Festive Feasts, Snack Hacks & Tiny Kitchen Magic: Opening Day Highlights from the Christmas Kitchen

The Christmas Kitchen burst into life on opening day of the Ideal Home Show Christmas, drawing food lovers eager to discover new flavours, clever techniques, and festive inspiration. From tiny-kitchen wizardry to Christmas lunch mastery and unconventional snack hacks, the stage delivered a full day of delicious entertainment.

Tiny Kitchen Cooking with a Travelling Chef: Mark Bonito Impressed with Sicilian Cob Bread
Crowds gathered eagerly as travelling chef Mark Bonito, co-founder of Vanlife Eats, kicked off the day with a demonstration that proved big flavour doesn’t require a big kitchen.

Cooking from his self-converted van setup, Mark guided the audience through the process of making a beautifully rustic Sicilian Cob bread, sharing stories from the road and practical tips for cooking in compact spaces.

As one of the UK’s biggest voices in campervan cuisine, Mark’s passion resonated with visitors, many of whom were fascinated by his inventive approach to small-space cooking. His cookbook Recipes Inspired by Travel & Adventure quickly became a talking point, thanks to its 75 fuss-free, globally inspired dishes created specifically for tiny kitchens.

Dean Edwards & Andrew Dickens Delivered the Perfect Christmas Turkey Masterclass
Later in the day, the stage fell silent with anticipation as Dean Edwards and Andrew Dickens teamed up to demonstrate how to prepare the perfect Copas Christmas turkey. Their session combined expertise, humour, and invaluable insight, drawing some of the biggest crowds of the afternoon.

Dean, well known from his many TV appearances and beloved for his accessible, family-friendly cooking, walked visitors through flavour-forward festive tips, while Andrew’s decades of experience in live cooking demonstrations and outdoor fire cooking added depth and flair. Together, they showcased how a luxurious Copas turkey could be transformed into a centrepiece feast complete with all the festive trimmings, leaving guests inspired and hungry in equal measure.

Christmas Snack Hacking with George Egg Delivered Laughter and Clever Culinary Twists
Comedian and culinary inventive George Egg kept spirits high with his unique take on festive cooking. Blending humour with unconventional kitchen creativity, George shared rule-bending recipes and surprise ingredient combinations from his acclaimed cookbook The Snack Hacker. His Christmas-themed hacks, quirky, clever and always unexpected, were met with laughter, delight and plenty of note-taking from an audience eager to try them at home.

Winner of Content Creator of the Year at the 2024 Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards, George showcased how festive cooking can be both ingenious and fun, earning him cheers and applause as he wrapped up his session.

Cheers to the Season: Free Christmas Cocktail Tasting Closed the Day in Style
The final session of the day brought a celebratory twist as visitors gathered for Cheers to the Season: Free Christmas Cocktail Tasting. For 30 delicious minutes, guests sampled expertly crafted holiday cocktails, discovered new festive favourites, and toasted together in a warm, welcoming atmosphere. It was the perfect way to round off a day filled with culinary creativity, combining seasonal flavours, sparkling conversation and a shared love of Christmas indulgence.

Don’t Miss What’s Coming Up Next
Day 1 at the Christmas Kitchen set a mouth-watering standard for the days that followed. If you’re planning your visit, make sure you check the Christmas Kitchen timetable to map out the sessions you don’t want to miss.