Christmas Done Differently with Watercress
FOOD & DRINKBEAUTY, WELLBEING & PARENTHOOD
If the thought of yet another turkey-centred Christmas dinner is leaving you feeling less “ho ho ho” and more “bah humbug”, it might be time to shake things up. This year, The Watercress Company invites you to reimagine your festive feast with vibrant, flavourful dishes that hero one of nature’s most underrated ingredients: watercress.
Once a staple in medieval French royal courts — used to mop up rich gravies and cleanse the palate — watercress has long held its place in culinary history. But it’s far more than just a garnish. Brimming with over 50 vital vitamins and minerals, watercress tops the charts in nutrient density and antioxidant content, offering both wellness and bold, peppery flavour in equal measure. It’s a small leaf with a lot of character, perfect for bringing freshness and flair to your Christmas table.
To help you mix things up, The Watercress Company has created a series of festive recipes designed to please every palate — with both meaty indulgences and vegan alternatives for complete harmony around the table.
Pheasant, Blackberry, Pear & Watercress Salad with Pickled Walnuts
This fabulous salad sets the scene for a fantastic meal. Seasonal pheasant combines with the sweetness of fruits, the pepperiness of watercress and the goodness of pickled walnuts, introducing a little fermented food to aid digestion
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 30mins
Cooking Time: 5-6mins
Ingredients:
Pickled Walnuts
50g Walnuts
100g Balsamic Vinegar
20g Sugar
100ml Water
Pheasant Salad:
200g Watercress
4 Pheasant Breasts
½ tsp Salt
1 tsp Baharat Spice Blend
15g Butter, melted
2 Pears, sliced into 6
150g Blackberries
1 Bulb Fennel, finely sliced
Blackberry Dressing:
50g Blackberries, pureed
3tbsp Olive Oil
2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
2 tsp Maple Syrup
Salt & Black Pepper
Method:
Begin with the pickled walnuts. Bring everything, except the walnuts, to a simmer in a small pan. Pour over the walnuts in a sterile jar and leave to cool. Store in the fridge, these will keep for 2 weeks.
For the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a jar, shake and strain through a sieve. Set aside.
Season the pheasant breasts with the salt and Baharat. Heat a griddle pan and rub the meat with the melted butter. Griddle for 2-3 minutes each side or until only just cooked. Set aside to rest.
In the same pan, griddle the sliced pear until charred. Set aside.
When ready, mix the watercress with 1-2 tbsp of dressing. Add the fennel, pear and blackberries.
Slice the pheasant into thin slices and place on top. Drizzle with a little more dressing and serve.
Blackberry & Artichoke Watercress Salad (V)
For a vegetarian alternative, serve this fabulous veggie version and use vegan cheese to make it vegan
Serves: 2 | Prep time: 10mins
Ingredients
50g Watercress
60g Blackberries, halved
120g artichoke hearts, quartered
50g Feta, crumbled
Dressing:
2tsp Honey
2tsp Mustard
1tsp Olive Oil
½ tsp White Wine Vinegar
Salt & Pepper
Walnuts for garnish
Method
To make the dressing, combine all ingredients and mix well. Season to taste with salt & pepper.
Arrange the watercress on a plate and top with the blackberries and artichokes, crumble with the feta and drizzle with the dressing.
Beef Wellington with Watercress and Smoked Prosciutto
A classic Christmas alternative to turkey is Beef Wellington but this version with the meat wrapped in watercress gives a delicious new twist
Serves 6
Prep time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 55 minutes plus one hour, chilling
Ingredients:
800g beef fillet
2 tbsp vegetable oil
500g watercress
12 slices smoked prosciutto
500g ready-made puff pastry
2 egg yolks
Plain flour
1 tbsp English mustard
Method:
Pat the fillet dry with kitchen paper, then rub all over with 1 tbsp of the vegetable oil and season well with sea salt. Heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan until smoking hot, then sear the fillet until well-browned on all sides, including the ends. Place the meat in a tray off the heat and brush the beef all over with mustard.
Tip the watercress into a colander then pour over boiling water to wilt it, then follow with cold water. Squeeze the watercress to extract as much water as possible. Set aside.
Lay a large piece of cling film on a work service. Lay the prosciutto on the cling film in a row, ensuring all slices overlap with no gaps. Cover the prosciutto with another layer of cling film then use a rolling pin to roll it out to a thin, even layer. Remove the top layer of cling film and scatter the wilted watercress evenly over the prosciutto, then replace the cling film and roll flat again. Remove the top layer of cling film again and sit the beef on top, then use the edge of the cling film to lift and roll the prosciutto and watercress layers to encase the beef in a tight sausage. Place in fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.
