Isobel Williamson, Content Manager

"The holidays with my family are more about being together than serving anything traditional. And on Christmas Day, we’re probably more about the starters than anything else. It's the moment of anticipation before the big feast, and it energises us for present-opening. 

As I come from a family of keen and generous cooks, I wanted to share a dish worthy of the keenest of them all - my mum. When I want a treat, I often turn to her pepper steak. It’s a single eye-fillet crusted in a lethal amount of pepper, grilled and then flambéed with brandy and finished with cream. 

This whole beef eye fillet is a summer take on that dish, with a nod to another family recipe - my grandfather’s horseradish cream. This dish is a riff on the two, made for summer days, celebrating with family and friends. The eye fillet is roasted in a hot oven, left to rest and sliced thinly. A bed of rocket, a glug of good olive oil and a squeeze of lemon is all that’s needed in addition to a generous spoon of horseradish cream. Best of all, it is best served at room temperature, meaning it’s a laid-back appetiser or main course."