How to Cook Christmas Dinner

Christmas dinner made easy! From cooking the perfect roast Turkey and Gravy to nailing all of the classic festive sides. Here's your step-by-step recipe tutorial for creating the perfect festive feast from start to finish. And the best part is, a lot of this can be made and prepared the day before or in advance so you can enjoy a stress-free Christmas Day 🎄

Check Out The Recipe Video Below

How to Cook Christmas Dinner - All Recipes Below

The Turkey

Ingredients

1 x Whole Turkey (4-5kg)

250g x Unsalted Butter (soft)

15g x Sage (roughly chopped)

10g x Thyme (pick half of the leaves and leave the rest as sprigs)

4 x Cloves of Garlic 

6 x Clementines

20 x Smokey Streaky Bacon Rashers

3 x Brown Onions (Wedges & Skin On)

2 x Carrots (Roughly Chopped)

2 x Celery Sticks (Roughly Chopped)

Salt & Black Pepper

Method

1. Begin by making a herb and garlic butter. Place the into a mixing bowl and add in the chopped sage and thyme leaves.  Grate or crush in the garlic, season with salt and pepper, and mix until everything is fully incorporated. 

2. Lift the skin of the turkey coving the breast meat to create a pocket and spread the butter between the skin and turkey breast. Season the cavity of the turkey with salt and pepper

3. Slice 3 of the clementines and cut the rest into wedges. Place the slices under the skin with the butter and the wedges inside the cavity with the rest of the thyme.

4. Cover the top of the turkey with the streaky bacon.

5. Place the onion, carrot, and celery onto a roasting tray and place the turkey directly on top. Place into a preheated oven at 180°C and cook the turkey for 30 minutes per kg. So 2 hours 40 minutes to 3 hours for this size turkey.

6. After the first hour baste with the cooking juices and cover with foil to prevent it from crisping up any further. Baste two more times throughout the cooking process. 

7. After cooking rest the turkey for a minimum of 1 hour but ideally half the amount of time you cooked it before carving.

Goose Fat Roast Potatoes

Ingredients

2kg x Potatoes (Starchy Variety)

120g x Goose Fat

Water for Boiling

Big Pinch of Salt

Method

1. Peel and cut the potatoes in half or quarter making sure they are all the same size. 

2. Place into a pan of cold water generously seasoned with salt. Place over the heat and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for 15 minutes.

3. Drain the potatoes and place them back into the pan. Place a lid on and give them a shake to rough up the edges. Remove the lid and steam dry for 5 to 10 minutes. 

4. Place the goose fat onto a roasting tray and heat in a preheated oven at 180°C for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully place on the potatoes. Turn them in the fat and place them back into the oven for a total of 1 hour, turning them every 15 minutes. 

Honey Roast Carrots and Parsnips

Ingredients

500g x Carrots 

500g x Parsnips 

1-2 Tbsp x Olive Oil

Pinch of Salt & Black Pepper

2 Tbsp x Runny Honey

Method

1. Peel and cut both the carrots and parsnips in half. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Give them a mix so they are fully coated.

2. Place them onto a baking tray and roast for 40 minutes turning them once, half way through the cooking time. 

3. After 40 minutes, remove from the oven and drizzle with the honey. Place them back into the oven and cook for a further 5 minutes. 

Sage, Onion And Apple Stuffing

Ingredients

500g x Pork Sausage Meat

1 x Brown Onion (Diced)

1 x Green Apple (Peeled & Diced)

15g x Sage (Roughly Chopped)

90g x Breadcrumbs 

25g x Unsalted Butter

Salt and Black Pepper (Optional)

Method

1. Peel and dice the onion and apple. Place a frying pan over the heat and add in the butter, then cook the onion and apple until soft. cool before adding into the sausage meat. 

2. Place the sausage meat, breadcrumbs, sage and cooled onion and apple into a mixing bowl. Mix everything together. 

3. Place into and oven dish and bake at 180°C for 40 minutes. 

Pigs in Blankets

Ingredients

12 x Pork Chipolata Sausages

12 x Smoky Streaky Bacon Rashers

Method

1. Wrap each sausage in 1 rasher of bacon and place onto a baking tray.

2. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes in a preheated oven at 180°C until the bacon is crisp and the sausages are fully cooked through. 

Yorkshire Puddings

Ingredients

1 Mug/Cup/Glass x Plain Flour

1 Mug/Cup/Glas x Eggs 

1 Mug/Cup/Glass x Milk

Salt & Black Pepper

Lard, Beef Dripping, or Vegetable Oil for cooking

Method

1. Fill the same mug or cup with flour, then eggs, then milk, and place into a mixing bowl. 

2. Whisk together until smooth. Cover and place in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour or ideally overnight. 

3. Remove from the fridge and season the mixture with a pinch of salt and pepper. 

4. Place a Yorkshire pudding tray onto a larger tray (to catch any fat overflow in the oven) and place your chosen fat into each section of the Yorkshire pudding tray.

5. Heat the fat in a preheated oven at 220°C for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and ladle your mixture into each section leaving a little bit of space at the top. Cook for 30 minutes until fully risen, crispy on the outside, and soft in the centre. 

Sprouts

Ingredients

1kg x Sprouts 

300g x Chestnuts

300g x Bacon Lardons

1 Tbsp x Olive Oil

100ml x Water

30g x Butter

Salt & Pepper

Method

1. Begin by roasting the chestnuts. Carefully make a cut into the shell of the chestnuts and place it onto a baking sheet cut side up. Roast at 180°C for 30 minutes. Cool and remove the shells. Roughly chop the chestnuts and set them to one side. 

2. Remove any nasty-looking leaves from the sprouts and trim off the bottom/stem.

3. Place a large saute pan over medium heat and add in the olive oil followed by the bacon lardons. Cook until crispy. You may want to drain off some of the fat at this stage. 

4. Next, add in the sprouts and stir to coat them in the bacon fat. Add in the water and place the lid on. Allow them to steam with the lid on for 5 minutes.

5. Remove the lid and add in the chopped chestnuts and stir through the butter. Season with salt and pepper. 

Turkey Gravy

Ingredients

Cooked Veg From Cooking The Turkey

90g x Plain Flour

250ml x White Wine

1 Ltr x Water 

Salt & Pepper to Taste

Method

1. Place the existing tray and vegetables from under your turkey over medium heat on the hob and bring the cooking juices and fat to a simmer. 

2. Sprinkle over the flour, stir and cook for 3 to 5 minutes before deglazing the pan with the white wine. Next gradually add in water until it comes to your desired thickness. 

3. Place a saucepan over low heat and pass the gravy mixture through a sieve extracting as much of the gravy as possible. Discard the vegetables. 

4. Add a little more water if needed and season your gravy to taste before serving. 

Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!