Mary Berry draws on her wealth of cookery know-how and shares a selection of her absolute favourite Christmas recipes - wonderful seasonal dishes guaranteed to go down a treat with family and friends, serving up some traditional seasonal staples alongside some new exciting ideas. She starts by showing how to prepare and get ahead for the Christmas season.

Being such a busy time of year, it's ideal to have just the right dish on standby. To start, Mary updates her mother's favourite Christmas Eve treat, a family fish pie, this time served with a delicious and luxurious crouton souffle topping. This is followed with her horseradish mustard beef, another winter warmer that can be prepared ahead, leaving more time to relax with family and friends. Mary's special festive raised chicken and ham pie takes a little more preparation, but it is an old-fashioned treat, perfect for a family lunch on Boxing Day.

Christmas wouldn't be the same without some indulgent sweet treats - Mary serves up two. First she demonstrates a festive twist on the traditional crumble, a blackberry and apple crumble tart, and lastly, a show-stopping chocolate mousse cake, the perfect option for those who aren't fond of plum pudding.

As well as cooking her favourite festive dishes, Mary offers up titbits from her past and visits some specialist artisans getting ready for a busy Christmas. First up, a stilton factory in Nottinghamshire, who make the famously British seasonal cheese using centuries-old traditional methods, and chocolatier William Curley takes Mary's breath away with a spectacular Christmas buche de noel. Show less