A step-by-step guide to cooking Christmas dinner

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Now is the time to make up the stuffing ready to go into the turkey tomorrow. I firmly believe that the whole idea of stuffing a large bird like a turkey is to help to counteract the drying-out process during cooking.

Minced pork (or pork sausagemeat) is an ideal ingredient for this because the fatty juices from the pork help to keep the flesh of the turkey moist.

For this reason all the stuffing below has pork as a main ingredient. The stuffing is for a 12-14 lb (5.5-6.5 kg) turkey. NOTE: If you like your stuffing firm, so that it cuts in slices, add a beaten egg to bind it. If, like me, you prefer it crumbly, leave the egg out.

This recipe is adapted from one I first came across in the cookery book written by the eighteenth-century writer, Hannah Glasse. Peeling chestnuts is a chore at the best of times, but with the pressures of Christmas it can seem even more tiresome.

So, if you can get hold of peeled chestnuts in a vacuum pack or container, that will make life infinitely easier.

1lb (450g) peeled chestnuts, cooked and very finely chopped 1 large onion, finely chopped The liver from the turkey, chopped small 4oz (110g) smoked streaky bacon, finely chopped 1oz (25g) butter

4 tbsps chopped parsley 1 dsp chopped fresh thyme ½ tsp ground mace 8oz (225g) best quality pork sausagemeat, or finely minced pure pork salt and freshly milled black pepper

Melt the butter in a large frying-pan and cook the onion, bacon and chopped turkey liver for 10 minutes or so, until the onion looks transparent and everything is tinged gold at the edges.

Now tip the contents of the pan into a large mixing bowl and add all the remaining ingredients. Season with salt and pepper, and mix very thoroughly.

The specific timings that follow are those tested over the years in our house, but because lunch time will vary from one family to another you can adjust these timings to suit yourself.

For an average family-sized 14 lb (6.5 kg) turkey (oven-ready weight) I am calculating for a 2.00pm lunch. If you plan to eat half an hour later or earlier, simply add or subtract 30 minutes to or from my timings.

I offer you the following method simply because it has always worked well for me and countless others. The turkey is placed in a 'tent' of foil, which essentially means it cooks in an oven within an oven.

If you wrap the foil too closely to the turkey, though, it ends up steaming instead of roasting. Give it plenty of space between the flesh and the foil and it will roast in its own buttery juices without becoming dry. This method keeps all the juices intact.

If you allow the bird to relax for 30-45 minutes before carving all the juices which have bubbled up to the surface will seep back and ensure the meat is moist and succulent.

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 7, 425°F (220°C) Traditional roast turkey: 1x14lb (6.5 kg) turkey, oven-ready 6oz (175g) butter, softened 8oz (225g) very fat streaky bacon Salt and freshly milled black pepper 1 quantity of stuffing You will also need extra-wide turkey foil

First stuff the turkey with your chosen stuffing. Loosen the skin with your hands and pack the stuffing into the neck end, pushing it up between the flesh and the skin towards the breast (not too tightly, because it will expand during the cooking).

Press it in gently to make a nicely rounded end, then tuck the neck flap under the bird's back and secure with a small skewer. Don't expect to get all the stuffing in this end - put the rest into the body cavity.

NOTE: It is only dangerous to put turkey stuffing inside the body cavity if either the turkey or the stuffing is not defrosted properly, because the heat will not penetrate it quickly enough. If both are at room temperature it is perfectly safe.

Now arrange two large sheets of foil across your roasting tin, one widthways and the other lengthways (no need to butter them). Lay the turkey on its back in the centre then rub it generously all over with the butter, making sure the thigh bones are particularly well covered.

Next, season the bird all over with salt and pepper, and lay the bacon over the breast with the rashers overlapping each other.

Now wrap the turkey loosely in the foil: the parcel must be firmly sealed but roomy enough to provide an air space around most of the upper part of the bird.

So bring one piece of foil up and fold both ends over to make a pleat along the length of the breastbone. Then bring the other piece up at both ends and crimp and fold to make a neat parcel.

8.15 am Place the turkey in the pre-heated oven, where it will cook at the initial high temperature for 40 minutes. Once it is in, you can peel the potatoes ready for roasting and keep them covered with cold water in a saucepan. Begin making the bread sauce.

