How do chefs spend the big day?

Arlene Harris talks to four of Ireland’s finest about menu plans and past disasters.

CHRISTMAS is a time of giving, but it is also a time of cooking and for many people the prospect of throwing together a top-notch meal for a big group of people is not only daunting but can also throw their confidence into a tailspin.

But hassled Christmas cooks can take some comfort in the knowledge that kitchen catastrophes can happen to anyone — even the most proficient of us.