It's the lights that get me in the end. Try as I might to avoid the whole damn thing, it's the shimmering, glistening lights that make Christmas really work for me. The candlelight bouncing off the oh-so-carefully polished glasses on the table; the dim, amber glow from the oven that silhouettes the golden skin of the roasting bird; the twinkling string of lights that I weave through the branches of The Tree. That, and the carols that float from the radio or those I catch as I pass by the open doors of the local churches. The food's good too, of course, especially the mince pies and the pudding, but doesn't it all taste so much better when you turn down the lights and put a taper to the candles?

Some food looks better than others in candlelight: a bowl of shining consommé, the crisp skin of a roast pheasant, a mound of ruby-coloured cranberry sauce, a jelly studded with citrus fruit, all look quite magnificent when there are tea lights or long, elegant candles on the table.

Try as I might (and believe me I have tried), I just cannot get it up for turkey. I do think it is worth cooking a small one for sandwiches on Boxing Day with soft white bread and bushy green watercress, but somehow the appeal of the hot roast bird itself just passes me by. Smaller, richer-tasting meats such as pheasant, duck, partridge, pigeon, even diminutive quail are increasingly finding their way onto my Christmas table. Not meat meals either - whole fish stuffed with breadcrumbs and nuts and luxurious vegetarian dishes too.

What matters is that something of the Christmas spirit - the flavours and the smell - comes to the table. Food that is heavily spiced or rich with fruits, nuts and alcohol always carries with it something of the heart and soul of Christmas. A stuffing with pine nuts and raisins, a gravy enriched with Madeira or Cognac, a joint of meat roasted on sprigs of bay and citrus fruit all fill the air with the unmistakable scent of Christmas.

I don't want to sound like a party-pooper but I am not one to splosh either wine or spirits into my food, believing that in most cases it tends to confuse the issue. Generally, I feel much the same about cream, yet if ever there was a right time to add spirits to the puddings and wines to the sauces I guess it is now while there is celebration in the air. That said, I still think it's important to make sure nothing is too rich and that flavours remain clear and bright.

I never take it for granted that anyone wants to eat meat. But if there is to be vegetarian food on the table it must be just as special as that for the carnivores. My inclination is toward something generously spiced, if only because a meal laden with precious spices seems right for the occasion. In other words everyone's meal must be a treat. This year, those not wanting to tuck into roast pork or partridge will be offered a Thai curry, chock-full of lemon grass, chillies, coriander seed and cumin, a veritable treasure chest of aromatics. I have used mushrooms this year, both chestnut variety and 'wild' ones, but you could use green vegetables if you prefer, or pieces of squash or broccoli.

When Christmas really does it for me is when the food is on the table, the air full of the scent of roast game and spiced vegetables and the table is glittering with candlelight. It's schmaltzy, but truth told, I love every second of it.

Roast pork with bay, lemon and baked apples

A classic, but with the aromatic note of bay, a herb I feel we don't use nearly enough. This is good cold too, in Boxing Day sandwiches of soft white bread, with pickles on the side and a glass of cold beer.

Serves 4-6

1.75kg boned loin of pork, tied, fat thinly scored, ask the butcher for the bones
olive oil
about 20 fresh bay leaves
a large lemon
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
about a tablespoon of chopped rosemary leaves
a glass or two of white wine

Mix the lemon juice, crushed garlic and rosemary with a little olive oil and sea salt and black pepper to give a thin slush then rub it into the skin and flesh of the pork. Set aside for an hour or so, uncovered.

Set the oven to 220°c/Gas 7. Scatter the bay leaves around the centre of a roasting tin, place the pork on top and put in the hot oven to roast for 20 minutes. Tuck the bones around the meat, they will help flavour the gravy. This short burst of high heat will help to ensure the crackling puffs up nicely. Don't worry that the bay leaves darken, they will still do their work. Turn the oven down to 200°c/Gas 6 and continue roasting for approximately another hour. Remove the meat from the tin and let it rest, then fish out the bay leaves and discard them. Put the roasting tin over a moderate heat and pour in the white wine. Scrape away at the bottom of the tin, pushing the bones aside to do so, stirring any tasty looking bits from the tin into the wine. After a few minutes you will have a thin gravy. Season it with salt and black pepper. Strain the gravy into a warm jug.

For the baked apples:
Ideally I would put an apple per person, scored around the middle, around the pork, about 20 minutes before it is due to come out of the oven. They will fluff up and can be lifted out with the pork. If there isn't room then put the apples in a baking dish on a lower shelf about half an hour before the meat is due to be done. Again, slit them round the middle, and pour a few of the pork's roasting juices over them.

Partridge with pumpkin and wild mushrooms

I used to worry about cooking game birds, worried that they might be tough, or that they would be too easy to overcook. In truth, nothing could be more straightforward, and in my experience a tough one is a rare occurrence. What appeals is having a little bird all to yourself, and having all those bones to pick at and suck.

