General Chat

If you try it again try cooking it breast side down for two thirds of the cooking time (cover all the turkey in tinfoil) then turn over for the rest of the time. Never dry

We serve a veg chestnut and cranberry ring with mushroom and sherry sauce on Christmas Eve each year which is easy and can be assembled the previous day http://thesnailgarden-myrecipes.blogspot.co.uk/2010/12/chestnut-and-cranberry-festive-ring-or.html

Oh my- I definitely wouldn't have eaten green turkey!

Gobble! Gobble! Panic over!

I'm going 'cold turkey' today.

Glad it went well, Austin :-D

I had lamb on Christmas Day! :-D :-D :-D

It all went OKish. Despite all my efforts the turkey was still a little dry, but I swamped with gravy and piled on the pigs in blankets. Everyone ate (and drank!) well and we had fun.

I've decided I wont be having turkey next year. Think I be going for a nut roast and have a chicken for any meat wanting guests. I had forgotten just how lacking in flavour turkey is.

Thanks for everyone's help.

Hope your Christmas was a happy one :-)

Maggie!! Let's hope :-D

Det- thanks for that. I went with a Chardonnay (I felt it was a non offensive easy drinking choice). Just sampling a bottle now- I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to wine- I just like the stuff with alcohol in. I hoping the others will bring a bottle of what they like to top up.

Went shopping at 7am this morning- it was more like a Saturday afternoon!

My view is, after the first 3 glasses - it really doesn't matter :-S

We like a chilled Vouvray although some might think it slightly too sweet. It's about £7 per bottle upwards.
Wine merchants suggest Chardonnay.
Choose something that you enjoy and ignore the 'goes with poultry' labels.

JoyLouise- exactly my plan! I am going to cook and serve with confidence and a whole lot of wine-

anybody got ideas for a nice wine (that isn't a red) to go with turkey (not too expensive as I'll be topping up the glasses quite frequently!)

Sharron, I don't have a local Sainsburys, but that does sound good. I might drive into town after Christmas and treat myself- although not sure about the bread sauce :/

I think Dave and Denise in the Royle Family did a show about doing the turkey properly.

Even before I stopped eating meat I never really liked a roast dinner of any type and, as a fully paid up sad old git, I will again be having a Sainsbury's vegetables in cream sauce pie for my Christmas lunch because it is my favouritist fing to eat. There will be stuffing and bread sauce with it. Bread sauce is the absolutely vital ingredient at Christmas.

For the last few years one of us has cooked a piece of beef and another has cooked a gammon. When we roll home in the early hours of Boxing Day we all have enough cold beef and ham to last for a day or two. Much easier to carve too.

If it all goes awry, Austin, fill them up with juice so they don't realise that things haven't gone to plan. It works a treat and everyone is happy. :-D

:-D

Watched Jamie's Christmas and all ready to go!

Just wanted to remind any folk with large frozen turkeys to take 'em out the freezer in good time.

Mine says 76 hours to defrost in fridge.

A message for you Austin...

From Lance Corporal Jack Jones (Dads Army)...Occupation: Butcher.

"DON'T PANIC!"

:-D <3 ;-)

Roasting bags are in the shops.......never used them myself.but they tend more steam than roast....

smoked,plain it wont matter as will add extra flavour.

if its already basted it will have or should butter already under the skin,,thats easy to do though,

dont panic about ti.
any legs nearer the heat should be foiled well to stop them burning and drying out,,,,,,

you can cut the legs off to start with and cook them in the same oven.......... ;-) :-D

Hehe! Supercrutch, I'm not surprised- I've known a bacon sandwich to melt a few hardened vegetarians- the smell is Mmmmmm! I used to grill or fry slices of halloumi as my naughty 'bacon' fix, but I don't think anything can beat a real bacon butty!

Oh, and supercrutch- thanks for the tip re making sure the turkey isn't trussed- I hadn't actually thought about that.

Kay- thankyou! I wish you were on the guest list. This is the sort of advice I understand- slap on a bit of bacon and cover in foil!

So, from the advice so far that I think I'm going with- not trussed, an apple or onion in the cavity, rub in butter (thanks Kathleen), Streaky bacon over breast, and foil (lots of)- which I think I have to take off toward end of cooking?

I'll see what advice Mr Oliver gives- it could well change, although I don't think I'm putting stuffing inside- I think I need to keep it simple.

Oh, just one thing, should it be smoked streaky bacon or plain- or doesn't it make any difference.

B****y H**** someone (who's coming to dinner) just phoned and said they normally bung theirs in a bag?! Do they do bags that big? What does cooking in a bag do? Should I just ignore this? Is this just complicating it for me? I need to google :-S

Turkeys deserve to be higher up in the pecking order.

just dress it up like a christmas tree and bung in the oven,,,

put at least 3 layers of foil on the chest bit to help stop it going to leather.take off to brown it........

dont forget the streaky bacon to slap on its front bit.

:-D :-D.


dont like turkey or chicken can you tell. ;-)

My youngest was vegetarian for about 7 years then when she was working for me at the Hotel during the summer school hols I had a phone call from the chef.

Astonished he said she had asked for a bacon sandwich for lunch! I told him to just make it...lolol

That night she asked him for a chicken breast for dinner (I was in a faint at that point).

Called her into my office and asked why the change of diet? Her reply was that she was off to Uni after that holiday and she'd find it hard to keep to the vegetarian option with new friends so decided to add in bacon and chicken.

Within 12 months she was back to eating all meat :-D

So from then on I didn't need to keep a separate freezer for her bits and pieces but still had to keep veggie stuff in there for all the kids' friends who remained vegetarians.....(they came over and cooked their own food)...I ain't daft ;-)

I don't eat a lot of meat or fish, but eating the odd bit has made life easier. Many meat/ fish dishes require a lot less thought and preparation- and as Maggie pointed out, without careful planning it's easy to fall low in iron and certain vitamins on a vegi diet. (Maggie, a wonderful photo! I bet you're kept busy at Christmas :)


OK, it is done! With a little drama along the way.

This morning I bought a basted Asda frozen turkey- feeds 11-14. Looking at the size of it, I knew I'd also need a bigger roasting pan which I also bought.

I got home (feeling chuffed with myself), emptied half the contents of my freezer to make room for the turkey, and then discovered the roasting pan was too wide for my oven!

I returned the pan and have another (which just about fits and holds the turkey) with a rack to keep it from the bottom.

So I'm set to go. Prickly- I will definitely watch Jamie's Christmas program and let you all know how it goes after the day. Thanks for all your comments, keep your fingers crossed for me

:-D