It's not just that the harvest is in November, the cranberry actually looks like it belongs to the Christmas tree-every glowing red berry is strung on a rope among the dark green spruce bushes. Cooking wire. The harsh soup is also a welcome guest in the kitchen, in stark contrast to the hearty feast.

This ruby-colored berry deserves a better end to its days, rather than using sugar and port wine as a sauce for this big bird. I pushed the unprocessed berries into the almond filling of the Christmas pie, where they bubbled and cracked, and their juice was stained with pale ground almond filling like the lipstick on the lips of a mime lady. They also did a lot of things to make the meat pies enjoyable.

This is also my time to celebrate Brussels sprouts—well, someone has to do this. If you keep your bean sprouts away from water, you can usually win rejection. I cut them in half and fried them with bacon from a cup in the refrigerator, just like my grandma used to drip beef. If you dare, add some pecans or walnuts, or mash them with cream and some chopped anchovies. The neat, tight-leaf miniature cabbage can also be paired with pears, stilton and mustard to make festive salads.

I'm sure you know what to eat that day, so I won't intervene, but be sure to think about that cranberry pie, which might be an idea for Christmas breakfast. Even better, put a few slices in an old toffee can on your Boxing Day walk.

Pastry: 100g butter, 100g caster sugar, egg yolk 1, 250g low-gluten flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 2 tablespoons of water

Filling: 400g apple, 130g butter, 125g caster sugar, add a little bit to complete the egg 2, lightly beaten self-raising flour 60g, almond powder 125g, cranberry 150g, 3 tablespoons of almond flakes

You will need a rectangular pie box about 30 cm x 20 cm x 4 cm and some baked beans.

For pastries, beat the butter and caster sugar until fluffy-I use a food mixer equipped with a paddle mixer. Introduce egg yolk. Mix and add the flour and baking powder, then add water little by little to knead a firm dough. Depending on your flour, you may need slightly less or more.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured board, knead gently for less than a minute (the longer it takes, you risk hardening), roll it into a ball, wrap it in greaseproof paper, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Once it rests, roll the pastry out on a lightly floured board to line the bottom and sides of the pie tin. Trim any overhanging pastries to make sure there are no holes or tears. Cool for another 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 190C/gas mark 5. Put an empty baking pan or pizza stone in the oven. Fill the pastry box with foil and baked beans, then bake on stone or thin slices for 20 minutes. Remove the beans and foil, and then put the pastry back in the oven for about 5 minutes until it feels dry and light biscuit color. Remove from the oven and lower the temperature to 160C/gas mark 3.

To make the filling: peel, core and slice the apple. Melt 30 grams of butter, then add apples and cook for 7-10 minutes until it starts to soften.

Beat the remaining butter and caster sugar until white and fluffy. Add the eggs to the butter and sugar little by little. If the mixture has coagulated, add a little flour and periodically scrape off the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

Mix the flour and almond flour little by little at a time, stirring slowly until the flour is combined. Pour the mixture into the pastry box and gently smooth the surface. Place cranberries and cooked apples on the almond filling, then sprinkle with almond flakes and extra sugar. Bake for 35-40 minutes until it feels like a sponge. Let stand for 20 minutes before slicing.

Blanch the Brussels sprouts briefly to soften their leaves and calm their spicy flavor. 2-3 servings

350g Brussels sprouts, 2 pears, 140g large and crisp stilton

Seasoning: coriander leaves 7g parsley leaves 8g mint leaves 6g olive oil 6 tablespoons water 2 tablespoons spring onions 3

Make the seasoning: Put the coriander, parsley, and mint leaves in a blender, then pour olive oil and water. Chop the shallots and add them a few seconds before processing to make a thick green sauce. Season with a pinch of salt and set aside.

Prune the bean sprouts and remove and retain the outermost green leaves. Bring a pot of deep water to a boil. Chop the remaining bean sprouts.

Prepare a bowl of ice and water next to the cookware. Put the outermost leaves of the bean sprouts in boiling water, let stand for 1 minute, then remove them with a spider or a draining spoon, and put them in ice water.

Add the bean sprouts to boiling water, let stand for one minute until the color turns bright, then drain and add to ice water. Cut the pear in half from the stem to the base, then remove the pit and cut the pulp into thin slices. Drain the chopped bean sprouts and leaves (if you have a salad spinner, you can use it). Put the pears and bean sprouts in the seasoning, and then transfer to the serving plate. Smash Stilton and serve.

Follow Nigel on Twitter @NigelSlater