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Beetroot and pomegranate dip V

PREPARATION TIME 15 minutes COOKING TIME 1 hour SERVES 6-8

INGREDIENTS ł 1 garlic clove, peeled ł 300g cooked beetroot ł 3 tbsp natural yoghurt ł 1 lemon, juice and zest ł 3 tbsp tahini ł 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses ł 2 tbsp fresh mint leaves, finely chopped, plus a few whole ł ½ tsp salt ł 100g pomegranate seeds ł vegetable crudités, crackers or flat bread, to serve

METHOD 1 Place the garlic and beetroot in a food processor or blender along with a few tbsp of juice from the beetroot and process until smooth. 2 Add the natural yoghurt, lemon zest and juice, tahini, pomegranate molasses, mint and salt and blend for 2-3 minutes more, until really smooth. You may need to add a splash of cold water if your mixture is looking very thick. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary. 3 Spoon into a serving bowl and sprinkle over pomegranate seeds and mint leaves and serve with vegetable crudités, crackers or flat bread.

Smoked mackerel paté

PREPARATION TIME 5 minutes SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS ł 1 x 200g pack smoked mackerel fillets ł 100g soft cheese ł 30g horseradish sauce ł 30g salted butter, at room temperature ł ½ lemon, juice ł 6g fresh parsley, chopped ł 50g mayonnaise

METHOD 1 Take the skins off the mackerel and break them up then add to a food processor with all the other ingredients and blend. Serve with toast or crackers.

This tear and share treat is your party centrepiece

Vegan pesto tree tear and share VG

PREPARATION TIME 25 minutes, plus 1 hour resting time COOKING TIME 25 minutes MAKES 1 loaf

INGREDIENTS

For the bread dough

ł 125ml unsweetened plant milk ł 100ml warm water ł 1 tsp white sugar ł 2¼ tsp instant yeast ł 60ml light olive oil ł 400g strong white bread flour ł 1¼ tsp salt

For the filling

ł 120g green (vegan) pesto ł 1 tbsp unsweetened plant milk, to glaze ł vegan Parmesan, to top (optional) mixing bowl. Then add the sugar, yeast, olive oil, flour and salt. Bring together all the ingredients and knead for approximately 10 minutes. Cover and let the dough rest at room temperature for 1 hour or until doubled in size. 2 Cut the dough into thirds, then roll out every third into a triangle shape. Use a spoon to spread pesto equally across the surface of the first triangle. Cover with the second triangle and add pesto again. Cover with the final triangle. 3 Cut straight ‘branches’ either side of the tree – leaving a ‘trunk’ in the centre – and twist each branch to create a twirl. 4 Brush the top of the bread with 1 tbsp unsweetened plant milk to glaze. Cover with a damp cloth and allow to rise for at least 45 minutes. 5 Bake at 200°C/180°C Fan/Gas Mark 6 for approximately 25 minutes until golden on the outside. Once baked, sprinkle with vegan Parmesan if desired, and serve warm or cooled.

Goat’s cheese and watercress cheesecakes with red onion marmalade

PREPARATION TIME 1 hour, plus 1 hour setting time COOKING TIME 1 hour SERVES 10

INGREDIENTS

For the marmalade

● 1 tbsp oil ● 400g red onion, finely sliced ● 1 garlic clove, finely chopped ● salt ● 350g redcurrant jelly ● 50g balsamic vinegar ● 2 juniper berries ● 3 sprigs of thyme ● 2 cloves

For the cheesecakes

● 120g ready-made puff pastry and some plain flour for rolling ● 20g sesame seeds ● 20g poppy seeds ● 120g unsalted butter, soft ● 100g cream cheese ● 250g good quality soft goat’s cheese ● 150ml double cream ● 1 leaf bronze gelatine ● 35g watercress, stalks discarded ● black pepper

