Christmas made easy

Planning ahead makes our Christmas extra special - capturing memories.

As a family, we cherish the holidays, especially Christmas, and we always want to make our Christmas dinner special. To achieve this, we take the time to source our ingredients from local farms, ensuring that we use the freshest and highest-quality products. We also make a conscious effort to use organic vegetables as much as possible, as we believe it is better for our health, the environment, and the local economy.

My parents love turkey and we love goose, so I cook both on Christmas day so that we can share both birds. This year, we are particularly excited because we have discovered a local turkey farm called Brunsell Farm, which is based in Dorset. 

We have also placed our order for a fresh goose with M J Coleman & Son, a reputable and well-established farm located at Hewish Farm near Milton Abbas. 

We are eagerly awaiting our annual trip to their farm gates to collect them ourselves. Over the years we have experienced all weathers including deep snow, but the memories we make every year on the journey are amazing.

We take great pride in supporting our local farming community and are always excited to sample the delicious, high-quality produce that they offer. By sourcing our food directly from the farm, we can ensure that it is fresh, ethically raised, and of the highest possible quality.

Vegetables

There is definitely a difference in the taste of organic vegetables and therefore I've ordered from both Riverford and Abel & Cole this year. There will be no stress as I have all the vegetables I need arriving at my home. You can book your Christmas order now, use the codes below to get a discount off your first box, a perfect opportunity to get organic vegetables for your Christmas meal at a discount. I don't have to fight at the supermarket or risk the empty shelves in the days before.

Riverford

You can use a discount of £15 to really get started with Riverford - trying an iconic veg box, a recipe box for a dine-in treat, or ordering whatever they fancy. For each friend referred, we'll also add to our fund for harvesting and donating gluts of veg to FareShare South West, who fight hunger by redistributing surplus food. Help us feed those in need, and help friends live life on the veg! join Riverford

Friends get 50% off their first two fruit and veg boxes.

Join Abel & Cole

I've also started to stock up on store cupboard items such as vacuum packed chestnuts for my 
Chestnut Stuffing - I've already bought fresh cranberries so that I can make my Cranberry and Orange Sauce and will also make preserves ready as presents.

We can't wait to see how our Christmas dinner turns out this year!

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Greek Turkey with lemon potatoes - slow cooker recipe

An easy Sunday lunch or dinner, freeing up your time to spend with the family.

If you are trying to work out how to balance cooking from scratch with family life, then this is a really easy recipe that doesn't take long to prepare, and then the slow cooker looks after the rest. You can leave this unattended without any worries, returning to a hot meal.

Cheaper cuts of meat make really easy meals, but they need to cook slowly and at a lower temperature, so they will take more time. You can make the following recipe in a normal oven, but it also is really simple in a slow cooker. Slow cookers save on energy costs too.

I love my slow cooker for this. I set it to high and the timer for 5 hours before I start browning the turkey joint, put the ingredients into the pot and then put the turkey on the top, pop on the lid and your meal cooks itself. No extra water/stock is needed, but remember not to remove the lid during cooking as the steam evaporates and returns to the food to help the cooking through condensation on the lid.

There are many different types of slow cookers, but I have the Crockpot below and love it. It comes into its own at this time of year as it will take a whole chicken, large gammon joint, ox cheek, joint of brisket, as well as stews and for making stock.

Ingredients

Turkey Thigh Joint
3 tbsps olive oil
2 large brown onions, sliced thickly
500g potatoes, peeled and cut into 2.5 cm chunks
1 tbsp dried oregano
Juice from 1 lemon
sea salt

Method

Switch on the slow cooker and set it to high (if you have a timer, set it to 5 hours).

Put a frying pan on medium heat and then add 2 tbsps of the olive oil; carefully place the turkey joint into the frying pan, skin-side down, to start to brown. When golden brown, turn over the turkey joint to brown the base.

While the turkey is browning, put the sliced onions and potato chunks into the slow cooker with the other 1 tbsp olive oil. Sprinkle over the oregano, a pinch of sea salt and lemon juice. Mix thoroughly and spread across the base of the slow cooker.

When the turkey joint has browned, carefully transfer it onto the top of the onions and potatoes in the slow cooker, pour over any fat remaining in the frying pan.

Put the lid on the slow cooker and leave untouched.

You do not need to add any liquid to the cooker, it will cook in it's own juices. The lid must remain on the pot until at least 4 hours, as the heat would be lost. 

If you don't have a slow cooker, you can use a large roasting tray, add 1/2 pint hot water and cover with foil at Gas 4/180C/350F - check after 3 hours, check that the pan isn't dry (you may need to add a small amount of water so you have some gravy. Remove foil for last 30 minutes.

I served with some green beans, but also goes well with a greek salad in hotter weather.

Turkey Thigh Joint
This is available from Tesco. It is around £3.50 and will easily serve 4 people

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McChiggis - The most amazing roast chicken stuffed with haggis

Roast chicken stuffed with haggis

We discovered McChiggis in Scotland, ready prepared in the chilled cabinet in a supermarket in Fort William, and have fallen in love with this. The haggis infuses the chicken with the most amazing aroma and flavour.

Ingredients

1 fresh free-range chicken
1 haggis (I use gluten-free McSween haggis)
1 onion sliced into thick rings
olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
salt

Method

Put the sliced onion in the bottom of a deep roasting tin.

Stuff the chicken with the haggis. If there is any left over, place in the pan under the chicken. Weigh the chicken when stuffed. Place on top of the onions.

Rub the olive oil over the chicken then season with salt and lots of black pepper.

Place on the middle shelf in a hot oven Gas 5/190 C and roast for 20 mins per 500g/1lb plus 20 mins. Check chicken is cooked by inserting a skewer or sharp knife where the leg joins the breast, the juices should be clear.

Serve with tatties and neeps and lashings of gravy.

Tip: If you are after gluten-free Haggis, I've found it available in some Waitrose stores.

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