers. 

Now wasabi lovers can enjoy the award winning wasabi mustard, wasabi mayonnaise and new tartare sauce all in one convenient gift pack – perfect for any curious foodie. £12.95

The Wasabi Condiment Collection is avaliable from the Wasabi Company website: wasabicompany.co.uk; all products are also available to buy individually.  

Looking for more delicious foodie inspo?

Click through to browse our full new look Delicious Guide below!

La Terra

Try out a new city restaurant with a Mediterranean vibe – La Terra at 2 St John Street in Bath, which was previously the home of Firehouse Rotisserie. Owner Vito Scaduto has over 30 years’ experience managing some of the most renowned restaurants and hotels, including The Bath Priory, the Three Gables in Bradford on Avon and most recently Clayton’s Kitchen in George Street, recently recommended as the top eating destination in Bath by the Evening Standard’s best city breaks in the UK guide. Vito and his team have refurbished the restaurant and created an existing food offering for La Terra of reasonably priced, high-quality food and wine. The menu includes fresh tagliatelle and red mullet ragu, 10oz rib-eye steak with greens and truffle chips along with vegan options of fresh fig salad with picked pear and nuts and polenta and vegetable mille feuille with red pepper purée. 

La Terra, 2 John Street, Bath, BA1 2JL 
01225 482070; laterra.co.uk

Bristol-set crime drama, Showtrial, now streaming on BBC iPlayer

A twisting drama from the makers of Vigil, Showtrial follows one missing student, and a second - privileged and unlikeable - arrested for murder. The jury is going to hate her –but is she guilty?

One for the students out there – Showtrial was filmed in part on the University of Bristol campus back at the start of 2021. Can you spot the physics building...?

Watch the full series on BBC iPlayer: bbciplayer.co.uk

Anything Goes at The Little Theatre Cinema, 28 November and 1 December

This year, 'The Little' are celebrating the start of the Christmas period with a screening of Anything Goes, filmed live at the Barbican, London: 

When the S.S. American heads out to sea, etiquette and convention head out the portholes as two unlikely pairs set off on the course to true love... proving that sometimes destiny needs a little help from a crew of singing sailors, a comical disguise and some good old-fashioned blackmail. 

With the cast including Sutton Foster, Felicity Kendal, Robert Lindsay and Gary Wilmot, this is a hilarious musical romp across the Atlantic. Directed by the multi-award-winning Broadway director and choreographer Kathleen Marshall, it features Cole Porter’s joyful score, including I Get A Kick Out of You, You’re the Top and the show stopping Anything Goes. The ‘musical equivalent of sipping one glass of champagne after another', Anything Goes will take you back to the Golden Age of high society on the seas from the comfort of your cinema seat.

Book tickets to see Anything Goes at the Little Theatre Cinema on the Picturehouse website: picturehouses.com

WIN a copy of new Christmas children's book, Santa's Secret Angels!

Be in with a chance to win the new children's Christmas picture book by local authors Steve Gunning and Chris Wheeler, Santa's Secret Angels : 

What if Santa could see through the sunroof and know whether children have been naughty or nice all year?

Santa’s Secret Agents will make the perfect gift for 5-10 year olds, inviting them on the (sleigh)ride of their lives as they follow Santa's highly-trained team of all-seeing elves and discover all of their gadgets and gizmos.

The book will also be hugely popular with parents too, with its humour and tongue-in-cheek James Bond spy references, as Santa (a.k.a. Double Ho 7) sits down to “a glass of milk shaken, not stirred”.

To enter the competition ... head to Instagram and follow @carrawaypublishing1, @stevegunning, and @thebathmagazine. Next, give our post of the Santa's Secret Angels book cover a like, and finally tag a friend in the comments section. 

We'll choose one lucky winner by 6 December!

And if you're not lucky this time ... Gunning and Wheeler's book is priced at £9.99, and is available online and from all good bookshops, including Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights, 13-15 John Street, Bath, BA1 2JL. You can also purchase the book on the Mr B's website: mrbsemporium.com

Above book cover illustrated by authors Gunning and Wheeler

Curated by Daniel McCabe

Blumenhaus is a large, A3-sized magazine from France blending vintage design and contemporary art with all things botanical and horticultural, or as they put it, ‘Botany with a romantic approach’. It examines the science, history, lifestyle, and artistic expression of this subject, nicely underscored by the expert knowledge of the magazine’s contributors and the impeccable taste of its publishers. The astounding first issue of this unique magazine was reprinted and has now sold out a second time. It’s taken over a year for a follow up, but the wait has been worth it. £29

Magalleria has moved - The magazine store, which carries almost 2000 rare, specialist and independent titles, is now operating from much larger premises in the centre of the city at 5 Upper Borough Walls BA1 1RG.

Black Friday Bumper Prize Drawer from the Arts Marketing Bath Network

Arts organisations in Bath are marking this Black Friday with a massive giveaway of free tickets and experiences.

Following the popularity of previous prize draws, members of the Arts Marketing Bath Network (AMB) have teamed up to offer prizes in a free to enter draw. All you have to do to enter is fill in a very short form – there are no catches or hidden clauses ­– to be in with a chance of winning one of a bundle of tickets and experiences.

From 9am today (Friday 26 November) you can enter using the form below for a chance to win tickets to a whole host of brilliant events and experiences, including a family ticket for four to Bath Spa Live’s Beasts and Beauties show at The Mission Theatre, a day out for four people at The American Museum and Gardens, tickets to the Wiltshire Music Centre’s screening of The Nutcracker, Victoria Art Gallery‘s Myths and Monsters exhibition (make sure to pick up a copy of our December issue to learn more about that one...!) and many more. 

But hurry – you don’t have long to enter. The bumper arts prize draw opened at 9am today and closes at 9am on Tuesday 30 November. You won’t have to wait long to hear whether you’ve won as the prize: winners will be notified by email on Tuesday 30 November.* 

Click the button below to fill out the short entry form. 

*Terms and conditions apply

Three day sale at Dents from 2 December until 4 December

Get an extra 20% saving on all full price merchandise at Dents.

The sale will last for three days only, starting on 2 December and ending on 4 December. Join Dents and celebrate with mince pies and a glass of wine.

Free parking, disabled access, dog friendly. 

Furnax Lane, Warminster, BA12 8PE
01985 217367; dentsgloves.com

Emma Rose Open Studio sale, 4 December, 10am – 6pm, The Art Studio

All welcome for gorgeous Christmas presents or indulgent gifts. Choose from cards, cushions, limited edition giclée prints, canvas giclée prints, original paintings, commissions and gift cards.

The sale will be held at The Art Studio, down the drive at Knight’s Barn, in the centre of Wellow, Bath BA2 8QE.

Visit the Emma Rose Artworks website for more information: emmaroseartworks.com

Above artwork: Christmas is Coming by Emma Rose