A turkey isn't just for Christmas. It's for all year round.
That was the message put out by the British Turkey board. Headed up by Paul Kelly - a good Essex boy - me and a bunch of others were entertained as a guest of Cyrus Todiwala to help promote the use of turkey throughout the year. Cyrus was an affable host, preparing dinner and chatting away. We were … Continue Reading ››
The bird only fit for one month of the year is back! December is of course month of the turkey (I've tried to buy a turkey at other points in the year and it costs a fortune).
I'd been very pleased with brining a whole turkey last year and was all set to do the same again. Just as I filled my enormous container ready to bath, I started flicking through a few online articles just for any … Continue Reading ›› 
In another one of my recipes for students, I've taken inspiration from the wonderful Ottolenghi. In his latest book (Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi (Ebury Press, £27)) he and long-time collaborator Sami Tamimi return to their home town of Jerusalem to reminisce on the food gems of their youth. It's full of wonderful recipes and ideas, and generally speaking most of the recipes are thrifty and homely in nature.
This recipe … Continue Reading ›› 
What's that you say? You have leftovers from Christmas Day? Unheard of.
Previously I've made Jamie's sweet leek pie with leftover poultry and it's brill. Using that as an inspiration I made a mushroom version and it's just as good.
Turkey and mushroom pie (serves 4 - 6):
1 onion, diced
1 sprig rosemary, leaves picked and chopped
300g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
Christmas dinner leftovers, about 800g (I … Continue Reading ››
Sometimes, blog posts I write are to spread the news of some great recipe I found. Other times it's about crazy experiments. But the aim has always been to be a log of what I cooked, and that's what this Christmas Day feast is about: to remind myself what worked and what to fix for next time.
Perhaps surprisingly I'd never cooked a whole turkey before: on previous years when hosting someone else provided the turkey on another occasion I went for chicken. So … Continue Reading ››