Simple and Delicious Christmas Cooking Tips and Recipes

Photo: Katie Wilson for The Times

Plan Ahead

Your Christmas Countdown

.....and you must remember, everyone needs an Adam!

Weeks Before

Make Christmas pudding — it improves with age
Order your turkey — from your local butcher
Stock cupboard essentials — spices, dried fruit, nuts
Make & freeze mince pie pastry — You can roll and cut the pastry to shape
Write your menu — and shopping list and your prep list

Christmas Eve

Make cranberry sauce — it keeps well in the fridge
Cook red cabbage — prepare and braise ready to reheat
Make stuffing — refrigerate ready to cook
Prepare the turkey — See my recipe for the perfect roast Turkey
Prep vegetables — peel, chop, and blanch vegetables and potatoes

Christmas Day

9:30amPre-heat your oven
10amRoast the Turkey (see recipe, timings depend on the size of your Turkey)
11:30amTurkey out to rest, covered with foil
12pmMake the gravy, cook veg and potatoes
12:30Set the table and serve your starter
1pmCarve the Turkey and serve!

“The secret to a relaxed Christmas Day? Do as much as possible in advance. Your cranberry sauce, stuffing, and even gravy base can all be made days ahead. On the day, you should be enjoying time with family, not stuck in the kitchen!”

— Raymond Blanc

✦

Christmas Recipes

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A Celebration of Celeriac

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Kitchen Secrets

Raymond's Top Tips

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The Perfect Turkey

Remove from fridge 2 hours before cooking. Season inside and out. Baste every 30 minutes.

Crispy Potatoes

"Adam's tip for the perfect roast potatoes is all in the ruffling." Par-boil for 10 mins, drain and shake to rough up the edges.

Homemade Gravy

Add chicken wings to the roasting tray. Whilst the turkey is resting, deglaze with water and thicken for the perfect gravy

Brussels Sprouts

Blanch them until 3/4's cooked ,halve and sauté them in a frying pan Finish with cooked chestnuts.

Resting time

Resting is part of the cooking time. Any joint of meat will go on to cook whilst resting; its internal temp increasing by at least 10C.

Getting prepared

Most items will freeze well, such as Cranberry sauce. See my "Plan ahead" section.

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Boxing Day - "Make the best of your leftovers"

My mother taught me "you shall waste not" — and Christmas leftovers offer wonderful possibilities. Transform your turkey into a warming curry, hearty soup, crispy croquettes, or the classic Boxing Day sandwich. Leftover bread becomes a comforting bread and butter pudding. Here is one of my favourite ways to use those precious leftovers.

Leftover Turkey Curry

A quick and easy way to use up your leftover turkey. Turkey is low in saturated fat, high in protein, and packed with B vitamins — so don't waste it!

See the recipe

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