Every Christmas around 10 million turkeys are eaten across the UK, with 76% of families making it the centrepiece of their festive lunch. That’s a lot of meat to gobble, and a lot of turkey know-how to master too. And, with five million Brits cooking a meat-free Christmas dinner for the first time, how do you cater for this increasing trend? Food editor Nadine Brown answers all your dilemmas
Traditional roast turkey
Classic with a capital C, you don’t want to muck around with tricks and trends. This simple yet sensational roast turkey has your name all over it
Serves 14 Prep time 30 minutes Cook time 2 hours 15 minutes Calories 257 per serving
SmartPoints® per serving
1 leek, white part only, thinly sliced 1 onion, thinly sliced 2 tsp olive oil 2 garlic cloves, crushed 140g stale wholemeal bread, whizzed into breadcrumbs 2 tbsp flaked almonds 3 lemons – you’ll need 2 tsp zest, 1 thinly sliced, 2 tbsp juice, plus wedges to serve 2 tbsp tarragon, coarsely chopped, plus about 6 sprigs 1 x 3.5kg turkey Calorie controlled cooking spray 2 tbsp plain flour 375ml chicken stock made with 1 stock cube 2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
1 Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas mark 6. To make the stuffing, place a nonstick frying pan over a medium heat and pour in the oil. Fry the the leek and onion for 5 minutes or until the onion softens. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Transfer to a large bowl with the breadcrumbs, almonds, lemon zest and tarragon. Season and toss to combine.
2 Discard the neck and giblets from inside the turkey, then spoon the stuffing into the cavity. Using your fingers, carefully loosen the skin from the flesh over the breast and tuck the lemon slices and tarragon sprigs under it. Tie the legs together with kitchen string.
3 Place the turkey, breast-side up, in a large ovenproof baking dish. Mist with cooking spray and loosely cover with foil. Bake for 1½ hours, basting with the juices every 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 30 minutes more or until golden brown and cooked through (the juices should run clear when you pierce the thickest part of the thigh with a skewer). Transfer to a plate, loosely cover with foil and set aside for 20 minutes to rest before carving.
4 To make the gravy, drain the excess fat from the baking dish, leaving 2 tbsp juices in the pan. Stir in the flour to combine, until smooth. Place the dish over a medium heat and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from the heat. Gradually stir in the stock, lemon juice and mustard. Return the gra