Lightly flour a clean work surface and roll the pastry to a rectangle about 8” x 10”. Lightly brush the pastry with beaten egg yolk, then remove the cling film from the beef and place in the centre. Fold the shorter edges over the beef, then roll the whole piece of pastry around the fillet to encase fully. Place the Wellington in the fridge with sealed side down and chill for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
Preheat oven to 200°C. Brush the Wellington with egg yolk, then use a sharp knife to gently score a criss-cross pattern all over the top. Sprinkle with sea salt then transfer to a baking tray. Roast for 10 minutes at 200°C, then turn down to 180°C and continue to cook for 25 minutes for rare, 30 minutes for medium rare and 35 minutes for medium. If the pastry begins to darken too much, cover with foil and continue cooking. Remove the Wellington from the oven and leave to rest for a minimum of 15 minutes.
Cut the Wellington into six generous slices and serve with gravy on the side.
Chicken, Prosecco & Watercress Potato Topped Pie
If poultry is still the preferred option, this celebratory Chicken, Prosecco & Watercress Potato Topped Pie is the perfect solution. It’s special enough to make a splash with guests but less fussy than the full-blown roast.
Serves 6
Prep Time 60 minutes (plus overnight chilling)
Cook Time 90 minutes
Ingredients:
25g Plain Flour
8 Skinless, boneless Chicken Thighs cut into chunks
Olive Oil
12 Spring Onions, finely sliced
1 Clove Garlic, minced
½ tsp Thyme Leaves, finely chopped
200g Prosecco
300g Chicken Stock
300g Full Fat Greek Yogurt
200g Frozen Peas, defrosted
200g Green Beans/ Sugar Snaps
200g Asparagus
50g Watercress, finely chopped
1 tbsp Parsley, chopped
1 Lemon, zest
Salt & Black pepper
1kg Small Potatoes, thinly sliced
40g Butter, melted
6 Thyme Sprigs, leaves picked
Method
Heat a large sauté pan and add 1 tbsp olive oil. Add the spring onions and a pinch of salt, reduce the heat and cover with a lid. Cook slowly for 20-30 minutes until soft, sweet and caramelised. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Mix the flour with some salt and pepper and use to coat the chicken pieces. Brown the chicken in batches, adding more oil as necessary. Remove and transfer to a bowl.
Add the Prosecco, stirring to deglaze the pan and bubble until most of the mixture has gone. Add the thyme, chicken stock and yogurt and simmer on a reduced heat.
Add the Spring Onions and chicken back to the pan and simmer, uncovered for 20 minutes, add the peas, sugar peas, beans and asparagus and cook 10 minutes more or until the chicken is cooked through. Add the watercress, parsley and lemon zest and taste the mixture, season to your taste with salt & black pepper.
Spoon into your pie dish, cover and refrigerate overnight to let the flavours develop.
The next day preheat oven 180C. Blanch the potato slices in boiling water for 5 minutes until al dente. Drain and allow to steam dry for 10 minutes.
Arrange the potatoes on top of the chicken mixture I concentric circles. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with thyme.
Bake for 30-40 minutes or until hot through and crisp on top. Stand for 10 minutes before serving with extra watercress.
Christmas Vegan Pie (V)
Nut Roast is the traditional vegetarian festive dish but this Christmas vegan pie will delight and satisfy with its watercress, nut, sweet potato and sprout filling
Makes 1 large pie | Prep time: 15mins/Cook time: 30-40mins
Ingredients
2-3tbsp Cranberry Sauce
50g Watercress, chopped
2 Sweet Potatoes, peeled & diced
100-150g Mixed Nuts
125g Sprouts
1 roll Vegan Short Crust Pastry
Cranberries or pomegranate seeds to garnish
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 180°. Line an 8 inch ovenproof dish (or use a cake tin!) with grease proof paper, then line the outside with the shortcrust pastry.
On a baking tray, arrange the diced sweet potato and bake for around 20-25 minutes, until soft. In a bowl, mash the sweet potato with a fork.
In the pastry, spread a thin layer of cranberry sauce on the base of the pie. On top of this, use a mini grater to grate the sprouts over the top. Spoon the mashed sweet potato over the sprouts in an even layer, before sprinkling the watercress over the top.
Finally, roughly chop the mixed nuts and sprinkle these over the top to form a sort of crust.
Bake in the oven for 30-40 mins, until the pastry is golden brown. Allow it to cool slightly in the dish before removing and serving with pomegranate seeds or cranberries to decorate.
Chestnut and Beetroot Wellingtons with Watercress Pesto (V)
For vegan and vegetarian guests this Chestnut and Beetroot Wellington offers the perfect alternative
Serves 6
Prep time: 40 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 20 minutes plus 1 hour chill time
Ingredients
2 raw beetroot, peeled and cut into 1cm chunks
100g whole cooked chestnuts, roughly chopped
½ a butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1cm chunks
1 red onion cut into wedges
4 cloves garlic unpeeled
6 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp picked thyme leaves, plus extra to finish
1 tbsp sumac, plus extra to finish
250g cooked puy lentils
2 x 320g ready-rolled puff pastry (suitable for vegans)
2 tbsp almond milk
For the pesto:
100g watercress
50g pine nuts, lightly toasted
Juice of half a lemon
Method:
Preheat the oven to 190°C. Place the beetroot, squash, onion and garlic in a roasting tin with 2 tbsp of olive oil. Scatter over the sumac and thyme and some salt and pepper and toss until the vegetables are well coated.