Serves 2

2 oven-ready partridges
a medium-sized onion
60g butter
1 rib of celery
200g pumpkin
a few sprigs of thyme
50g fresh wild mushrooms such as Girolle
80g small chestnut mushrooms
a little dry Vermouth and Cognac

You will also need two sheets of greaseproof paper large enough to loosely wrap the birds or 2 roasting bags

Peel the onion and slice it into thinnish rings. Melt half the butter in a shallow pan and cook the onion till soft and tender, stirring from time to time. Meanwhile cut the celery into slices no thicker than your little finger, add them with the thyme leaves to the onion and continue to cook till they have softened slightly. Peel the pumpkin and cut the flesh into small dice, about 1cm in diameter, then cut the mushrooms into bite-sized pieces, stir into the onion.

Lay the sheets of paper out and divide the mixture between them. Put the empty pan back on the heat, add the remaining butter, then, when it starts sizzling, put the birds in, breast-side down. Let them cook for a couple of minutes till their skin is golden, then turn and colour the other side. Lift the birds out and put them in the middle of the onion mixture.

Pour over a couple of glugs each of dry vermouth and Cognac then pull the paper up around the birds and scrunch the edges together to seal. Lift the parcels onto a baking sheet and roast for 20-25 minutes until the parcel is golden brown and puffed up. The partridge should be golden and juicy.

Thai mushroom curry

Curries always appear to be more work than they really are. And yes, it is a long ingredient list, but in practice once the shopping is done the curry is done in minutes. The mushrooms need very little cooking, especially the fancy kind - the more usual chestnut varieties are most robust. You will need some rice to go with this. Completely inauthentic I know, but brown rice, with all its nutty nubbiness is perfect with this.

Serves 2-3 with rice

For the curry paste:

1 level tsp whole coriander seeds
1 level tsp whole cumin seeds
3 large, red chillies, de-seeded and roughly chopped
2 shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
1cm piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 stalks of lemon grass, tough outer skin removed, roughly chopped
2 level tsp paprika
the zest of a kaffir lime
2 tbsp water
1/2 level tsp salt

For the mushrooms:

500g assorted mushrooms
2 tbsp vegetable oil
400ml can coconut milk
a small handful of Thai basil leaves
a small handful of coriander leaves

In a small frying pan toast the coriander seed and cumin for a minute, until their fragrance rises and they have darkened slightly. Take care, as they burn easily. Whiz them to a powder using a spice or coffee grinder, or pound them in a pestle and mortar. Put all the other curry paste ingredients in the bowl of a food processor with the ground spices and the water and process until you have a thick paste.

In a wok or large saucepan, heat the vegetable oil for the mushrooms then add 4 level tablespoons of the curry paste. Fry this for a couple of minutes, stirring almost constantly for 1-2 minutes then add the mushrooms and continue frying for 3-4 minutes until the mushrooms take on some colour. Add the lime leaves, scrunched up, then pour in the tin of coconut milk and, once the liquid has come to the boil check the seasoning (you may want to add some salt). Give it a quick stir, turn the heat down and leave to simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes. Stir in the basil leaves then scatter the coriander over the top.

Baked red mullet with pine nut stuffing

Large, juicy flakes of fish are what appeal so much here. I always find you need a large red mullet per person, or two smaller ones. This sounds a lot, I know, but trust me, they have quite big bones. This stuffing is good for other things too, whole squid perhaps, or even partridge.

Serves 4

4 large red mullet, cleaned but with the heads left on
a large shallot
a clove of garlic, finely chopped
50g fresh white breadcrumbs
15 black olives, stoned
50g pinenuts
juice and finely grated zest of a lemon
2 tbsp raisins
a small handful of chopped parsley
leaves from a couple of bushy sprigs of rosemary, chopped
2 tsp capers
olive oil

Heat the oven to 190°c/Gas 5. Rinse the mullet, pat them dry with kitchen paper and lay them snugly in a roasting tin. Peel the shallot and chop it finely, then let it cook slowly with the olive oil and garlic in a small pan over a moderate heat until it is soft and translucent. Add the breadcrumbs and let them colour slightly. Chop the olives and add them to the crumbs with the pinenuts, lemon zest, raisins and chopped herbs and capers.Season with salt and pepper. Stuff as much of the filling into the fish as will go comfortably. Any remaining stuffing can be scattered over the fish. Squeeze over the lemon juice and add a drizzle of olive oil and a grinding of salt then bake for 20 minutes till the fish is opaque and comes easily from the bone.

Roast artichokes with lemon and thyme

A golden roast to accompany cold roast beef or pork.

Serves 4 as a side dish

500g Jerusalem artichokes
olive oil
50g butter
a large lemon
a palmful of thyme leaves, chopped

Scrub the artichokes and slice each one in half lengthwise. Warm just enough olive oil to cover the bottom of a roasting tin or an enamelled cast iron baking dish then add the butter. As soon as the butter starts to froth put in the artichokes, cut side in the fat, then leave them be while they lightly colour.

Shake the artichokes about in the pan, loosening them from the bottom if necessary. Cut the lemons in half, squeeze the juice over the artichokes and scatter in the thyme leaves. Season with salt and black pepper then roast at 180°c/Gas 4 for the best part of an hour. The time will depend on the exact size of your artichokes.

They are ready when they are golden on the cut side and tender enough to squash with a fork.