James Martin's festive fish feast

The menu

• Starters & nibbles

  Stilton-stuffed mushrooms with cranberry relish

• Main course

  Whole poached salmon and lemon

• Side dishes

  Sautéed potatoes with lemon and rosemary

• Desserts

  Earl Grey sorbet with pear, Earl Grey and cinnamon strudel

Menu ingredients

Serves 8

• Fruit and vegetables

  • 40 mushrooms (approx 4-5 per person)

  • 80g/3½oz fresh basil

  • 50g/2oz chopped fresh chives

  • 80g/3½oz fresh parsley

  • 200g/7oz spinach

  • 1 onion, chopped

  • 100g/3½oz cranberries

  • 1 onion, chopped

  • 1 lemon, quartered

  • 200g/7oz new potatoes, halved lengthways

  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary

  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed

  • 1 lemon, juice only

  • 1 lemon, juice only

  • 700g/1.5lb pears, peeled

  • ½ lemon, juice only

• Tins, packets and jars

  • 100g/3½oz plain flour

• Cooking ingredients

  • 300ml/½ pint vegetable oil, for deep frying

  • 100g/3½oz fresh breadcrumbs

  • 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

  • 3 tbsp olive oil

  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 2 tbsp olive oil

  • 4 tbsp red wine vinegar

  • 6 tbsp brown sugar

  • 4 tbsp white wine vinegar

  • sea salt

  • cracked black pepper

  • 2 tbsp olive oil

  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 300g/10oz caster sugar

  • 3 tbsp caster sugar

  • 150g/5½oz sultanas

  • 100g/3½oz flaked almonds, toasted

  • 100g/3½oz soft light brown sugar

  • 1½ tsp ground cinnamon

  • 1 heaped tbsp icing sugar, plus extra for dusting

• Biscuits, snacks and sweets

  • 2-3 rich tea biscuits, crumbled, to serve (optional)

• Drinks

  • 30g/1oz Earl Grey tea leaves

  • 1 tbsp Earl Grey tea leaves

• Dairy, eggs and chilled

  • 200g/7oz Stilton, crumbled

  • 3 free-range eggs, beaten

  • knob of butter

  • 275g/10oz ready-made filo pastry

  • 100g/3½oz butter, melted

• Meat, fish and poultry

  • 1 whole salmon 2.5-2.75kg/4lb 15¼oz-6lb 1oz

• Other

  • 2 bay leaves

  • 1 litre /1¾ pints boiling water

By James Martin