For many, the roast turkey is the star of the show, – and certainly a favourite here in the office. We like this recipe which adds lots of streaky bacon rashers for an exceptional flavour.
Ingredients
125 g unsalted English butter (softened)
1 tbsp heaped chopped fresh thyme leaves
20 g fresh sage (finely chopped with extra whole leaves to garnish)
Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. In a bowl, mix together the butter, thyme, sage and garlic, and season with freshly ground black pepper.
Use your fingertips to separate the turkey skin from the breast meat, being careful not to tear it. Push in the herb butter and spread evenly over the breast. Lay the bacon over the turkey, overlapping as you do so.
Tie the turkey legs together with string and place the bird on a rack inside a large roasting tin. Roast for 30 minutes, uncovered, then remove from the oven and loosely cover with buttered foil. Reduce the temperature to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Continue roasting for 3-3½ hours, basting every 45 minutes with the juices, until cooked through. Remove the foil a few minutes before the end of cooking if the skin still needs to crisp up.
Mix all the stuffing ingredients together and season. Shape into 20 balls and place in the oven in a roasting tin, 25 minutes before the turkey has finished cooking.
To test whether the turkey is cooked, insert a skewer into the thickest part of the leg – the juices should run clear. Transfer to a warmed serving plate, cover loosely with foil and leave to rest for 30 minutes before carving. Garnish with the sage leaves and serve with the stuffing balls.
Cook’s tip: to baste a turkey: use a bulb turkey baster, a basting brush or a large spoon to scoop up the juices and drizzle over the turkey.
When you receive your Walters Turkey it’s important that you take good care of it!
Storage
On delivery your turkey will be oven ready, carefully wrapped in greaseproof paper and neatly placed in a box with a sprig of fresh rosemary, a Pop-up Timer, recipe leaflet and vacuum packed giblets to make a delicious gravy accompaniment. We suggest you keep the turkey in its box and place it in the refrigerator as soon as possible.
Cooking Instructions
These instructions for cooking a Christmas turkey are taken from The Good Housekeeping Cooking Book which has proved successful over many years in the Walters Household. With this recipe, and regularly checking whether the Pop-up Timer has popped, you are guaranteed not to over cook your turkey. Firstly, stuff the turkey with your favourite stuffing or Sausage meat and then calculate your cooking time. Use the table below to work out your cooking time.
Weight in KGs
Slow Cook 325°F/160°C
Slow Cook 400°F/200°C
2.75 – 3.75
3 – 3.5 hours
2.25 – 2.5 hours
3.75 – 4.5
3.5 – 3.75 hours
2.5 – 2.75 hours
4.5 – 5.5
3.75 – 4 hours
2.75 hours
5.5 – 6.25
4 – 4.25 hours
3 hours
6.25 – 7.25
4.25 – 4.5 hours
3 – 3.25 hours
7.25 – 8.2
4.5 – 4.75 hours
3.25 – 3.5 hours
As the turkeys are hung in the traditional manner they are very tender and therefore it’s very important that they are not overcooked. If foil is used, unwrap 30 mins before cooking time is finished to allow for browning. Also, a good tip is to let the bird stand for at least 10 – 15 minutes out of the oven to let the juices in the meat settle before carving.
Have you got guests coming to stay? A big family to feed? Or just fancy a special treat? Then this Croque Madame brunch bake is perfect for adding some oomph to your mornings this Christmas! This recipe uses crispy fried eggs to add a tasty twist to this classic dish. It will keep the family full and ready for those busy days through the Christmas period. Breakfast just got even better!
Preheat the grill to high. Use half the melted butter to brush over one side of each of the slices of bread. Grill the bread, butter-side up, until golden and crisp. Set aside. Heat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6.
Heat the remaining butter in a saucepan and, once foaming, add the flour. Cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes, then remove from the heat. Gradually whisk in the milk a little at a time, until smooth. Return the pan to the heat and bring to a simmer, stirring continuously. Cook for 5-6 minutes, until you have a thickened, smooth sauce. Remove from the heat and stir through the nutmeg, 125g of the cheese and season to taste.
To assemble the sandwiches, spread the Dijon evenly over the untoasted sides of the bread. Lay two slices of ham over 3 of the slices of bread and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the ham. Top with the remaining slices of bread, toasted-side-up, and press down. Cut into triangles and arrange in a 2-litre baking dish or roasting tin. Pour the cheese sauce over the sandwiches evenly, then bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
While the bake is in the oven, heat the oil in a large non-stick pan and fry the eggs to your liking. Top the bake with the eggs to serve.
A creamy garlic and mushroom sauce combined with dry cured ham on toasted brioche; it really adds an element of luxury to your festive lunch. It is sure to impress any guest. Make sure you make this dish extra special with our organic dry-cured ham for a delicious flavour.
Add the oil to a large, heavy-based frying pan and fry the ham over a high heat for 1-2 minutes until crisp. You may need to do this in two batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Remove and set aside.
Turn the heat down to medium and melt about a third of the butter in the pan. Fry the brioche slices until golden-brown on each side, you may have to do this in batches. Remove and set aside.
Melt another third of the butter in the pan, add the garlic, chestnut and shiitake mushrooms and fry over a high heat for 2–3 minutes. Lower the heat, cover with a lid and cook for a further 2 minutes. Remove the lid and fry over a high heat until tender and golden-brown, tossing until dry and any liquid has evaporated.
Add the remaining butter, along with the oyster and enoki mushrooms, and fry for 1–2 minutes until golden-brown. Season well with salt and pepper. Stir in the crème fraiche
Place a slice of toasted brioche on each plate, spoon over some of the garlic mushrooms, followed by a slice of fried ham and a sprinkling of chopped parsley. Serve immediately.
Make sure to make the most of your leftover turkey with this temptingly tasty turkey, leek and ham pie recipe. Waste not, want not I suppose! Creamy, hearty, and filling; you really cannot go wrong with this recipe.
Ingredients:
50g butter
1 onion (chopped)
2 carrots (chopped)
2 leeks (chopped)
200ml double cream
250ml chicken stock or leftover gravy
400g cooked turkey, bite-sized pieces
300g Helen Browning’s organic honey roast ham ends, chopped into bite-sized pieces
2tbsp thyme leaves
1tbsp wholegrain mustard
250g readymade puff pastry
Method:
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6. Heat a large pan over a medium heat. Add a knob of butter and gently cook the onion until soft but not brown.
Add the carrots and leek and continue cooking for five minutes until the carrots begin to soften. Cover with the cream and stock or gravy and simmer until the sauce starts to thicken.
Add the turkey, ham, wholegrain mustard, and herbs then season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper then remove the pan from the heat. Pour the filling into a ceramic pie dish.
Roll out the pastry (if not ready rolled) to make a lid for the pie and strips to line the rim of the dish. Press the strips onto the rim, moistening them with a little beaten egg, then press down the lid firmly and brush with the beaten egg. Do not forget to make a hole for the steam to escape. Cook in the oven for 25 minutes until the pastry is golden-brown.