Skye McAlpine’s well of Christmas knowledge runs so deep that you might think she has the answer to every dilemma surrounding her own family’s festivities. The food writer and chef, 41, who is sharing her expertise in her new book, The Christmas Companion , admits that there is one sore point at the McAlpine family celebrations: gravy.

"We don’t have gravy for Christmas lunch, which I know is controversial," she tells HELLO! . "My mother, who does Christmas lunch, doesn’t believe in gravy."

The book, which features 360 pages of recipes and tips for wrapping and decorations, includes an entry for "make-ahead gravy", but notes that "making gravy the 'proper' way is a step too far" when trying to marshal all the elements of a Christmas meal.

"I wouldn’t mind having gravy," she says. "M

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