Serves 8 people 4oz (115g) freshly made white breadcrumbs (a 2-day-old white loaf with crusts removed will be hard enough to grate, but the best way is in a liquidiser, if you have one)

1 large onion 15-18 whole cloves or grated nutmeg 1 bayleaf 8 black peppercorns 1 pint (570ml) creamy milk 2 oz (50g) butter 2 tbsps double cream Salt and freshly milled black pepper

Cut the onion in half and stick the cloves in it. If you don't like them at all, you can use some freshly grated nutmeg instead. Place the onion studded with cloves, plus the bayleaf and the peppercorns in a saucepan together with the milk.

Add some salt, then bring everything up to boiling point. Take off the heat, cover the pan and leave in a warm place for the milk to infuse for 2 hours or more.

When you're ready to make the sauce, remove the onion, bayleaf and peppercorns and keep them on one side. Stir the breadcrumbs into the milk and add 10z (25g) of the butter. Leave the saucepan on a very low heat, stirring now and then, until the crumbs have swollen and thickened the sauce - approximately 15 minutes.

Now replace the clove-studded onion and again leave the pan in a warm place till the sauce is needed. Just before serving, remove the onion and spices. Reheat gently, then beat in the remaining butter and the cream and taste to check the seasoning. Pour into a warm serving jug and stand until needed.

8.55 am Lower the oven temperature to gas mark 3, 3250F (1700C). Now take a break. At this point everything should be under control so you can take time out of the kitchen.

1.45 am Advertisement Now is the time to finish off the bread sauce. Place it in a jug with some butter to melt over the surface, and keep it in a warm place.

12.00 noon Fill a saucepan quite full with boiling water, put it on the heat and, when it comes back to the boil, place a steamer on top of the pan and turn it down to a gentle simmer. Put the Christmas pudding in the steamer, cover and leave to steam away until 2.15 pm.

You'll need to check the water from time to time and maybe top it up a bit.

12.30 pm Increase the oven temperature to gas mark 6, 4000F (2000C). Now get some help, because you've got to get the turkey out of the oven and it's heavy! Remove the foil from the top and sides of the bird, and take off the bacon slices.

Now baste the turkey very thoroughly with a long-handled spoon, then return it to the oven for a further 30-45 minutes to finish browning - give it as much basting as you can during this final cooking period.

The bacon rashers can be placed on a heat-proof plate and put back in the oven to finish cooking till all the fat has melted and there are just very crisp bits left. (I like to serve these crunchy bits with the turkey as well as the bacon rolls!)

12.45 pm After you've dealt with the turkey, par-boil the potatoes for 10 minutes then drain them. Put the lid back on the saucepan, and shake the potatoes quite heftily in the saucepan so that they become fluffy round the edges.

Now take a solid roasting tin, add 2oz (50g) of lard to it, and place on direct heat to let the fat melt and begin to sizzle. When it is really hot, add the potatoes and tip the tin and baste the potatoes so all are coated with fat. Then place the roasting tin in the oven with the turkey.

1.00 pm Now for the parsnips (approx: 2?lbs/1.25kg). Take another roasting tin and add 3 tablespoons of oil and 1 tablespoon of butter to it and place over direct heat. When the butter and oil are hot, add the parsnips and baste them in the same way as the potatoes. By now it will be time for the turkey to come out of the oven.

1.15 pm Remove the turkey from the oven and increase the temperature to gas mark 8, 450°F (230°C). Place the parsnips on the middle shelf of the oven (with the potatoes on the top), and the chipolatas on the lowest shelf or floor of the oven.

Transfer the turkey to a warm serving plate: it will be fine left to relax in the kitchen temperature for up to 50 minutes loosely covered with double foil without losing its heat. Next pour the giblet stock into a pan and allow it to heat up gently.

Tip the turkey fat from the foil into the tin, discard the foil, then spoon off all the excess fat from the roasting tin into a bowl. This fat is precious : it's wonderful for sautéeing potatoes, and have you ever tried turkey jelly and dripping spread on hot slices of toast and sprinkled with salt and pepper? A wonderful Boxing Day breakfast treat!

Next make the giblet gravy. When you have spooned off the excess fat from the roasting tin and only the dark juices are left, work about 2 level tablespoons of flour into these juices over a low heat.

Now, using a balloon whisk, whisk in the giblet stock, bit by bit, until you have a smooth gravy. Let it bubble and reduce a little to concentrate the flavour, and taste and season.

