Get festive with our Christmas wreath recipe

As the holiday season twinkles on the horizon, we’re embarking on a culinary journey to shake your typical Christmas table up!

In this exclusive series of recipes curated for the eco-conscious and budget-savvy, we invite you to savour the essence of the holidays with dishes that exude warmth, flavour, and thoughtfulness.

First up, is James’ starter: a festive Christmas wreath using plant based smoked salmon made from carrots, a fiery horseradish hummus and homemade poppy seed stars. 

About this post

Published

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December 1, 2023

James Sargent

What makes this dish so special?

“Sustainability meets tradition in my Christmas starter! Carrots are widely grown in the UK with some farmers achieving carbon neutral production. They are also very affordable and plentiful at this time of year and because they’ll be cut into thin slices, ‘wonky’ vegetables could be used to reduce wastage!” – James commented.

 

Find the full recipe below

Ingredients: 

  • 1 tin chickpeas 
  • 4 tbsp tahini  
  • 2 garlic cloves 
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice 
  • 2 tbsp grated horseradish (adjust to make it more or less fiery)
  • 3 large carrots 
  • 3 tbsp light soy sauce 
  • 1 tbsp dark soy sauce 
  • Maple syrup x 2 tsp 
  • Garlic powder x 1 tsp 
  • Nori x 2 sheets 
  • Lemon juice x 2 tbsp 
  • Olive oil x 2 tbsp 
  • Smoked paprika x 3 tsp
  • Vegan ready roll puff pastry x 1 sheet
  • Poppy seeds x 2 tsp 
  • Nigella seeds x 1 tsp 
  • Oat milk
  • Watercress
  • Pomegranate seeds 
  • Dill

 

Method: 

Horseradish Hummus

  • Simply add the chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, horseradish, garlic to a food processor and blitz until smooth, adding water to get to the desired consistency
  • Season to taste

 

Vegan Smoked Salmon

  • Pre-heat your oven to 180ºc
  • Peel the carrots put them on a lined baking tray with plenty of salt 
  • Bake for 30 minutes, turning occasionally, until just cooked 
  • Allow to cool and then use a peeler/mandolin to create thin strips 
  • Mix together the marinade ingredients and leave the carrot strips to infuse overnight 

 

Pastry Stars

  • Pre-heat your oven to 200ºc 
  • Cut out bite-size stars from the puff pastry 
  • Brush with oat milk and then sprinkle over a mixture of poppy and nigella seeds 
  • Place on a lined baking sheet and then top with baking parchment and another baking sheet 
  • Bake for 15/20 mins until golden brown  

 

To serve: 

  • Create a wreath shaped base out of the watercress, top with the smoked salmon, dot the horseradish hummus around to resemble baubles and then place in the pastry stars. Finally, scatter the pomegranate seeds and a sprinkling of dill over the wreath and serve

 

Top tips: 

  • Make extra pastry stars and serve with the remaining hummus as a festive snack 
  • Fresh grated horseradish can be intensely hot, so adjust the amount used in the hummus to suit your taste 

 

Enjoy!