Why terrine is the perfect Christmas starter

When you’re planning Christmas, the big event is the easy bit. No, hear me out. It’s obviously a production – a feast! – more of an exercise in logistics than it is complicated cooking, making sure all the many elements come together at the correct moment.

I’m not trying to underplay the amount of effort that it takes, but in terms of the constituent parts, it’s relatively straightforward. Most of us are turkey families, but if you’re a goose or rib of beef or nut-roast household, chances are that you’re fully aware of this as soon as you sit down to write your Christmas grocery list. There will always be esoteric demands that you have to honour to ensure the health of family relationships (my husband’s family would die on a bread sauce hill; my brother-in-law requires Yorkshire puddings, irrespective of the meat served). But, really, as long as you have enough roast potatoes and gravy, anything else is forgiven.