It’s that time of year- maple and pecan roasted everything. These earthy baby carrots are given a sweet and sticky makeover, ready to wow your guests with a seasonal side dish that everyone will love, in three easy steps.

This is a recipe I’ve used for a number of years now and one that I love sharing at my Christmas cookery class. The usual cute-but-not-exciting carrots are roasted in maple syrup, for a smokey sweet flavour and scattered with pecan nuts for that all important crunch. If it doesn’t all get eaten at once, simply throw in a blender and blast until smooth, then serve as a dip with your left overs on Boxing Day.

I’m not a food apologist- it’s Christmas and I can think of nothing better than increasing the calorie content of everything in the name of indulgence. Try this recipe and you’ll never look at a carrot the same way again.

Serves 4

Ingredients

500g baby carrots, washed and dried

2 tbsp olive oil

6 tbsp maple syrup

Handful of pecan nuts, chopped roughly

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 220C/ Gas mark 7
2. Lay the carrots out on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Cover with foil and cook for 20 minutes.
3. Carefully remove from the oven and remove the foil. Drizzle in maple syrup and scatter over the nuts. Cook in the oven for another 15 minutes until the carrots have roasted.