A festive and colourful centrepiece, perfect for celebrating the season with a nutritional twist.

Serves: 8 people | Prep time: 30 minutes | Cooking time: 105 minutes  

French | Vegetarian | Main

Ingredients

• 200g Rainbow carrots
• 60g Sprouts
• 4 Shallots
• 1 Large parsnip
• 450g White potatoes, peeled
• 20g Garlic butter
• 3 Sprigs of rosemary, stems removed and finely chopped
• 10 Sprigs of thyme, stems removed and finely chopped
• 180ml Double cream
• 100g Gouda, grated
• 600g Puff pastry
• 1 Egg, beaten

For the topping:

• 12 Cranberries
• 12 Grapes
• 12 Walnuts
• 12 Small sprigs of rosemary
• 12 Sprigs of thyme
• 100g Blue cheese
• 2 tbsp Caramelised onion chutney
• 2 Shallots, cut into 8 wedges
• Salt and black pepper, to season
• You will need a 23cm bundt tin or round cake tin lined with greaseproof paper.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/Gas Mark 5.
2. Melt the butter in the microwave for 15 seconds and stir in the rosemary and thyme. Allow this to cool and mix with the cream.
3. Cut all the vegetables into thin slices using a sharp knife or mandoline, keeping each type of vegetable separate on the board. Pat the potatoes, parsnip and carrots with a dry paper towel to take out any excess moisture.
4. Place the vegetables in the tin creating layers of different colours. Sprinkle over a little cheese and pour some cream with each layer of vegetables, seasoning well with salt and black pepper.
5. Cook for 1 hour covered with greaseproof paper and then cook for a further 20-30 minutes uncovered, until the potatoes and vegetables are cooked though.
6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 2 hours, or in the fridge overnight, then remove the vegetable bake carefully from the tin. If you’re using a cake tin rather than a bundt tin, take a sharp knife and cut a circle in the middle and round off the edges to create a domed wreath shape.
7. Roll the pastry on a floured surface into a large circle – 44cm diameter, 4-5mm thickness. Place the baked vegetable wreath in the middle of the pastry sheet and cut the pastry in the middle of the wreath into 8, like a pizza. 15mm from the outside edge of the vegetable wreath, cut the pastry into 16 points – it will look like a giant star. Now taper each point to make the triangles a little narrower along each edge. Place each point of the pastry star into the centre and tuck the pastry under as neatly as you can. Now bring the 8 points from the centre up and press them down gently to create a wreath. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before baking.
8. Cook the pastry for 25-30 minutes, brushing with egg wash after 15 minutes, then pop the cranberries, grapes and shallots on the baking tray alongside the wreath for the last 10 minutes.
9. Once the wreath is cooked, remove from the oven along with the berries and shallots and decorate while warm using all the topping ingredients, placing them in a decorative pattern to create a wreath.