Hardly any cured salmon is smoked in kilns these days, but this one is. And the same ones have been used to cold cure since 1857. The salmon has a good balance of smoke and sumptuous texture and simply calls for a squeeze of lemon juice over the top.

John Ross Jr smoked salmon, from £3.45 for 100g, www.johnrossjr.com

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The milk that goes into a wheel of Comté comes Montbéliarde and French Simmental cows. Their diet is the luscious green pastures of Massif du Jura, eastern France and the resulting cheese is rich and aromatic. Pair with Stockans thick oatcakes and apple chutney.

Comté cheese, £2.60 per 100g, www.thecheesesociety.co.uk

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There’s a lovely surprise inside this joint. Not only is it free from any bones, making it easier to carve, it’s also layered with rich duck breasts and a plum stuffing. Great cold, too, in the inevitable turkey sarnie.

Two-bird Turkey & Duck Easy Carve with Plum Stuffing, £50 for 2kg, www.waitrose.com

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Scanning the ingredient list for this cranberry sauce, it’s easy to see why it’s a winner – there’s exactly what you’d use if you were making it from scratch, without any added thickeners or pectin. Essential for the turkey and even better the next day served with the ham and cheese.

Cranberry & Orange Sauce with Port, £3.30 for 227g jar, www.rosebudpreserves.co.uk

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It’s a whole month before the hams from Maynard’s farm in Shropshire are ready to roast. First the joint is cured in salt and whisky, then it’s left to mature producing a tender and flavoursome joint. Available raw and cooked.

Oak-smoked Maynard’s farm ham, from £7.50 per kg for bone-in uncooked joint, www.maynardsfarm.co.uk

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Perfect, ready-to-go presentation plus a great flavour make these the go-to pâtés of the season. Great for sharing at Christmas Eve lunch, or serving as part of a Boxing Day feast. Serve with a pile of Melba toast or wedges of crusty baguette and a bowl of mouth-puckering cornichons.

Taste the Difference Chicken Parfait with Cinnamon Liqueur, 175g, £5, www.sainsburys.co.uk

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There are plenty of flavours to please all vegetarians in this alternative main course. Made with rich chestnuts and plump cranberries, it’s paired with a rich boozy sauce and looks pretty garnished with fresh thyme and sliced into fingers or wedges to serve.

Finest Frozen Christmas Cranberry & Chestnut Loaf with a Mulled Wine Sauce, £4.50 for 590g, www.tesco.com

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Handmade in small batches, with carrots farmed at Riverford and apples from a grower in Kent, this pudding is as good as homemade. It’s matured for three months, just long enough for all the flavours to meld together, ready for steaming on Christmas Day.

Christmas Pudding, from £9.99 for a 450g pudding, www.riverford.co.uk

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Here’s a cake that will please everyone and makes a great centrepiece. The crisp tempered shell of white chocolate, shaped in a Christmas tree, hides an unctuous tiffin combination of crushed biscuits, dried fruit and dark chocolate. It’ll be hard to resist going in for more.

Christmas Tree Purbeck Marble Cake, £29.95 for 90g, www.chococo.co.uk

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Marks & Spencer had us at the message on the lid of this classic selection of milk, dark, plain and cream-filled biscuits. With all the rushing around and frenetic planning over Christmas time, it really is important to stop, take stock and enjoy a break.

Family Biscuits for Tea Tin, £10 for 800g, www.marksandspencer.com

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