1.45 pm Pour boiling water over the prepared sprouts (1½lbs (700g) for 8 people), add salt and leave to boil for 5-6 minutes, then drain in a colander. While the sprouts are cooking, summon the carver and get all hands on deck to help dish up. And don't forget that lovely stuffing inside the turkey!

2 pm Lunch is served. Bon appetit!

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A step-by-step guide to cooking Christmas dinner

Now is the time to make up the stuffing ready to go into the turkey tomorrow. I firmly believe that the whole idea of stuffing a large bird like a turkey is to help to counteract the drying-out process during cooking.

Easy Vegetarian Chili

Minced pork (or pork sausagemeat) is an ideal ingredient for this because the fatty juices from the pork help to keep the flesh of the turkey moist.

Easy Vegetarian Chili

For this reason all the stuffing below has pork as a main ingredient. The stuffing is for a 12-14 lb (5.5-6.5 kg) turkey. NOTE: If you like your stuffing firm, so that it cuts in slices, add a beaten egg to bind it. If, like me, you prefer it crumbly, leave the egg out.

Easy Vegetarian Chili

This recipe is adapted from one I first came across in the cookery book written by the eighteenth-century writer, Hannah Glasse. Peeling chestnuts is a chore at the best of times, but with the pressures of Christmas it can seem even more tiresome.

Easy Vegetarian Chili

So, if you can get hold of peeled chestnuts in a vacuum pack or container, that will make life infinitely easier.

Easy Vegetarian Chili

1lb (450g) peeled chestnuts, cooked and very finely chopped 1 large onion, finely chopped The liver from the turkey, chopped small 4oz (110g) smoked streaky bacon, finely chopped 1oz (25g) butter

Easy Vegetarian Chili

4 tbsps chopped parsley 1 dsp chopped fresh thyme ½ tsp ground mace 8oz (225g) best quality pork sausagemeat, or finely minced pure pork salt and freshly milled black pepper

Easy Vegetarian Chili

Melt the butter in a large frying-pan and cook the onion, bacon and chopped turkey liver for 10 minutes or so, until the onion looks transparent and everything is tinged gold at the edges.

Easy Vegetarian Chili

Now tip the contents of the pan into a large mixing bowl and add all the remaining ingredients. Season with salt and pepper, and mix very thoroughly.

Easy Vegetarian Chili

The specific timings that follow are those tested over the years in our house, but because lunch time will vary from one family to another you can adjust these timings to suit yourself.

CHRISTMAS DAY EARLY AM

For an average family-sized 14 lb (6.5 kg) turkey (oven-ready weight) I am calculating for a 2.00pm lunch. If you plan to eat half an hour later or earlier, simply add or subtract 30 minutes to or from my timings.

CHRISTMAS DAY EARLY AM

I offer you the following method simply because it has always worked well for me and countless others. The turkey is placed in a 'tent' of foil, which essentially means it cooks in an oven within an oven.

PRINCIPLES OF TURKEY COOKING

If you wrap the foil too closely to the turkey, though, it ends up steaming instead of roasting. Give it plenty of space between the flesh and the foil and it will roast in its own buttery juices without becoming dry. This method keeps all the juices intact.

PRINCIPLES OF TURKEY COOKING

If you allow the bird to relax for 30-45 minutes before carving all the juices which have bubbled up to the surface will seep back and ensure the meat is moist and succulent.

PRINCIPLES OF TURKEY COOKING

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 7, 425°F (220°C) Traditional roast turkey: 1x14lb (6.5 kg) turkey, oven-ready 6oz (175g) butter, softened 8oz (225g) very fat streaky bacon Salt and freshly milled black pepper 1 quantity of stuffing You will also need extra-wide turkey foil

PRINCIPLES OF TURKEY COOKING

First stuff the turkey with your chosen stuffing. Loosen the skin with your hands and pack the stuffing into the neck end, pushing it up between the flesh and the skin towards the breast (not too tightly, because it will expand during the cooking).

PRINCIPLES OF TURKEY COOKING

Press it in gently to make a nicely rounded end, then tuck the neck flap under the bird's back and secure with a small skewer. Don't expect to get all the stuffing in this end - put the rest into the body cavity.

PRINCIPLES OF TURKEY COOKING

NOTE: It is only dangerous to put turkey stuffing inside the body cavity if either the turkey or the stuffing is not defrosted properly, because the heat will not penetrate it quickly enough. If both are at room temperature it is perfectly safe.

