Twelve Recipes for Your Christmas in July Feast

Culinary joy on Christmas day in Australia often comes in the form of lighter, summer-friendly foods: prawns peeled at the table, barbequed meats, salads and ice-cream pudding. That makes Christmas in July – a tradition widely credited with beginning at a summer camp in North Carolina, but that has been hijacked by many in the southern hemisphere – the perfect excuse to tuck into the types of cold-weather dishes traditionally enjoyed in the northern hemisphere.

Before you dig out the Michael Buble and set up the Christmas tree, we’ve rounded up some Christmas in July-friendly recipes – traditional and with twists – to inspire your feast. From perfectly crackly and crunchy roast potatoes, to roast pork, lamb and chicken recipes and, of course, desserts, there’s enough here to build a properly wintery Christmas meal around.

Cornersmith’s cheesy cauliflower bake

What is a northern hemisphere-style roast dinner without some sort of take on cheesy cauliflower? This version, from Sydney’s Cornersmith, uses every element of the brassica, meaning you won’t waste the leaves or stalks – and if you can’t find any cauliflower, it’s easy to swap it out for silverbeet or even celery.

Annabel Crabb’s glass potatoes

Perfectly roasted potatoes are a cold-Christmas essential – and we have just the recipe. Broadcaster and journalist Annabel Crabb’s potatoes are gloriously crackly and crisp on the outside, and well-fluffed in the middle. The secret? An artery-clogging amount of oil and salt. Hey, it’s a special occasion, after all.

Roast butternut pumpkin with satay sauce, sesame and Thai basil

Roast pumpkin is a joy however you spin it. And this Asian-inspired take, amped up with satay sauce and Thai basil, is absolutely Christmas in July-worthy. Fish sauce and chilli give it an extra punch, and it’s the perfect foil to the more trad flavours of the glass potatoes and cheesy cauliflower.

Mjølner’s Game of Thrones-style barley salad

If you’re really feeling the winter chill this year, lean into it for more of those snowy Christmas vibes. And while Game of Thrones might not quite be festive viewing material, this barley salad by Viking-themed restaurant Mjølner was inspired by the series – and all those feasts fit for a king, White Walkers be damned.

Kafeneion’s Greek meatballs

Like with so many Greek dishes, there always seems to be an argument over whose family recipe is the best, and there’s always a secret that is never to be shared. Thankfully, Kafeneion co-owner Con Christopoulos’s mum has shared the secrets to this family recipe – both for diners at the Melbourne hotspot, and for you to serve at a winter feast.

The Town Mouse’s roast chook

Juicy chicken with crisp skin and an earthy, Fino sherry-spiked gravy sounds like a winner-winner Christmas in July chicken dinner to us. This recipe streamlines the roasting process, cutting the prep and cooking time to around an hour. The only catch? The recipe only serves two, so you’ll have to adapt it if you’re cooking for a crowd.

Bill Granger’s slow-cooked pork shoulder with spring onion pancakes and Asian slaw

Bill Granger was known and loved for putting clever Asian-inspired spins on classic Anglo-Australian dishes. This beautiful slow-cooked pork does just that: roast pork with textbook crackling and fall-apart tender flesh is served alongside spring onion pancakes and an Asian slaw for a delightful take on a classic roast.

Chiswick’s lamb shoulder

Okay, eating lamb for Christmas dinner in the northern hemisphere isn’t super common – it doesn’t come into season until spring. But a roast is a roast, and this one, from Sydney’s Chiswick, is a beauty. The brine elucidates extra juiciness, and 3.5 hours of cooking leads to extra-tenderness. The garnishes here are pretty summery, but the mint salsa is a must, and the potatoes and cauliflower above will more than substitute.

Yotam Ottolenghi’s butter-bean mash with portobello “steaks”

Not everyone wants to eat a big chunk of meat for Christmas in July. Enter this veggie-friendly dish that still packs a big “meaty” punch. Chillies and spices coat hefty portobello mushrooms, with extra heart coming from a bed of lemony mashed butter beans. The result is as good – and satisfying – as any meat-based protein dish.

Dave Verheul’s Choccy Ripple-Misu

Nostalgic chocolate ripple cake meets classic tiramisu in this delicious update on a well-loved favourite – perfect for festive celebrations when you want to feel like a kid again. “It’s bogan meets Italy,” Embla chef and co-owner Dave Verheul writes in his debut cookbook. “Kind of like driving through Portofino in a VL Commodore, with just as much impact.”

Karen Martini’s sticky panforte date pudding with black caramel sauce

If your family is from Siena, Italy, there’s a good chance eating panforte is a Christmas tradition. This dessert by Karen Martini takes the tradition and gives it a sticky-date-pudding twist for a rich and sticky festive treat buttressed with a black caramel sauce. It’s a wonderful fusion of British and Italian sweets.

Recipe: Ben Shewry’s boozy Christmas Cake

Christmas is all about extravagant, colourful desserts – and Christmas in July shouldn’t be any different. Ben Shewry’s big and boozy cake (definitely not pudding) should do the trick. It’s rich with fruits and spices, and a big slug (250 mils, plus more for drizzling) of whisky, brandy, cognac, or whatever other booze you fancy. You better start readying this one now – it’ll take some time.