Forget diamonds – when it comes to festive entertaining, puff pastry is a girl’s best friend. “Though life is too short to make your own,” laughs Niamh Swail, who runs The Ivy cookery school near Rathangan in Co Kildare.

“You can put whatever you want on it – chorizo and cheese and sun-dried tomatoes; pesto and parma ham; even cheddar cheese – and you get lovely nibbles that you can just pop in the oven when people call.”

And the Ballymaloe-trained chef has shared some of her favourite fail-safe recipes for festive visitors as the season gets in to full swing.

Christmas is her favourite time of year, both at work and at the home she shares with husband, Marcus Swail – former vet to the Irish Olympic equestrian team – and their children Jamie (four), Lucy (three) and Tom (two).

Niamh, who has a business degree and is a qualified speech and drama teacher, set up The Ivy in 2007 having started teaching classes in her parents’ kitchen.

While specialising in demonstrations, she also hosts gourmet evenings where guests enjoy a four-course meal after their class, and her event business can cater for parties from 10 to 250.

Unsurprisingly, there is always a demand for Christmas classes, and it’s easy to guess what causes the most angst.

“The turkey stresses most people out because you only cook it once a year,” says Niamh. “People always overcook it and turkey is so unforgiving; it dries out immediately. That’s why I always tell people to use a meat thermometer, which you can stick in the fattest part of the breast, which should reach 75°C, though the time this takes will vary depending on the size of the bird.”

Investing in a good turkey is key. Niamh sources her birds from Feighcullen turkey farm or McEvoy free-range bronze turkeys in Sallins, which she jokes are the “most spoilt turkeys ever”.

Rather than tackle a full Christmas ham, however, she opts for loin of bacon, which she buys in McConnon Meats in Rathangan, boiling it in a litre of cranberry juice topped up with water to cover the ham, before adding a glaze of three tablespoons of brown sugar, three tablespoons of mustard and three tablespoons of honey, and finishing it off in the oven.

Her style is traditional with a slight twist, whether it’s adding a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the shortcrust pastry for her mince pies, or chopping Brussels sprouts in half and boiling them for just five minutes before adding them to a frying pan sizzling with chorizo and garlic.

But Niamh believes that the key to a stress-free Christmas lies in planning a realistic menu in relation to your oven space (for example, choosing side dishes that can be cooked and kept warm on the hob if your oven is small) and doing as much as possible before the big day.

“You shouldn’t be peeling potatoes on Christmas morning,” she states.

“It’s actually the co-ordination – to have everything hot and ready at the same time – that is the only difficult part of Christmas, because you can do so much in advance.”

And her favourite part of the festive feast? “The turkey sandwiches on Christmas night,” she laughs.

Niamh is hosting Christmas Made Easy classes, including a cocktail reception, demonstration and five-course gourmet meal, at €50pp on selected dates throughout December. Call 087-310-5373 or visit www.theivy.ie for more information.

Triple chocolate and raspberry brownies

You will need an eight-inch tin.

Makes 12 brownies

120g (4oz) butter

90g (3oz) dark chocolate, at least 55% cocoa

2 eggs

240g (8oz) sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

90g (3oz) white chocolate

90g (3oz) milk chocolate, at least 35% cocoa

90g (3oz) dark chocolate, at least 55% cocoa

110g (4oz) plain flour

120g (4oz) frozen raspberries

  • Melt the butter and 90g dark (55%) chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water.
  • In another bowl, beat the eggs and sugar and whisk until pale and thick, add in the melted butter and chocolate mixture and the vanilla extract. Fold in the flour.
  • Chop the remaining chocolate into pieces, and add into the mixture in the bowl and mix well. Stir the raspberries through gently.
  • Turn the mixture into the lined cake tin and bake at 170°C for 35 to 40 minutes.
  • Allow to cool and divide into individual brownies. They will keep for three days.
  • Chorizo swirls

    These can be served hot or at room temperature. I prefer them hot. You can cook them in advance and reheat in a hot oven for five minutes.

    Makes 10-15

    210g (7oz) chorizo

    120g (4oz) cheddar grated

    1 sheet of rolled puff pastry, defrosted

  • Preheat the oven to 180°C/360°F.
  • Whiz the chorizo and cheddar in a food processor to make a paste. You can add a little oil if it is too stiff.
  • Spread the paste over the sheet of puff pastry. Roll the pastry like a Swiss roll, from both sides. It should look like two cylinders side by side.
  • Slice the roll into half-inch slices. You should have a nice swirl pattern.
  • Place the slices on a tray lined with parchment. They will stick if you don’t line the tray.
  • Cook for 15-20 minutes until golden.
  • Mediterranean chicken crostini

    The crostini bread can be prepared ahead and stored in an air-tight container for three days without a topping. Variations on toppings include: pesto and Parma ham; smoked salmon and cream cheese; pesto and roasted Mediterranean vegetables; roast beef with horseradish mayonnaise; chicken liver pâté; cheddar and onion marmalade.

    Makes 20

    1 demi baguette

    2 cooked chicken fillets (I poach the chicken in boiling water)

    2 tbsp olive oil

    A handful fresh basil

    2 tbsp grated Parmesan

    4-6 tbsp mayonnaise

    3 tbsp toasted pine nuts (to toast, just place on a dry hot pan until golden)

    10 semi sun-dried tomatoes, cut in pieces

  • Slice the baguette into about 20 pieces.
  • Place on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  • Bake at 180°C/360°F until golden and crisp. This should take about 10 minutes.
  • In a food processor, whizz up the basil, Parmesan and half the tomatoes until quite smooth.Add the chicken and mayonnaise, pulse until it is a chunky mixture, taste and season if necessary.
  • Spoon a teaspoon of the mix on each crostini, sprinkle with pine nuts and the remaining tomatoes and serve.
  • Hot mulled cranberry cider

    Serves eight to 10

    1 litre apple cider (or red wine)

    1 litre cranberry juice

    Peel of an orange

    Peel of a lemon

    3 cloves

    1 cinnamon stick

    1-3 tbsp sugar, to taste

  • Place all the ingredients in a saucepan, gently heat until sugar has dissolved and it is hot. Do not boil.