RETRO CHRISTMAS REVAMPED

Breathe new life into old traditions with Melissa Thompson and her spruced-up versions of classic seasonal recipes

- MELISSA THOMPSON

We like to mix traditional and modern at our Christmas table. Familiar dishes stir memories of past festivities, while a few new twists keeps things interesting.

These dishes do all those things. Creole spices and a crispy coating make my prawn cocktail a delight of texture and flavour, while turkey curry is stepped up in my patties (both recipes are on page 50). Just a glimpse of those yellow pastry semicircles – a staple snack in Jamaica – is enough to excite me. Plus, my coconut & mango trifles (p51) combine my favourite tropical flavours with one of my top Christmas desserts. Everyone will love these.

Cajun-style prawn cocktail

SERVES 4 as a starter PREP 25 mins plus resting COOK 10 mins EASY

• 225g frozen raw peeled king prawns, defrosted

• 100ml buttermilk (if you can’t find buttermilk, mix the same amount of yogurt with the juice of ½ lemon)

• ½ iceberg lettuce, shredded

• 1 ripe avocado, stoned, halved, peeled and thinly sliced crosswise vegetable oil, for frying finely chopped chives, to garnish

For the Cajun seasoning

• 3 tbsp smoked paprika

• ½ tbsp ground black pepper

• ½ tbsp ground white pepper

• 1½ tbsp garlic powder

• 1½ tbsp onion powder

• 2 tsp dried oregano

• 1 tsp dried thyme

• 1-2 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)

For the sauce