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1kg piece of beef fillet

1 tbsp of black peppercorns

The leaves from 2 or 3 bushy sprigs of thyme

A little olive oil

1 large wine glass of red wine

2 large onions

2 tbsp groundnut or vegetable oil

2 sprigs of rosemary

6 juniper berries

Pumpkin ragout

1 large butternut squash or small pumpkin

2 tbsp flour

500ml hot vegetable or chicken stock

1 glass of white wine

A few sprigs of parsley, finely chopped

Serve leftover beef with hangover salad.

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1. Crush the peppercorns coarsely. Chop the thyme, then add to the pepper. Pour in 2 tbsp olive oil, mix, then massage into the beef fillet. Set aside for 30 minutes to an hour at room temperature in a roasting tin.

2. Set the oven at 230C/gas mark 9. Put a piece of foil loosely over the top of the meat, barely touching. Place the meat in the oven and roast for 10 minutes. Lower the heat to 210C, remove the foil, turn the meat over, pour the glass of wine over the meat then replace the piece of foil. Roast for a further 15 minutes. Remove the meat from the oven and leave to rest, foil intact, for 10-15 minutes before carving. Serve with the pumpkin ragout.

3. Peel and slice the onions, then let them soften in the oil over a low heat. Finely chop the rosemary needles, crush the juniper berries and add to the onions. Expect the onions to take 15-20 minutes to soften.

4. Meanwhile peel, seed and thinly slice the pumpkin. Leave to simmer for 5 minutes then sprinkle over the flour. Stir and continue cooking for 5 minutes. Pour in the stock and wine and bring to the boil. Season with salt and pepper and turn the heat down to a simmer. Leave, with the occasional stir, for 20 minutes until all is tender. Check the seasoning, stir in the chopped parsley and serve.

5. Serve the ragout with the rare beef

a lot of people turn to beef as the heart and soul of at least one of their Christmas feasts. A huge and ungainly rib joint, perhaps, its bones nicely browned, the meat soft and pink, the gravy rich and dark, or maybe a fillet for those not happy to wrangle with the bones. The long and slender cut may lack the majesty of a piece off the bone, but the ease and speed with which it is carved in moist, thin slices means that it is at least hot when the family gets it. It is also the cut for those wary of cooking a larger joint to perfection, or for those tackling their first Christmas lunch for six or more. Its glistening, pepper-studded exterior can look splendid presented on a wooden board and surrounded by a branch or two of bay leaves