"The most precious item I have is my wedding dress." — Monica Galetti

I was raised in the Pacific Islands, so I remember picking fruit every morning for breakfast or collecting the eggs from the chickens in the garden. It was a very simple life, but we had all of these fresh ingredients on our doorstep.

I have a huge collection of cookery books, like most chefs. do I regularly revisit Michel Roux Snr's 'The Collection,' particularly for the precise recipes and because the food photography is simply beautiful.

We always had a lot of pak choi because my dad grew it in his vast vegetable garden in New Zealand - he grows everything, everywhere!

It's all about a beautiful table on Christmas day. I put out lovely napkins and napkin holders, and maybe put a wreath in the centre. I like to dish all the veg up into massive serving platters, for everyone to help themselves - it feels so abundant.