Prepare the perfect feast

Christmas Special

Serving up the ultimate roast on Christmas Day can be a bit of a slog. Getting the turkey, potatoes, gravy, stuffing, Brussels sprouts and all the other essentials to the table on time often feels like a logistical nightmare.

But don't despair, it is possible to enjoy cooking on Christmas Day without turning to the sherry early - it just takes organisation. Many of the recipes listed here can be prepared before the big day rolls around. So if the prospect of catering for the extended family is already setting your pulse racing, take a deep breath and have a read.

CRISPY BACON-BASTED TURKEY

• 5kg-6kg oven-ready turkey (neck and giblets removed)

• 2 thyme sprigs

• 1 onion, halved

• 1 lemon, halved

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 garlic bulb, halved

• 85g flaky sea salt

• 2tbsp fresh thyme leaves

• 1tsp crushed black pepper

• 6 rashers smoked streaky bacon or pancetta, chopped into small pieces

• 140g butter, softened

• 1tbsp maple syrup

Method-

• If you have time the day before, salt the turkey. Make the salt mix by grinding the salt with the thyme leaves and pepper in a spice grinder, or with a pestle and mortar.
• Sit the turkey in a roasting tin and season all over, inside and out, using about two-thirds of the salt.
• Leave the turkey in the tin, breast-side up, cover with cling film and put in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
• To make the bacon butter, gently cook the bacon in a dry frying pan for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fat has seeped into the pan and is sizzling gently, and the bacon is crisp.
• Take off the heat and leave to cool slightly.
• Scrape the bacon and the fat into a food processor with the butter and maple syrup.
• Blitz to combine, scraping down the sides of the processor from time to time.
• Roll up the butter in cling film to form a log and place in the fridge. Remove the turkey from the fridge an hour or so before you want to cook it.
• Remove the bacon butter from the fridge to soften up.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas mark 4. Calculate your cooking time based on 40 minutes per kg for the first four kg of the turkey, plus 45 minutes for every kg after that.
• Place the onion, lemon, bay leaves and garlic in the cavity.
• Cover the tin loosely with foil and roast for the calculated cooking time. 30 minutes before the end of cooking, increase the oven temperature to 200C/180C fan/Gas mark 6, remove the foil, baste the turkey and return to the oven.
• When the turkey is beautifully brown and cooked through, remove from the oven and leave to rest on a warm platter covered in foil for up to one hour.
• Pour the fat away from the roasting tin, leaving just the juices.
• Serve the remaining salt mix as a seasoning alongside the rest of the meal.

SALTED MAPLE-ROASTED PARSNIPS

Ingredients-

• 600g parsnips, peeled and quartered

• 2tbsp vegetable oil

• 3tbsp maple syrup

• 3 thyme sprigs, leaves picked

• Sea salt

Method-

• Heat oven to 220C/200C
• Put the parsnips in a large roasting tin with the oil, maple syrup, thyme leaves and some sea salt flakes
• Roast for 35-40 minutes until soft and sticky
• Scatter over a few more sea salt flakes before serving