Equipment

● muslin cloth

METHOD 1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/Gas Mark 4. 2 To make the red onion marmalade, add the oil to a saucepan over a medium heat, then cook the onion and garlic with a good pinch of salt until softened. Add the redcurrant jelly and balsamic vinegar to the pan, then wrap the juniper berries, thyme and cloves in a muslin cloth. Tie at the top then also add this to the pan. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the liquid has reduced to a syrup, remove the herbs from the pan and allow the marmalade to chill in the fridge. 3 To make the base of the cheesecakes, flour your work surface and roll out the puff pastry to around half a centimetre thickness then place on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Leave to cool then break up and add to a food processor along with the sesame and poppy seeds and a pinch of salt. Blend until a breadcrumblike consistency is reached, then add the soft butter and blend again until combined. 4 Line a deep baking tray with baking paper, ensuring that the paper covers the sides and comes over the top of the tray. Press the pastry into the tray, ensuring that it is even. Leave to rest in the fridge for one hour. 5 To make the cheesecake topping, beat the cream cheese and goat’s cheese together until smooth using an electric mixer. In a small pan, bring the cream to the boil then set aside. 6 Soak the gelatine in cold water until softened, then squeeze out any excess water and whisk into the warm cream until completely melted and combined. Add the cream and gelatine mixture to the cheese and whisk until smooth. Finely chop the watercress leaves then fold through the cheese mixture along with some freshly ground black pepper. 7 Pour the cheese mix over the base and allow to set until firm, this will take around 2-3 hours. Once set, carefully remove from the tray using the corners of the baking paper. 8 For round canapés, use a small metal pastry cutter. Alternatively, use a sharp knife to cut squares. Dip the cutter or knife into a jug of hot water between cuts to both clean the blades and give a smoother finish. Arrange the canapés on a plate or slate, then top with the chilled red onion jam and a small sprig of watercress to garnish.

T H E S E S AVO U R Y C H E E S E CA K E S A R E A V I S UA L T R E A T T O O !

P a r t y f o o d Vegan VG chocolate and coconut caramel pots

PREPARATION TIME 30 minutes, plus 1 hour chilling COOKING TIME 15 minutes SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS ● 200ml coconut milk ● 2 pitted Medjool dates, roughly chopped ●1 tsp vanilla bean paste ● 100g vegan dark chocolate, finely chopped ● 250ml carton Oatly Whippable Creamy Oat ● 1 tbsp maple syrup ● Cocoa powder, to dust METHOD 1 Put the coconut milk, dates and vanilla in a blender and whizz until smooth. Tip into a small pan and bring to the boil. Simmer, stirring regularly, for 10 minutes until thick and reduced by half. Divide between 4 small glasses and set aside to cool, then cover and chill for at least 1 hour. 2 When the coconut caramel has chilled, put the chocolate in a medium mixing bowl. In a small pan, heat 100ml whippable creamy oat and the maple syrup to just before boiling. Take off the heat and pour over the chocolate in the bowl. Leave to melt for 1 minute, then stir until smooth. 3 Put the remaining 150ml whippable creamy oat in another mixing bowl and use electric beaters to whisk to soft peaks. Set aside 2 tbsp to garnish, then fold the rest into the melted chocolate. Spoon into the glasses on top of the coconut caramel. Serve with a dollop of the whipped creamy oat and a dusting of cocoa powder. These are best served immediately.

Sparkly sloe gin jellies

PREPARATION TIME 25 minutes, plus 30 minutes infusing and 4 hours to set SERVES 8

INGREDIENTS ● 50g granulated sugar ● orange rind, 2 broad strips ● 5 leaves gelatine ● 175ml sloe gin ● 350-375ml sparkling white wine/prosecco/ Cava ● blueberries, to decorate (optional) ● icing sugar, to decorate (optional) METHOD 1 Warm the sugar in a pan with the orange rind and 150ml water. Stir until the sugar dissolves then bring to the boil. Take off heat and leave for 30 minutes to infuse. 2 Soften the gelatine in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes. 3 Warm the orange syrup in the pan and remove the orange rind. Squeeze the water out of the gelatine, add it to the syrup and stir well. 4 Pour the jelly mix into a large jug, stir in the sloe gin and leave until starting to set. Gradually stir in the wine until most of the froth has subsided and the jelly is setting. Pour into shot glasses. Chill for 4 hours or overnight until set. Decorate with berries.

Thanks to DIY know-how and clever décor hacks, Dick and Angel have brought their once abandoned French château back to life

Angel loves to make these oversized baubles for Christmas. ‘More is more!’ she says For Dick and Angel, Christmas is all about spending quality time together

Wildflower Garden cushion, £27 Emerald Fan lampshade, £78.30

Our decision to buy a château with no water or electricity has taken us on the adventure of a lifetime

You bought the ultimate doer-upper – how’s it been?

Our decision to buy a château with no water, electricity, heating or sewage has taken us on the adventure of a lifetime and we could never have imagined what would unfold. The good, the bad and the ugly… we have cherished every second.

Why do you think Escape to the Château has been such a huge hit?

I think it’s just because we’re normal. We have a regular family, but we’re doing things on a slightly bigger scale. Also, it’s very achievable. I know, we’ve got a beautiful home, but we actually didn’t pay that much for it, and a lot of the craft that I do is really quite easy.

This is the final series of Escape to the Château – what do you think will be the show’s legacy?

