Tips for serving your Christmas lunch at 2pm for 6 people. 

Dishes

Roast Turkey

Stuffing 

Getting ahead

Up to one month ahead

• Parboil and freeze the golden roast potatoes
• Make the stuffing and freeze
• Prep the spiced cabbage

Up to four days ahead

• Make the cranberry sauce 
• Bake the Christmas pudding if you have made this

Christmas Eve

• Roast the stuffing – keep in the foil
• Boil or steam the crisp topped sprouts and prepare the topping
• Steam the buttery carrots
• Defrost anything frozen in the fridge
• Cut the parsnips and roast

Christmas Day

9.30am: Stuff the turkey, weigh and calculate cooking time. Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5.

10am: Put the turkey in to roast (timings based on a 4.5kg turkey).

11am & 12pm: Check the roasting tin- add more cider if needed.

12.30pm: Remove the foil from the turkey to let it brown.

1pm: Leave the turkey to rest. Put the potatoes in the oven to roast, if frozen (if not, put in at 1.10pm). Make the gravy.

1.30pm: Turn oven up to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Turn the potatoes and add the stuffing to oven to reheat.

1.45pm: Cover the parsnips with foil and put into the oven to reheat. Finish sprouts, carrots, cabbage and cranberry sauce. Take foil off the stuffing.

2pm: Serve and enjoy! Warm the pudding in the oven’s residual head while you eat.

Serves: 6

Cooking time: 1 1/2 hours

Ingredients

1.25kg-1.3kg/2¾-3lb lean beef brisket joint
Salt and freshly milled black pepper
2 bay leaves, roughly broken
4 whole cloves
10 black peppercorns
2 star anise
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
30ml/2tbsp demerara sugar
30ml/2tbsp Worcestershire sauce
100g/4oz dried, ready to eat figs, left whole or halved
600ml/1pint mulled wine
30ml/2tbsp sunflower oil
175g/6oz carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
450g/1ib leeks, roughly chopped
4 small red onions, peeled and cut into quarters

STEP 1

Season the brisket and place in a large casserole dish. In a small bowl mix together the spices, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, figs and mulled wine. Pour over the brisket and mix to coat the joint. Cover, refrigerate and marinate for approximately 8 hours or overnight.

STEP 2

Preheat the oven to Gas mark 3, 170°C, 325°F.

STEP 3

Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Remove the joint from the marinade (do not discard), pat dry and brown on all sides. Return to the casserole dish with the marinade mixture and add the vegetables.

STEP 4

Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer on the hob or in the oven for 30-40 minutes per 450g/ 1lb of beef, plus 30-40 minutes.

STEP 5

Serve with the vegetables and creamy mashed potatoes.

Serves: 8

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Instead of fighting with the chicken or turkey this year, opt for a tray full of stuffing that the whole family will enjoy. Get ready to say hello to a whole new side of Christmas comfort food.

INGREDIENTS

1 bunch sage leaves
½ bunch marjoram leaves
60g butter, plus extra for greasing
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
100g pancetta, finely chopped
90g prunes, chopped
30g parmesan, finely grated
350g Sourdough bread, torn into chunks
180g pecans
500ml Chicken Style Liquid Stock

STEP 1

Finely chop half the herbs. Heat butter and oil in a large frypan over medium heat. Add chopped herbs, onion, garlic and pancetta, cook for 4 – 5 minutes until softened. Transfer to a bowl and toss with remaining ingredients, except the herb leaves. Set aside to soak for 10 minutes.

STEP 2

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease a 20 x 30cm baking dish. Add stuffing mixture and top with remaining herb leaves. Bake for 1 hour until golden.