Thomas says: “These colourful puff pastry wreaths are easier to assemble than they look and make a fabulous centrepiece for Christmas Day lunch or dinner. You could even roll out the puff pastry trimmings to make ‘stars’ and use them to decorate the top of the wreaths. (To make decorative pastry stars, roll out the pastry trimmings and stamp out some stars with a star-shaped pastry cutter. Attach to the pastry wreath with beaten egg before baking.)”

Serves 4-6

Prep: 30 minutes

Cook: 50-60 minutes

Ingredients

900g (2lb) butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into small cubes
2 red onions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp maple syrup
4 unpeeled whole garlic cloves
2 x 375g (13oz) packs of ready-rolled puff pastry
100g (3½oz) baby spinach leaves
85g (3oz/scant ½ cup) shelled pistachios
1 red chilli, deseeded and diced
100g (3½oz/1 cup) grated cheddar cheese
4 tsp green pesto
4 tsp cranberry sauce
1 medium free-range egg, beaten
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan)/400°F/gas 6. Line 2 baking trays with baking parchment.

Place the squash and red onions on 2 other baking trays and drizzle with the olive oil and maple syrup. Tuck the garlic cloves in between, season lightly with salt and pepper and roast in the preheated oven for 30–40 minutes, or until tender and starting to caramelize.

Meanwhile, roll out the pastry sheets, if needed, until they are about 6mm (1⁄4 inch) thick and big enough to cut a large round from. Place each one on a lined baking tray. Using a 27cm (11 inch) flan tin or dinner plate as a guide, place it on top of each puff pastry sheet and cut round it to make a large circle. Set aside the pastry trimmings. Next, use a smaller plate to lightly score out an inner circle in the centre of each round. Use a sharp knife to cut through the pastry of the inner circle, first lengthways, then widthways, and again through the quarters to create 8 sections.

Squeeze the garlic out of the skins and stir into the hot roasted squash and onion mixture. Add the spinach and leave it to wilt slightly and soften. Place spoonfuls of the mixture in a ring around each pastry disc, avoiding the outer edge and the central star. Sprinkle with the pistachios, chilli and grated cheese. Drizzle alternately with pesto and cranberry sauce around the ring on top.

Work your way round each disc, raising the outer edge a little and pulling the point of each cut inner section over the filling towards the pastry edge. Pinch them together with your fingers to seal.

Lightly brush the pastry with beaten egg and, if using, attach some pastry stars (see opposite). Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until puffed up, crisp and golden brown.

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