T'LL BE DRUNK by 11.30am'

Chef and TV personality Gino D'Acampo on how to make Christmas run smoothly, his favourite tipple and why not to worry if it all goes wrong!

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The festive season is just around the corner and, luckily for you, chef Gino D'Acampo is here to lend his expertise when it comes to cooking Christmas dinner. His biggest tips? Prepare in advance and don't overthink things. 'If you forget something or something is a little under-seasoned, it doesn't matter,' he says.

Here, Gino, 48, lifts the lid on what Christmas looks like in Casa D'Acampo, including why he relies on his wife, Jessica, in the kitchen and the reason mobile phones have been banned on Christmas Day.

Hi Gino! What does Christmas look like in your house - do you follow UK traditions or put an Italian twist on it?

We don't celebrate Christmas like you do in the UK. First, we tend to spend it in Sardinia, where I live for six months of the year. We also don't do turkey - we mainly have pork and a lot of fish. This Christmas, I'm gonna have a beautiful roasted pork loin with crispy crackling, and then I'm gonna make a ricotta cheesecake and some Italian cantuccini biscuits. We also have our main Christmas meal on Christmas Eve.

What are your essentials for cooking on Christmas Day?

My wife! Without her, I'd be completely lost in the kitchen when it comes to the Christmas meal. She's a very good cook and she's essential to me because she likes to do the things that I don't like to do, like peeling roast potatoes and making desserts.

When you have two good cooks in the kitchen, it helps everything to go smoothly.