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Wealden Times | WT213 | November 2019 | Gift supplement inside

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Anna’s Top 10<br />

Christmas Planning<br />

& Cooking Tips<br />

1Book an online shop for all your<br />

non-perishable items. With most<br />

supermarkets you can do this three<br />

weeks in advance; so, for delivery on<br />

23rd, book on 2nd December. As you<br />

remember items over the three weeks<br />

you can just add them to your basket<br />

and it’ll save multiple trips to the<br />

supermarket in the days running up<br />

to Christmas. On 23rd you can do a<br />

mini shop for perishables, for-gotten<br />

items or those that didn’t arrive.<br />

Order all required meat (turkey,<br />

2 sausages, bacon, sausage meat<br />

ham, ham hocks as early as your<br />

butcher allows; usually about 4 weeks<br />

in advance. I can also order cheese<br />

from my butcher. Pick up everything<br />

on 23rd so that you have everything<br />

for Christmas Eve preparation.<br />

Gravy can be made up to three weeks<br />

3 in advance. Every time we have a<br />

roast chicken I put the carcass in a bag<br />

in the freezer. They can be put into a<br />

large pan to make stock which is perfect<br />

for Christmas gravy. Alternatively cheap<br />

chicken wings roasted are a great base for<br />

Christmas gravy. I’ve played with many<br />

Christmas gravy recipes over the years<br />

but Jamie Oliver’s cannot be beaten.<br />

A couple of days ahead plan your<br />

4 food preparation and cooking<br />

schedule. Have one schedule for tasks<br />

that can be carried out before the 24th,<br />

a list for Christmas Eve and a cooking<br />

schedule for Christmas Day. I’ve shared<br />

my Christmas Day schedule with you.<br />

Brine your turkey. I do this on the<br />

523rd. The jury is out as to whether<br />

it adds flavour and increases tenderness<br />

but I believe not only does it do both,<br />

but as long as you’ve got somewhere safe<br />

to store it away from pets and foxes, it<br />

saves space in your fridge. Brining the<br />

turkey has become an event in itself in<br />

my house. We name the turkey, make<br />

her bath adding water, salt, sugar, spices<br />

and clementines to a large bucket and<br />

then submerge her. Put the bucket<br />

somewhere cold and safe (a shed is<br />

ideal) with a board and a brick on top.<br />

On Christmas Eve prepare as<br />

6 much of your Christmas lunch/<br />

dinner as possible. Jobs that can be<br />

done on Christmas Eve (assuming<br />

you have fridge space) :<br />

• Make any stuffings. I make a<br />

gingerbread stuffing which I bake<br />

in a tray and a traditional pork, sage<br />

and onion stuffing for the bird.<br />

• If making a vegetarian option<br />

(I have two veggies at Christmas)<br />

this can be prepared. I make a<br />

vegetarian stuffing or nut-loaf.<br />

• Wrap chipolatas in bacon and<br />

place on a baking tray lined<br />

with baking parchment. Cover<br />

and store in the fridge.<br />

• If you’ve brined your turkey take it<br />

out of the brine and dry it off. Stuff<br />

and prepare the turkey. I stuff the neck<br />

and push herb butter under the skin.<br />

• Peel potatoes, cut them to<br />

size and leave in cold water.<br />

• Prepare Brussels and<br />

leave in cold water.<br />

• Peel carrots and leave in water.<br />

• Prepare red cabbage, leave to<br />

cool, cover ready for reheating<br />

on Christmas Day.<br />

• Bread sauce can be made, cooled<br />

and refrigerated. On Christmas<br />

Day it will need reheating and<br />

loosening with more milk.<br />

• The only vegetables I don’t prepare<br />

the day before are parsnips as they<br />

go brown even with the old trick of<br />

adding lemon to water. These are quick<br />

to prepare on Christmas morning.<br />

7If cooking a ham or doing my<br />

ham hocks for Boxing Day,<br />

take off the rind and put them in<br />

to pre-soak on Christmas Eve.<br />

Instead of a starter, serve a platter<br />

8 of canapés and nibbles. These can<br />

be very simple. For a twist on a smoked<br />

salmon blini, quickly cure the salmon in<br />

a little gin and beetroot juice (from a jar).<br />

They look more festive than traditional<br />

blinis. Quails eggs (ready prepared) are<br />

another great canapé. Edible spoons<br />

can be filled with shop bought fish<br />

mousse and topped with dill or a chive.<br />

Or as an alternative to an edible spoon<br />

use a slice of cucumber as a base.<br />

9Most puddings, including my<br />

meringue, can be made on<br />

Christmas Eve. As an alternative<br />

to a dessert you can buy chocolate<br />

cups, pipe in vanilla cream and<br />

top them with a berry.<br />

If anyone asks if they can<br />

10bring something– say yes! I<br />

like to focus on the main meal and<br />

savoury dishes, so my mum brings a<br />

Christmas pudding or Christmas cake<br />

(often shop bought) and crackers!<br />

Follow Anna on Instagram<br />

@annasfamilykitchen for a wealth of<br />

recipes, one-pot family favourites and<br />

cooking tips or see annasfamilykitchen.<br />

com/christmas-food-planning/ for Anna’s<br />

Christmas Day cooking schedule and<br />

all the recipes she uses on the day.<br />

wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

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