Make Christmas cooking a breeze with these prep-ahead recipes!

INGREDIENTS 3 litres of water200g sea salt100g brown sugar6 bay leavesHandful of thyme sprigs10 peppercorns1 orange (unpeeled and quartered)1 onion (unpeeled and quartered)5.5kg turkey75g goose fat50g

Experiment with your pigs in blankets

Take the stress out of the proceedings and let your kitchen appliances do all the hard work

You’ve pulled off the perfect dinner; now it’s time to settle down on the sofa and enjoy a bit of telly with some perked-up leftovers

Alternative main courses for your Christmas spread