Anybody who watches TV chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall use his cook's tools will know he has anything but regular tastes, and Christmastime is no different.

In an article in the Guardian, the culinary expert encouraged home chefs preparing for the big day to use their cookware to create something a little bit special as Christmas approaches.

Roasting partridges or pheasants is a "relatively speedy" way to impress seasonal guests, he advised, adding that half a glass of red wine and a dash of redcurrant jelly is a good way to give the birds some bang - while the bones make a delicious stock.

"Pheasants take spices very well and make a top-notch curry – which is even more welcome, perhaps, as we enter the season of old favourites," Mr Fearnley-Whittingstall went on to say.

River Cottage Christmas Fayre, which will give viewers all sorts of ideas for things to do with their cookware this season, was broadcast last night (December 13th) on Channel 4.