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. You’re unlikely to feel stumped as to what you’re going to serve.

It’s the surrounding meals which are the true conundrum, those confusing days either side of Christmas. What are we going to eat on Christmas Eve? Do I need to do a ‘proper’ meal for Boxing Day? What do you need to turn leftovers into a cohesive meal that you can serve to guests, as opposed to the solitary act of standing in front of the fridge, grazing on cold roast potatoes with your hands? When do I serve all these mince pies I optimistically bought? Is someone going to (rightly) demand cheese with their Christmas cake? You can quickly lose your mind in the Escher-esque mind-mapping of what you should serve and when.