Anna Jones' Christmas recipes for smoky carrot toasts and blood orange fizz | The modern cook

Pickled carrots on rye toast with cream cheese washed down with a bitter, citrussy fizz make for a great seasonal get-together The last thing I want when I have people over is anything stressful or fancy. In winter, I often make a big vat of soup or stew, which I leave ticking over on the hob, and a bowl of herb oil and good bread for dunking. If I want something more portable, I put stuff on toast and lay it out on big platters: sometimes it's mashed beans with crispy sage, citrus and olive oil...