Winter Edition 2018

CHRISTMAS
LICKED
Get ahead for the big day!
Did you know the lion’s share can be can be done before the
holidays? Experienced cook and food stylist Jane Lovett
shares her fail-safe tips
1 2 3
Potatoes for roasting can be par boiled (for
10 minutes precisely!) the day before. Drain
and shake in the colander to roughen up
their edges, then spread out in a roasting tin
with a little oil or fat, ready just to pop into
the oven next day. The fat doesn’t need
to be hot. Or prepare them as above a
month or so in advance and freeze.
Thaw before cooking.
tufings can
be made up to
two months in
advance and
rozen
Make stock for the gravy from
the turkey (or goose) giblets up to
two days ahead. Cover them with
water, bring up to the boil with
a quartered onion, bay leaf and
any other suitable flavourings and
simmer for an hour, before straining
and storing in the fridge when cold.
Just a snatched half hour here
and there will be a godsend
on Christmas Day and you’ll
be thankful for your
foresight, not least because
of the considerably
reduced washing-up!
PHOTOGRAPHY: © SHUTTERSTOCK
7 When calculating cooking times
8
remember to factor in at least 30 minutes
resting time for the turkey before eating,
which can be stretched to
an hour or more as long
as the bird is kept
somewhere warm.
4 5 6
Sprouts can be prepared
up to two days in
advance. I like to halve
or quarter them as they
cook more evenly and
look more appealing and
colourful. (see recipe)
Too exhausted
to make a
pudding? Serve cheese and
hand round a box of frozen
Maltezers instead!
Wash up as you go along. There’s
nothing more daunting, dispiriting,
depressing and panic-making than
a sink full of dirty pots and pans. I
always advise never putting down
or leaving a dirty saucepan or tin in
the sink.
Always short
o space, use
the car as an
etended ridge,
especially or
a gargantuan
turkey As well
as being cold it’s
rodentree unlike
the garage