The last thing I want when I have people over is anything stressful or fancy.

In winter, I often make a big vat of soup or stew, which I leave ticking over on the hob, and a bowl of herb oil and good bread for dunking. If I want something more portable, I put stuff on toast and lay it out on big platters: sometimes it’s mashed beans with crispy sage, citrus and olive oil, or forked up squash with dukkah and pomegranate.

This year, I’ve been messing around with these pickled carrots, which sit so well on rye toast with a little cream cheese, which have all the colour needed for a Christmas get-together. Next to a bitter, blood orange fizz, it’s all I want in a party.

Rye, smoky carrot and whipped cream cheese toasts (pictured above)

Fresh, bright little toasts that come together quickly.

Prep 15 min

Rest 30 min

Serves 6-8

For the carrots

3 medium carrots (I use a mix of different colours)

3 tbsp white-wine vinegar

1 tsp coriander seeds, bashed

1 tsp runny honey or agave

1 pinch smoked salt

For the herby cream cheese

250g cream cheese or vegan cream cheese

3 sprigs thyme, leaves picked

1 small bunch parsley, chopped

1 garlic clove, peeled; half finely chopped, the other half reserved for rubbing the toasts

Zest and juice of half a lemon

Salt and black pepper

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

To serve

8 slices good rye bread

Turkish chilli flakes/Aleppo pepper

Start with the carrots: peel the carrots using a speed peeler, then use the peeler to make thin carrot ribbons. You can also do this by hand. Put in a bowl with the vinegar, coriander seeds, honey and smoked salt, and mix. Set aside for at least 30 minutes to macerate.

In another bowl, mix all the herby cream cheese ingredients, giving it a good whip with a wooden spoon to get some air into it and lighten the texture. Check the seasoning and add more lemon, salt or pepper as needed.

Toast the bread, then rub with the remaining garlic clove half. Spread each toast generously with the cream cheese mix, then top with a little pile of pickled carrots. Sprinkle with the chilli flakes and serve straight away.

Blood orange and bitters fizz

Anna Jones’ blood orange and bitters fizz.

Citrus, bitters and fizz: there is nothing more I like in a cocktail. If you want to make a big batch for a party, you can double, triple or even multiply this recipe by 10: keep the lot in a jug, then pour into glasses and top up with ice.

Prep 10 min

Serves 4-6

200ml Campari

200ml blood orange juice

400ml prosecco, cava, crémant or champagne

6 blood orange slices

Mix the Campari and blood orange juice in a jug. Fill each glass a quarter of the way up with the blood orange mix, add ice, then top up with fizz and finish with a slice of orange.