Troy Terrington
Dobson & Parnell, Newcastle
Plan ahead
The best bit of advice I can give anyone tackling Christmas lunch at home is to write a plan. There’s nothing worse than being unprepared, so a simple list with timings can really help, as can using a timer. Preparing vegetables a couple of days beforehand really helps too. I make things like sticky braised red cabbage and vegetable mash in advance and freeze them so that when I come to set up on the day, all I have to do is defrost and re-heat, job done!
Chris Wardale
Blackfriars, Newcastle
Preparation is all
The key is preparation – the day before, peel the potatoes and leave in water; half blanch carrots/parsnips ready to add to the turkey tray during cooking on the day; peel and prep the sprouts (no need to cross). On the day, use two roasting tins for the turkey – cook it upside down then halfway through transfer it breast side up to the other tray. This keeps the breasts moist and gives it a good colour. When it’s cooked let it rest for 1-2 hours with foil over then serve with very hot gravy. Serve a simple starter like smoked salmon with cream cheese and lightly pickled cucumber. For dessert serve a sticky toffee or Christmas pudding that just needs heating up.
