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Need some tips on roasting the perfect turkey? And how much better does homemade bread sauce taste compared to the one from a packet? What about trying a genuine ‘figgy pudding’ this year for a change? Pour yourself a generous cup of mulled wine and let’s get out in the kitchen and start experimenting…

Turkey first. You’ll need 1 turkey, a large bunch fresh thyme, a lemon (quartered), 6-8 shallots (halved), a bulb of garlic (halved crosswise), and 100g approx of melted butter. Start by preheating the oven to around 350 degrees F. Remove turkey giblets and wash the cavity, patting dry with kitchen paper. Place in a large roasting pan then stuff the cavity with the thyme, lemon, garlic, and shallots, along with some salt and pepper. Brush melted butter over the turkey and season again with salt and pepper. Here’s the important part: set the turkey upside down on your roasting pan and cook for 1.5 hours before turning over to finish cooking the ‘right way up’ for the last hour or so. This helps ensure the breast meat is moist and tender. As a guide, a 12lb bird will take 2.5 hours but ALWAYS check the colour of the juices to ensure adequate cooking – it is cooked when the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh. Let the cooked bird rest for 20 minutes before carving.

Now for the bread sauce to go with it. You’ll need 4 oz breadcrumbs (use 2 day old bread with crusts removed. Grate, or use a liquidiser to make the crumbs) plus 1 large onion, a bay leaf, 8 black peppercorns, 1 pint milk, a dozen whole cloves, 2 oz butter, and 2 tablespoons double cream

Peel the onion, then stick all the cloves into it. Add it to a pan along with the milk, bay leaf, and peppercorns. Bring to the boil, then remove from heat and let it stand for 1-2 hours. Remove the solid ingredients then stir the breadcrumbs into the milk and add 1 oz of the butter. Leave the saucepan on a very low heat until the crumbs have swollen and thickened the sauce – about 15 minutes. Add remaining butter and cream to serve.

Figgy Pudding. Famous for its mention in ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas’ but hardly ever encountered in real life, it’s uses similar flavours to a traditional Christmas Pudding, but baked inside a moist suet crust pastry. Here’s what you’ll need: ½ pint milk, 8oz flour, 6oz dried figs, ¼ pint brandy, 4oz suet, 4oz prunes, 3oz raisins, 2oz dried apricots, 2oz dates, 1 tbsp honey, ¼ tsp ginger, ¼ tsp cinnamon.

Start preparing your pudding a day in advance by soaking the dried prunes and apricots in water and the raisins in the brandy. Also remove the stones from dates and prunes. Sift flour into a bowl and stir in the suet, mixing to a soft dough with cold water. Turn onto floured surface and knead until smooth. Roll out two-thirds of this pastry into a round and use it to line a well-greased 2-pint pudding basin.

Melt the honey and stir in the ginger and cinnamon, then add to the soaked fruits and brandy mixture. Mix, then place into the pastry lined bowl. Moisten the pastry edges then cover with the lid made from the remaining pastry. Press the edges together to seal then cover with greased greaseproof paper or foil. Steam for 2 hours then turn onto a plate to serve.

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[ Cooking Tips for the Perfect Christmas Dinner ]

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