Happy holidays!

By Ellen Wallwork

HFG Christmas cake

The sun is shining, the schools have broken up and glorious British summertime is in full swing… but while most of the nation has been snacking on strawberries and lounging in deck chairs, here at HFG HQ we’ve been humming ‘Deck the halls’, tucking into Christmas cake and shaking fake snow out of our hair.

No, we’re not in a time warp wishing away the sunshine so we can pull on our Christmas jumpers, but when it comes to planning our Winter issue we do have to fast forward a little and muster festive cheer in July, regardless of the 30C heat.

It takes a lot of time and planning to put together our healthy recipes. First stop is the test kitchen, where our hard-working recipe consultant Phil Mundy gets to work – cue long days of sampling and tweaking dishes until they are as nutritious and, of course, delicious as possible. It’s a tough balancing act, but Phil’s got the knack of making food taste extra special, without adding unhealthy ingredients into the mix.

HFG Christmas pudding ice-cream

Next, each recipe is analysed by nutrition consultant Juliette Kellow, who uses her expert knowledge to calculate the full nutritional information per serving. She also adds our unique at-a-glance symbols to each dish, making it easy for you to find the right recipes for your health requirements or weight-loss goals.

This week we’ve had the pleasurable task of testing the recipes for our Winter issue – and we just couldn’t wait to share some of the treats we’ve got in store for you. Our healthier take on Christmas cake is the perfect balance of rich festive flavours and light texture, while the Christmas pudding ice cream is an inspired twist on the traditional dessert. And the fake snow? Well, that was just to help us get into the spirit!

Roll on Tuesday 19 November when our Winter issue hits the shelves – our early Christmas gift to you!