What has been very humbling is that it has touched people’s lives on quite a personal level. People will say they’ve had someone sadly pass away, and the show has been their escapism. That has been something that was completely unexpected but has meant a lot to us. I don’t know what type of legacy we’ll leave but let’s hope it’s a positive one.

How are the renovations going?

It’s our forever home; it’s a forever project. The floors need redoing again because of a busy wedding season, things need re-painting and we’ve still got rooms in the attic that need renovating. And then we’ve got all of our outbuildings – most of them have not been touched. Everywhere I look there is something to do!

What’s next on your to-do list?

We’ve got a few big projects coming up, the windows being number one. We never quite agreed on what was the right answer because Dick has sustainability at the forefront, and I didn’t want to compromise on the aesthetic of it. In an ideal world, we’d have a beautiful artisan window with the curved edges, but they’d also be double-glazed, and they would be painted in a way that lasts for years and years. If you try and put all of that on your wishlist, it’s almost impossible!

How do you and Dick reach a joint decision?

Dick has a saying: ‘You can have anything, but you can’t have everything’. So basically, the ball is back in my court as to what I do have. We do have our vetoes – we both have to agree on things and sometimes (every day) we argue about it. But it’s arguing with passion and fundamental love, so it’s not a big deal.

What’s your favourite room in your home?

That’s a hard question. It’s one less to choosing your favourite child. They’ve all got their different special bits. I love the honeymoon suite because that has the wallpaper museum, which was one of the first things I did that got really recognised on Escape to the Château.

Angel's homeware designs are inspired by the family’s life at the château, including this stunning Bamboo Folly wallpaper mural

What are your tips for decorating on a budget?

Have an end vision, even if it’s just a vibe, a colour palette or an era. You need to have that first otherwise you can be scattered and bring too many things together. Also, buy from charity shops – you’ll get exceptional quality for a fraction of the price. The other thing is giving things a go. If you need curtains, for example, try making them!

How important is sustainability to you?

For Dick, that’s his background. He has always been sustainable. Because of that, it’s been a massive part of our lives. We try not to waste anything or buy new. For me, I didn’t understand sustainability to the same extent but, without knowing it, I’ve always been quite good for the environment because I didn’t really buy anything new. Buying second-hand is fun and you find things that are really unique.

Do you miss anything from the UK?

I really miss the car boot sales that you have there. There’s one line, so you know where you’ve been and what you’ve seen. In France, the car boot sales take over whole villages so it’s down every street. I get lost!

Congratulations on your homeware collection, The Château…

Every piece tells a story of our lives at the château. Simple things like the herons that Dorothy and Dick watch every morning and the pumpkins Arthur grew in Daddy’s walled garden, to the excitement of discovering hidden treasures. It’s our love story.

What’s Christmas like at the château?

It’s gorgeous. It’s the one time of year where we truly get to stop. We play games, snuggle up and go for lots of walks. This year, we’ve got our big Christmas extravaganza where a lot of our friends and family are coming to the château and we’re really excited because we haven’t seen some of them for years. It’s going to be joyous.

Do you have any favourite festive traditions?

Arthur adores making gingerbread houses – he spends hours painting them. I have a tradition every year where me, my mum and Dorothy go out and get loads of foliage to make things. It’s always a really crafty time of year; it’s lovely.

What’s next?

We’re writing our third book, then we’re off to Australia on our Dare to Do It tour and we’ve got a new show with Channel 4 coming out in 2023: Escape to the Château: Secret France. That’s just the headlines – we’ve got a really busy year ahead!

Shop Angel's home range at thechateau.tv. Watch Escape to the Château on Sundays at 8pm on Channel 4 until 18th December

Angel's festive decorating tips

1 When it comes to Christmas baubles, the bigger the better! We love making giant ones from old foam footballs. Cover the ball in fabric, divide sections with braiding and tie a ribbon from the ball. Hang in a window or from a mantelpiece.

2 Personalise a Christmas wreath with dried fruit, gold walnuts or mini ornaments. If it’s attachable by wire, it works!

3 Forage for festive foliage to style up a mantelpiece – eucalyptus always looks gorgeous! Bring colour to your display by dotting dried orange slices and baubles among the greenery.

4 Put the tree decorations on with the lights lit, so you can see the gaps. We took apart an old chandelier and used every crystal on our tree.

5 Create garlands with leftover wrapping paper or use simple brown kraft paper and draw your own festive designs onto them.

6 Consider making your own advent calendar. Little tin buckets filled with treats is a fun option!

Emerald Fan cushion, £27

Le Cirque du Château lampshade, £61.20 Mademoiselle Daisy cushion, £27