Valeria's opening gambit is elegant and stylish, but very achievable. The baked scallops are a beautiful balance of sweet seafood, slight tartness from the orange and earthy almond. The prawns are perfectly complemented by the warmth of the ginger and pink pepper, Both of these dishes are easy to put together, as the scallops and prawns can be on the table in a matter of minutes once you've prepped everything.

There are very different avenues you can take with your starters, particularly in Italy where good seafood is abundant. Valeria keeps her pasta-based primi light and vibrant, riffing on a classic with her seafood lasagna. She layers pasta sheets with a simple seafood ragù, before topping with béchamel and baking for that perfect golden crust. The linguine takes a more traditional Italian tack, but it's no less delicious. Saline squid ink, sharp lemon and pasta is a classic combination.

For main course, a big piece of fish is perfect – and Valeria opts for trout and cod. Both are poached from cold to achieve that perfect flaky, melt in the mouth texture, but the end results are very different – the chickpeas and rosemary give the cod a quintessential Italian vibe, whilst the trout with mustard and yoghurt sauce is a little more classical.

Panettone trifle is another smart reinvention of an Italian Christmas classic. Valeria takes slices of panettone and makes it even more indulgent with layers of silky ricotta and muscat cream, with a sprinkle of almonds to finish. Or why not give her festive clementine and marzipan biscuits a go? They're simple to make – just create a dough from ground almonds, sugar and water, add in your egg white and clementine zest and shape your biscuits before baking. A perfect way to prepare yourself for Christmas Day festivities.