ALREADY dreading the Christmas kitchen slog? Foodie fairy godmother Mary Berry shares her festive feasting secrets with Taste.

She’s the firm but fair baking queen who isn't impressed by shop-bought fondant icing or binned Baked Alaska, but Mary Berry insists her loved ones won’t be nervous when they present her with their own home-made offerings this Christmas.

“As a family, we all get together. Usually, I host it, and various members of the family bring a pudding, or they help me on Christmas morning or bring a batch of shortbread – even though I’m a cook, they love to bring their own things to share,” she says.

Bath-born Berry, who lives in Buckinghamshire with her husband Paul, is well-versed when it comes to avoiding festive hosting headaches.

“I think it’s a good idea to get organised and know what you’re up to,” she says.

“The first thing is to rally your family and find out where you are for Christmas, and how many there are. Then you can start to buy some of your heavier things like tinned goods, and order your turkey.

“A big sheet of paper of what you plan does help. And then you can do some dishes you can freeze – you may choose to make something you can have after Christmas.”

When it comes to turkey, Berry recommends “the best you can afford”, and she’ll also rustle up different stuffings, mince pies and Christmas pudding – although, she notes: “I nearly always find people nowadays don’t choose to have Christmas pudding; they choose to have the lovely fruit salad with lots of exotic fruits in it, because they’re quite full by the end of the meal.”

Here’s a recipe from Berry’s new book to try at home:

Dolcelatte and Leek Soup with Parmesan Crisps

600ml full-fat or semi-skimmed milk

2 bay leaves

2 sprigs of fresh thyme

1/4tsp grated nutmeg

Freshly ground black pepper 45g butter

1 large fluffy potato, such as King Edward (about 300g), peeled and cut into 2.5cm cubes

2 large leeks, trimmed and finely sliced

400ml vegetable stock or chicken stock

85g Dolcelatte cheese, cut into small cubes

For the Parmesan Crisps:

50g Parmesan cheese, coarsely grated

To serve:

Double cream

Pour the milk into a small pan and add the bay leaves, thyme, nutmeg, and a grinding of pepper. Bring just to the boil, until you see tiny bubbles appear around the edge of the pan. Remove from the heat and set aside to infuse for 20 minutes.

While the milk is infusing, make the Parmesan crisps: preheat the grill on its highest setting. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Make eight circles from the grated Parmesan, each about 6cm in diameter, on the baking parchment. Place a cutter over each Parmesan circle and spread out the cheese so it fills the cutter. Place the baking sheet under the grill and cook for about four minutes, or until the cheese is melted and pale golden. Transfer the crisps to a wire rack to cool.

Melt 25g of the butter in a large pan, add the potato cubes, and cook over a very low heat for five minutes, or until starting to soften but not turn brown.

Increase the heat, add the rest of the butter and the leeks, and cook for three to four minutes, stirring often, until almost tender. Pour in the stock and strain the infused milk into the pan. Bring the liquid to the boil, then simmer for eight to 10 minutes to finish cooking the vegetables.

Using a blender or food processor, puree the soup until smooth. Pour it back into the pan. Reheat the soup and stir in the cubes of Dolcelatte. Remove from the heat and season to taste.

Serve topped with a drizzle of cream, with the Parmesan crisps.