PRINCIPLES OF TURKEY COOKING

Now arrange two large sheets of foil across your roasting tin, one widthways and the other lengthways (no need to butter them). Lay the turkey on its back in the centre then rub it generously all over with the butter, making sure the thigh bones are particularly well covered.

PRINCIPLES OF TURKEY COOKING

Next, season the bird all over with salt and pepper, and lay the bacon over the breast with the rashers overlapping each other.

PRINCIPLES OF TURKEY COOKING

Now wrap the turkey loosely in the foil: the parcel must be firmly sealed but roomy enough to provide an air space around most of the upper part of the bird.

PRINCIPLES OF TURKEY COOKING

So bring one piece of foil up and fold both ends over to make a pleat along the length of the breastbone. Then bring the other piece up at both ends and crimp and fold to make a neat parcel.

PRINCIPLES OF TURKEY COOKING

8.15 am Place the turkey in the pre-heated oven, where it will cook at the initial high temperature for 40 minutes. Once it is in, you can peel the potatoes ready for roasting and keep them covered with cold water in a saucepan. Begin making the bread sauce.

PRINCIPLES OF TURKEY COOKING

Serves 8 people 4oz (115g) freshly made white breadcrumbs (a 2-day-old white loaf with crusts removed will be hard enough to grate, but the best way is in a liquidiser, if you have one)

Traditional bread sauce

1 large onion 15-18 whole cloves or grated nutmeg 1 bayleaf 8 black peppercorns 1 pint (570ml) creamy milk 2 oz (50g) butter 2 tbsps double cream Salt and freshly milled black pepper

Traditional bread sauce

Cut the onion in half and stick the cloves in it. If you don't like them at all, you can use some freshly grated nutmeg instead. Place the onion studded with cloves, plus the bayleaf and the peppercorns in a saucepan together with the milk.

Traditional bread sauce

Add some salt, then bring everything up to boiling point. Take off the heat, cover the pan and leave in a warm place for the milk to infuse for 2 hours or more.

Traditional bread sauce

Traditional bread sauce

Traditional bread sauce

8.55 am Lower the oven temperature to gas mark 3, 3250F (1700C). Now take a break. At this point everything should be under control so you can take time out of the kitchen.

Traditional bread sauce

1.45 am Advertisement Now is the time to finish off the bread sauce. Place it in a jug with some butter to melt over the surface, and keep it in a warm place.

Traditional bread sauce

12.00 noon Fill a saucepan quite full with boiling water, put it on the heat and, when it comes back to the boil, place a steamer on top of the pan and turn it down to a gentle simmer. Put the Christmas pudding in the steamer, cover and leave to steam away until 2.15 pm.

Traditional bread sauce

You'll need to check the water from time to time and maybe top it up a bit.

Traditional bread sauce

12.30 pm Increase the oven temperature to gas mark 6, 4000F (2000C). Now get some help, because you've got to get the turkey out of the oven and it's heavy! Remove the foil from the top and sides of the bird, and take off the bacon slices.

Traditional bread sauce

Now baste the turkey very thoroughly with a long-handled spoon, then return it to the oven for a further 30-45 minutes to finish browning - give it as much basting as you can during this final cooking period.

Traditional bread sauce

The bacon rashers can be placed on a heat-proof plate and put back in the oven to finish cooking till all the fat has melted and there are just very crisp bits left. (I like to serve these crunchy bits with the turkey as well as the bacon rolls!)

Traditional bread sauce

12.45 pm After you've dealt with the turkey, par-boil the potatoes for 10 minutes then drain them. Put the lid back on the saucepan, and shake the potatoes quite heftily in the saucepan so that they become fluffy round the edges.

Traditional bread sauce

Now take a solid roasting tin, add 2oz (50g) of lard to it, and place on direct heat to let the fat melt and begin to sizzle. When it is really hot, add the potatoes and tip the tin and baste the potatoes so all are coated with fat. Then place the roasting tin in the oven with the turkey.

Traditional bread sauce

Traditional bread sauce

1.15 pm Remove the turkey from the oven and increase the temperature to gas mark 8, 450°F (230°C). Place the parsnips on the middle shelf of the oven (with the potatoes on the top), and the chipolatas on the lowest shelf or floor of the oven.

Traditional bread sauce

Transfer the turkey to a warm serving plate: it will be fine left to relax in the kitchen temperature for up to 50 minutes loosely covered with double foil without losing its heat. Next pour the giblet stock into a pan and allow it to heat up gently.

Traditional bread sauce