Roast for 45 minutes or until the vegetable are tender. Remove the garlic cloves and squeeze out the insides. Add half back to the tray along with the lentils and chopped chestnuts. Mix thoroughly then leave to cool completely.
While the mixture is cooling, make the pesto. Place the rest of the garlic, lemon juice, watercress, olive oil and pine nuts into a food processor and blend into a thick pesto. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Place the sheets of puff pastry onto a lightly floured surface. Cut each sheet into three to create six sections for the six individual wellingtons. Spread the pesto on one half of each piece of pastry, leaving the other half free of filling so that you can fold it over the top later. Ensure that you leave a gap all around the edge of the pastry so that you can stick the edges together.
Divide the roasted veg mix between the six pieces, placing on top of the pesto. Brush all the way round the edges of each piece of pastry with almond milk, then fold the plain half of the pastry over the filling. Use a fork to crimp around the edges and seal in the filling, ensuring that no air is trapped inside. Once the edges are crimped, use a sharp knife to trim them back into a neat rectangle shape. Poke a small hole in the top of each wellington to allow any steam to escape during cooking.
Orange, Chocolate and Watercress Muffins
Watercress gives these muffins a slightly savoury flavour but that’s balanced with a scattering of chocolate (a good bitter chocolate is ideal) and a pop of orange. Delicious and light compared to mince pies or Christmas pudding
Makes 10
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 25-30 minutes - if frosting add 15 minutes
Ingredients
For the muffins:
125g watercress
50g butter
175g sunflower oil
250g caster sugar
3 medium free-range eggs
310g self-raising flour
30g full fat or semi-skimmed milk
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
100g chocolate chips
For the frosting:
100g butter
250g icing sugar
3 tablespoons of orange juice
Method
Line a 12-hole muffin tin with 10 paper cases around the outside, leaving the two middle holes free (I typically cook my muffins this way as frequently the middle ones don’t cook properly).
Put the oven on at Gas 4/180C. Chop the watercress very finely, ideally in a blender.
Melt the butter (unless it’s already very soft) and combine it with the sunflower oil in a mixing bowl. Add the sugar, eggs, flour and milk and mix well – the batter will come together quickly and won’t take too much elbow grease.
Stir in the orange zest, chocolate chips and watercress. Divide the mixture evenly amongst the 10 muffin cases and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until they are raised and golden. Test with a skewer – it should come out clean when inserted in the middle. Leave the muffins to cool.
To make the frosting, put the butter, icing sugar and orange juice in a bowl and beat until well blended and light in colour. Top the muffins with the frosting.
Store for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
Beef Wellington with Watercress and Smoked Prosciutto
A classic Christmas alternative to turkey is Beef Wellington but this version with the meat wrapped in watercress gives a delicious new twist
Serves 6
Prep time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 55 minutes plus one hour, chilling
Ingredients:
800g beef fillet
2 tbsp vegetable oil
500g watercress
12 slices smoked prosciutto
500g ready-made puff pastry
2 egg yolks
Plain flour
1 tbsp English mustard
Method:
Pat the fillet dry with kitchen paper, then rub all over with 1 tbsp of the vegetable oil and season well with sea salt. Heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan until smoking hot, then sear the fillet until well-browned on all sides, including the ends. Place the meat in a tray off the heat and brush the beef all over with mustard.
Tip the watercress into a colander then pour over boiling water to wilt it, then follow with cold water. Squeeze the watercress to extract as much water as possible. Set aside.
Lay a large piece of cling film on a work service. Lay the prosciutto on the cling film in a row, ensuring all slices overlap with no gaps. Cover the prosciutto with another layer of cling film then use a rolling pin to roll it out to a thin, even layer. Remove the top layer of cling film and scatter the wilted watercress evenly over the prosciutto, then replace the cling film and roll flat again. Remove the top layer of cling film again and sit the beef on top, then use the edge of the cling film to lift and roll the prosciutto and watercress layers to encase the beef in a tight sausage. Place in fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.
Lightly flour a clean work surface and roll the pastry to a rectangle about 8” x 10”. Lightly brush the pastry with beaten egg yolk, then remove the cling film from the beef and place in the centre. Fold the shorter edges over the beef, then roll the whole piece of pastry around the fillet to encase fully. Place the Wellington in the fridge with sealed side down and chill for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
Preheat oven to 200°C. Brush the Wellington with egg yolk, then use a sharp knife to gently score a criss-cross pattern all over the top. Sprinkle with sea salt then transfer to a baking tray. Roast for 10 minutes at 200°C, then turn down to 180°C and continue to cook for 25 minutes for rare, 30 minutes for medium rare and 35 minutes for medium. If the pastry begins to darken too much, cover with foil and continue cooking. Remove the Wellington from the oven and leave to rest for a minimum of 15 minutes.
Cut the Wellington into six generous slices and serve with gravy on the side.
So, eat, drink and be merry! This Christmas, serve dishes they’ll love and remember for the rest of the year.
To find out more about the health benefits of watercress and for more recipes, visit www.watercress.co.uk