Easy festive brunches to make at home with your family as suggested by experts - including waffles and pancakes

The team at Bottomless Brunch have suggested six classic festive brunches you can make at home along with their recipes.

1. Chocolate orange waffles

Chocolate and orange are traditional Christmas flavours, so with just a few easy steps to follow, you can indulge in this festive brunch.

Serves: Four

Ingredients

- Two eggs

- 200ml milk

- 130g self-raising flour

- 20g cocoa powder

- 20g caster sugar

- 60g butter, melted

- One teaspoon orange essence

- One large orange, zested

- 25g dark chocolate, roughly chopped, plus extra to serve

Toppings

- Orange segments, maple syrup, grated chocolate and whipped cream

Method

- Switch on your waffle iron and mix the eggs and milk together in a jug.

- In a bowl, mix the flour, cocoa powder and sugar, then gently whisk in the egg and milk mixture until you have a smooth texture. Then slowly pour in the melted butter, the teaspoon of orange essence, zest and chopped chocolate.

- Pour a ladleful of batter into the waffle maker and cook for five to six minutes, then repeat the process until the mixture finishes.

- Place your waffles on a large plate, and serve with maple syrup, whipped cream, orange segments and grated chocolate.

2. Bubble and squeak

Bubble and squeak is the ideal way to make a delicious brunch, according to the experts - and added bonus: You can use up your Christmas leftovers.

Serves: Four

Ingredients

- Olive oil

- 25g unsalted butter

- Four sprigs of rosemary, sage or thyme

- 600g chopped leftover roast potatoes

- 600g chopped leftover cooked veg, such as carrots, swede, turnips, parsnips, Brussel sprouts, kale etc.

- Leftover ham, turkey, or pigs in blankets

Method

- Add a tablespoon of olive oil into a frying pan and put it over a medium heat. Throw in the fresh herbs and leave them to crisp, before adding in the chopped potatoes, veg and any leftover meat you have.

- Season the mixture well with sea salt and black pepper, and cook for three to four or until everything starts to get a golden crust.

- Using a fish slice, keep flipping the contents of the pan to give it a rougher, more mashed texture, and cook for a further 20 minutes.

- Serve in a bowl with a choice of festive sauces to help bring out the Christmas flavours.

3. Panettone pudding

This pudding is another fun and delicious way of giving your leftover Christmas panettone a new lease of life.

This recipe is a festive twist on bread and butter pudding.

Serves: Four

Ingredients

- 50g butter, softened

- 250g panettone (around five medium slices)

- Two eggs

- 142ml carton of double cream

- 225ml milk

- One teaspoon vanilla extract

- Two tablespoons of caster sugar

- Icing sugar, for sprinkling

- Softly whipped cream, to serve

Method

- Preheat the oven to 160C and grease a baking dish with a little bit of the 50g butter. Then chop up the panettone into chunky wedges, leaving the crusts on.

- Lightly butter the slices of bread and place them in the dish, buttered side up.

- In a bowl, whisk the 142ml double cream, two eggs, 225ml milk, one teaspoon of vanilla extract and two tablespoons of caster sugar together. Pour the mixture into the tray evenly covering the panettone.

- Place the dish in a larger roasting tin and pour hot water around it to the depth of roughly 2.5cm. Bake it for around 35 minutes until the pudding is just set and is slightly brown on top.

- Dust with a sprinkle of icing sugar and serve with whipped cream.

4. Egg muffins

Egg muffins are a great treat for a family brunch, as they’re not only quick and easy to make but they’re also filled with flavour and can be frozen for another time.

Serves: Twelve

Ingredients

- Cooking spray

- Three slices of bacon

- One small onion, chopped

- One red pepper, chopped

- Six large eggs

- Three tablespoons of milk

- A quarter teaspoon of paprika

- Half a teaspoon of garlic powder

- Salt and pepper

- 50g grated mozzarella cheese

Method

- Preheat the oven to 160C (fan) and grease a muffin tin with cooking spray. In a frying pan over a medium heat, cook the bacon until crispy, leave it to cool and chop it into small pieces.

- Add the chopped onion and red pepper to the pan and cook until soft for around five minutes.

- In a bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, paprika and garlic powder and season them with salt and pepper. Add the cooked vegetables, bacon and mozzarella into the mixture and pour it into the prepared muffin tin.

- Bake until cooked through and golden for around 30 to 35 minutes.

5. Brie and cranberry wreath

Brie and cranberry make for the perfect festive combination of flavours especially when baked into a delicious pastry wreath.

Serves: Eight

Ingredients

- Puff pastry

- One wheel of brie

- Cranberry preserves/sauce

- Pistachios, roughly chopped

- One beaten egg

Method

- Shape the pastry into a circle and roll out the pastry until it’s around half a centimetre thick.

- Use a large round bowl as a guide to cut the puff pastry into a large disc and cut a star into the middle.

- Next, spread the cranberry sauce over the pastry, avoiding the star in the middle. Then evenly add the Brie and pistachios around the wreath until you have a good amount of filling.

- Pull each point of the star over the filling towards the outer edge, then pinch the pastry together using your fingers.

- Brush your wreath with an egg wash before baking for 15 to 20 minutes until it’s golden brown and puffed.

6. Rudolph pancakes

This recipe is perfect for a family with children, as it features their favourite festive character: Rudolph!

Serves: Four

Ingredients

- One cup (250ml) of milk

- One egg, lightly beaten

- One cup (150g) self-raising flour

- Two teaspoons of butter

- Four rashers of streaky bacon

- Whipped cream

- Blueberries

- Four strawberries

Method

- Begin by making a standard pancake batter by whisking the milk and egg together in a bowl and sifting flour into it.

- Once your mixture is smooth, melt the two teaspoons of butter in a large frying pan and pour it in the batter to form one large circle and one smaller circle.

- Cook for a few minutes until it bubbles and then flip the pancakes and cook on the other side. Repeat this with the remaining ingredients. Then in a separate pan, cut your four bacon rashers in half and cook them until they have a nice crisp texture.

- To create Rudolph, place the large pancake on a plate with the smaller pancake on top, but placed halfway down. Put the bacon rashers at the top of the head to form antlers, and use the whipped cream and blueberries to create the eyes and a strawberry for a nose.