Christmas TV guide: Popular Irish cook to star in two shows over the holidays

Irish cook Donal Skehan will share some of his favourite Christmas recipes during two episodes set to air on RTÉ.

Episode 1 - Donal’s Christmas Eve (December 18, 7.30pm - RTÉ ONE)

Join Donal and his family for a cosy Christmas Eve, as they share some of their favourite Christmas traditions and recipes.

‘Donal’s Christmas Eve’ is packed full of delicious Christmas treats, family baking ideas and recipes that will keep the whole family happy this Christmas. The festive half hour is peppered with heartwarming family moments with Donal, Sofie, Noah and Oliver enjoying their Christmas Eve traditions.

They’ll enjoy a festive breakfast of Gingerbread Pancakes with Warm Berry Compote, before the whole family gets stuck in to bake some Spiced Caramel Cookies - the perfect treat to leave for Santa.

Donal has a relaxed Christmas Eve Dinner recipe that’s sure to keep even the fussiest eaters happy - a Ham & Cheese Wreath with a Sprout and Cranberry Salad and before settling down to watch their favourite Christmas movie, Donal whips up some treats - Sweet & Savoury Popcorn with Hot Chocolate.

This festive half hour is all about spending quality time with the ones you love and soaking up the magic of Christmas.

Episode 2 - Donal’s Festive Party (December 29, 8pm - RTÉ ONE)

Join Donal for a sophisticated evening of party food to enjoy this festive season! Tantalising canapés, crowd-pleasing mains and delicious desserts will all be washed down with some sparkling cocktails.

This half hour special is full of Christmas cheer as Donal hosts a Festive Party to celebrate the year gone by. He’ll share plenty of tips and tricks on how to make catering for a crowd a doddle, and how to do as much as possible in advance so you don’t get stuck in the kitchen while your guests are sipping Prosecco!

For Donal, the nostalgia of a Christmas party or New Year celebration always brings to mind retro recipes - so for his canapé table, he’s got some contemporary twists on party classics like Filo Prawn Cocktails and an Easy Cheese Fondue. His party main is a crowd-pleasing, make-ahead Festive Chicken Tagine with a Jewelled Herby Cous Cous and dessert will be served with a flourish - the classic Baked Alaska is given a kitsch and contemporary twist with a Cherry and Honeycomb Centre and served with sparklers fizzing on top.

… And it wouldn’t be a party without some cocktails and mocktails to toast the year gone by and ring in the new!