Festive Feasting Made Easy with John Gregory-Smith!
Looking to elevate your festive cooking this year? We’ve teamed up with chef, presenter and best selling author, John Gregory-Smith to share three flavour-packed, celebration-ready recipes for your kitchen – all made with California Walnuts.
Known for his vibrant, globally inspired dishes, John’s recipes bring big flavour and effortless ease to every plate, perfect for festive hosting or cosy nights in. Whether you’re planning a crowd-pleasing centrepiece, something comforting for a winter’s evening, or a sweet treat to share, his recipes showcase just how delicious festive cooking can be with California Walnuts.
From a sticky Date & Walnut Loaf Cake, to Persian-style Sheetpan Kebabs, and bubbling Aubergine Roll Melts filled with walnut pesto – each dish highlights the versatility of California Walnuts at Christmas and beyond!
Naturally nourishing and wonderfully versatile, a handful of California Walnuts provides plant-based omega-3 ALA – essential for heart and brain health[1] as well as protein and fibre[2], helping you feel fuller for longer and balance festive indulgence with everyday wellness.
Scroll down to discover all three recipes and bring something fresh and flavourful to your table this season.
John Gregory-Smith's California Walnut Sheetpan Kebabs
Ingredients
For Kebabs
- A pinch of saffron
- 10 g butter melted
- 750 g beef mince – 12% fat
- 120 g California Walnuts
- 1 onion roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic crushed
- A large handful of finely chopped parsley leaves
- A large handful of finely chopped mint leaves
- 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 tsp Baharat
- Salt and pepper to taste
To Serve
- Flatbreads
- Pickled onions
- Salad
- Garlicy yogurt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180c fan and the grill to high. Melt the butter with the saffron in a small pan over a low heat.
- Pop the California Walnuts into a food processor and blitz until fine. Add the onion, garlic, herbs and blitz until fine. Transfer to mixing bowl and add the beef mince, pomegranate molasses, tomato puree, Baharat and salt and pepper to serve. Pour in the butter and mix together.
- Line and oil a 24x32 baking sheet and add the beef mixture. Spread out evenly and then shape into 8 kebabs. Pop into the oven for 6 minutes to start them cooking, then place under the grill for 5-6 minutes or until cooked through and a little golden on top.
- Serve the kebabs with flatbreads, salad, onions, plenty of garlicy yogurt and an extra sprinkle of California Walnuts.
Nutrition
John Gregory-Smith's California Walnut & Date Loaf Cake
Ingredients
For the loaf cake
- 250 g dates
- 120 g California Walnuts
- 2 medium eggs
- 100 g light brown muscovado sugar
- 150 ml vegetable oil
- 100 g yogurt
- 200 g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
For the butter cream
- 80 g unsalted butter at room temperature
- 100 g cream cheese at room temperature
- 250 g icing sugar
To decorate
- 150 g California Walnuts
- Salted caramel sauce
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 160c fan. Stone the dates and pop them into a bowl. Pour over 180ml of just boiled water and let them sit for about 10 minutes until lovely and soft.
- Pop the California Walnuts into a blender and blitz until fine. Transfer to a bowl.
- Add the dates and all the liquid to the blender and whizz until lovely and smooth. Add the eggs and sugar and blitz until pale.
- Add the oil, yogurt, self-raising flour, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and ground California Walnuts. Blitz together until smooth and transfer to a lined loaf tin. Bake for 40-45 minutes until it’s pulling away at the sides and a skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.
- To make the butter cream, whisk together the butter and cream cheese and then add the icing sugar, a few tablespoons at a time, until super creamy and smooth. Dollop over the cooled cake and stud with the remaining California Walnuts. Drizzle over a little salted caramel sauce and serve immediately.
Nutrition
John Gregory-Smith's Aubergine Roll Melts with California Walnuts
Ingredients
- 40 ml olive oil plus extra for griddling
- 2 aubergines sliced into ½ cm pieces lengthways – you want 12 slices
- 60 g California Walnuts plus extra for grating
- 30 g basil leaves
- 20 g Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 clove garlic
- 400 g tomato passata
- 60 g grated mozzarella
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Pre-heat your griddle pan over a high heat. Pour some oil into a shallow dish and season generously with salt. Dip the aubergine slices into the oil and then griddle for around 2 minutes a side until charred and tender.
- Whilst they cook, heat a frying pan over a medium heat and add the California Walnuts. Toast them, shaking the pan occasionally, for 5-6 minutes until fragrant. Remove from the pan and let them cook a little.
- To make the pesto, pop the California Walnuts into a blender and give them a good whizz to blend them into a fine rubble. Add the basil, Parmesan, garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper and whizz until smooth.
- Pre-heat the oven to 180c fan. Place a spoon of the pesto onto one of the aubergine slices and roll them up into cigar shapes. Repeat with the rest.
- Pour the passata into a pan and add 50ml of water. Stir together and pop in the aubergine rolls. Cover with the cheese and then bake for 15 minutes or until all golden and bubbly. Serve with some grated California Walnuts over the top.
Nutrition
[1] Sala-Vila A, Fleming J, Kris-Etherton P, Ros E. Impact of alpha-linolenic acid, the vegetable omega-3 fatty acid, on cardiovascular disease and cognition [published ahead of print February 16, 2022]. Advances in Nutrition. doi.org/10.1093/advances/nmac016.
[2] Food Standards Agency (2002), McCance & Widdowson’s The Composition of Foods, Seventh summary edition. Cambridge: Royal Society of Chemistry
