Perfect Turkey Giblet Gravy

Serves: 6

• 3 tablespoons turkey dripping
• 3 tablespoons plain flour
• 600ml (1 pint) turkey stock
• 4 tablespoons chopped and cooked turkey giblets
• 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• salt to taste

1. Heat turkey dripping in a large frying pan over medium heat; gradually add flour and stir until golden brown.
2. Slowly whisk in turkey stock until blended and smooth. Stir in giblets, and season with sage, pepper and salt. Bring to the boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, or until thickened.

Traditional Bread Sauce

Serves 8

• 110g (4 oz) unsliced, day-old white bread
• 1 medium onion, peeled
• 6 to 10 whole cloves, according to taste
• 1 bay leaf (fresh if possible)
• about 8 black peppercorns
• 600ml (1 pint) full-fat milk
• salt and freshly milled black pepper
• 50g (2 oz) butter
• 2 tablespoons double cream

1. Begin by removing the crusts from the bread. Tear bread into pieces and pop into a food processor and blend until you have fine crumbs.
2. Cut the onion in half and stud with the cloves.
3. Place the studded onion, bay leaf, peppercorns, milk and a pinch of salt into a heavy based saucepan. Over a low heat, bring almost to the boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and cover with a lid. Leave the mixture to infuse for a couple of hours or more.
4. When you are ready to make the sauce, remove the onion, bay leaf and peppercorns with a slotted spoon. Now over a medium heat, bring the milk back to simmering point and then beat in the breadcrumbs and half of the butter. Lower the heat and bring back to a gentle simmer.
5. Stirring frequently, cook the bread sauce for 10 to 15 minutes by which time the crumbs will have swollen and thickened the sauce.
6. Just before serving, beat in the remaining butter and the cream and season to taste with salt and freshly milled black pepper. Serve in a warm sauce-boat, jug or serving bowl.

Red Potato Roasties with Rosemary

Serves 4

• 1kg (2 1/4 lb) red potatoes, cut into quarters
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

1. Preheat oven to 250 C / Gas mark 8.
2. Place potatoes in a large roasting tin and toss with oil, salt, pepper and rosemary until evenly coated. Spread out potatoes in a single layer.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve immediately.

Perfect Roast Turkey

Serves 24

• 1 large whole turkey, neck and giblets removed
• 500g coarse salt
• 125g butter, melted
• 2 large onions, peeled and chopped
• 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 4 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 250ml dry white wine

1. Rub the turkey inside and out with the coarse salt. Place the bird in a large stock pot, and cover with cold water. Place in the refrigerator, and allow the turkey to soak in the salt and water mixture 12 hours, or overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 180 C / Gas mark 4. Thoroughly rinse the turkey, and discard the brine mixture.
3. Brush the turkey with 1/2 the melted butter. Place breast side down on a roasting rack in a shallow roasting tin. Stuff the turkey cavity with 1 onion, 1/2 the carrots, 1/2 the celery, 1 sprig of thyme and the bay leaf. Scatter the remaining vegetables and thyme around the bottom of the roasting tin, and cover with the white wine.
4. Roast uncovered 3 1/2 to 4 hours in the preheated oven, until the internal temperature of the thigh reaches 74 degrees C. Carefully turn the turkey breast side up about 2/3 through the roasting time, and brush with the remaining butter. Allow the bird to stand about 30 minutes before carving.

Bacon rosemary stuffed mushrooms

Serves 6

• 100g bacon, chopped
• 30g butter
• 250g mushrooms
• 2 sprigs rosemary, minced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 150g grated Edam cheese

1. Separate the mushroom stems from the caps. Chop the stems and set aside.
2. Melt butter in a frying pan and cook onion till soft. Add chopped mushroom stems and cook for 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in another frying pan, cook chopped bacon till crisp. Drain fat from pan. Add bacon to the mushroom mixture along with the cheese and rosemary. Stir well.
4. Fill mushroom caps with cheese mixture. Place in a baking tin.
5. Preheat the oven to 200 C / Gas 6.
6. Bake stuffed mushrooms for 15 to 20 minutes.

Almondy mince pies

Makes 12

• 225g/9oz plain flour
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 140g/5oz chilled butter, cut into cubes
• 55g/2oz ground almonds
• 25g caster sugar
• 1 egg, yolk only
• 55g/2oz golden marzipan
• 170g/6oz vegetarian mincemeat
• 2 tbsp sherry
• caster sugar, for sprinkling
• cream, custard, or brandy butter, to serve

1. Put the flour in a blender with the cinnamon. Add the butter and blitz to form fine breadcrumbs. Add the almonds, sugar, egg yolk and 2-3 tbsp of cold water and blitz to form a soft dough. Knead the dough briefly on a floured surface, then wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, chop the marzipan into small pieces. Stir into the mincemeat, along with the sherry.
3. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5. Thinly roll out the pastry and cut out twelve 7.5cm/3in rounds. Place the rounds in a greased 12 hole tart tin. Divide the mincemeat between the pastry cases.
4. Cut out 12 stars and place one on top of each tart. Bake for 20 minutes until the pastry is golden and cooked through. Transfer to a wire rack and sprinkle with caster sugar. Serve with cream, custard or brandy butter

Christmas cake pops

Makes 12

• 400g/14oz Christmas cake
• 100g/3½oz dark chocolate
• 100g/3½oz white chocolate
• sprinkles, to decorate

1. Break the Christmas cake into pieces then whizz in the food processor for a few minutes to turn into crumbs.
2. Divide the mix into 12 and shape into balls. Place in the fridge for a couple of hours to firm up.
3. Melt the chocolates in separate bowls, over pans of simmering water or in a microwave.
4. Make a hole in each ball with a lolly stick, then dip the end of the stick in the melted chocolate and place back in the hole. Repeat with the other sticks and leave to set for about 30 minutes.
5. Re-melt the chocolate if necessary, then, using a teaspoon pour the chocolate over a cake pop, holding it over the bowl. Work quickly to get a smooth finish. Tap the cake pop on the side of the bowl to get rid of the excess chocolate, then stick into a piece of polystyrene or upturned colander while you coat the rest of the pops.
6. Once the chocolate has set slightly, but is still sticky, coat in sprinkles then leave to set completely.