Tired of the same old turkey or dried out roast chicken? Why not try something different this Christmas — you might just find that a change is as good as a holiday...

Medallions for two:

If you're just catering for you and your significant other, why not try roasted medallions of fillet for two with mushrooms and brandy sauce for a little Christmas spice.

Ingredients:

Instructions:
Sauté very quickly in oil, over high heat the filet pieces until brown on the outside and very rare on the inside. Set aside. Add shallots and chopped mushrooms to pan and quickly saute about three to four minutes. Set aside. Remove pan from heat and add brandy. Place back on heat and swirl pan to deglaze. Alcohol will blaze for a minute and then go out. Add beef stock and cream to pan, reduce to half. Add beef and mushrooms back to pan and reheat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

By the sea: for four

Seafood makes a lovely alternative to the traditional roast turkey and other meat roasts which usually weigh down the festive table this time of the year. And what can be tastier than lightly grilled fresh crayfish, says Henrie Geyser.

There are numerous choices of what to serve with crayfish: A lovely big tossed salad, flavoured or plain steamed rice, mashed potato, steamed vegetables... The choice is yours.

Here's Henrie's recipe.

To serve four helpings of crayfish you need:

Ingredients:

For the grilling:

Instructions:
Place the whole crayfish in a colander, cover loosely with a lid and steam over a pot of boiling water for 10 minutes. Remove crayfish from the heat and place them on a wooden board until cool enough to handle. Slice each crayfish in half length-wise and remove the digestive string. Mix the lemon juice and olive oil well and paint liberally over the meaty sides of the crayfish halves and leave for 10-20 minutes. Turn the oven grill on very high (or have a bed of very hot coals ready if you prefer to do them on the braai). Heat the butter and garlic sauce and paint over the meaty side of the crayfish halves. Place under the hot grill and cook until it just starts to brown. Serve immediately.

A single loin for six

A single loin of boneless pork roast, sprinkled with spices before baking, and served with apple and onion wedges. Sounds gluttonous doesn't it...

Ingredients:

For the pork:

For the apples:

Instructions:

For the pork:
Preheat oven to 180°C. Spray a 9x13" baking pan with non-stick spray. Brush pork loin with olive oil; sprinkle with pepper, salt, and first amounts of ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon. Place roast on rack in baking pan; bake uncovered about one and a quarter hours. Remove from oven; cover with foil and let stand 10-15 minutes.

For the apples:
Meanwhile heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onion and apple wedges until just tender, about five minutes. Combine remaining ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon and sprinkle over apple mixture, tossing gently to coat. Add stock and syrup; bring just to a simmer. Strain and add juices from pork roast; heat through. To serve, slice roast and top each serving with apple mixture and sauce.

Lamb special for the family

This is Henrie Geyser's 'My China's Lamb Special' — one of the tastiest, easiest lamb stews you will find anywhere.

For the stew you need:

Instructions:
Heat oil in pan, brown the meat and set aside. Fry onions and chillies till golden. Add ginger, garlic, sugar and curry powder, then fry for two minutes. Transfer the meat and the onion mixture to a slow cook pot or potjie. Add fruit, vinegar, tomatoes and stock and let it simmer away for one to two hours or until the meat is fall-off-the-bone tender. Serve with rice and crusty bread to mop up the gravy.

Roast Christmas duck

Why not try something completely different this year? Duck is rich and hearty and is actually a great inbetweener.

Ingredients:

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 180 ºC. Rub the salt all over and inside each of the ducks. Place a vanilla half, three star anise and two cinnamon sticks inside each cavity. Place on a roasting tray and roast for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, pour out the fat and reserve. Spread the syrup over the ducks and put the oranges on the tray. Roast for another 30 minutes. Remove the ducks from the tray and carve. Bring the pan juices to a boil and remove any extra fat. Spoon liquid over the duck.