For many of us, Christmas Day is the meal to really go to town on, sourcing the best quality turkey from a farm, a local butcher or a high end delicatessen, and working really hard in the kitchen to cook it to perfection along with all the trimmings.
But here's a question: How do you know which turkey offers the best quality?
Well, only the highest quality turkeys are awarded the Golden Turkey® Quality Assurance mark.
What does this mean? This ensures free-range, traditional breeds of turkey which are grown to maturity to the highest of welfare standards.
Golden Turkeys® are always dry plucked and game hung according to tradition. This is how turkeys have been prepared for centuries and for good reasons, too.
This vastly boosts and improves the flavour and texture of the meat and provides the vital golden, crispy skin after cooking.
There are 40 turkey farms across the UK which meet the very tough and stringent Golden Turkey® assurance standards and supply their high quality turkeys directly to the public from the farm or from quality farmshops and butchers. Visit www.goldenturkeys.co.uk to locate your nearest accredited farm or stockist.
Once you have your top quality, welfare assured turkey, what's the best way of cooking it?
Golden Turkey accredited farmer and chairwoman of the Traditional Farmfresh Turkey Association Kate Martin advises how to get the most from your Christmas turkey at home.
“A high quality turkey doesn't require complex cooking and preparation processes. And you certainly don't need to brine, baste or cover your turkey in butter or bacon in order to achieve a good flavour and tender meat. Because a Golden Turkey® is mature, dry plucked and game hung, it only needs a very easy and simple cooking process to bring out its incredible flavours."
When asked for her advice Kate said: "My top tip is to cook your turkey breast side down to start with as the white meat cooks quicker than the dark leg meat and wings. This keeps the juices in the breast and prevents it from becoming dry.
"If you have a trussed turkey, it's best to remove the string before you cook your turkey, as this allows the air to circulate and helps provide more even cooking.
"For this reason, we most certainly do not recommend stuffing the main cavity, because this can stop the turkey cooking evenly and properly. You can place an apple or a peeled onion in the cavity instead for added flavour.
"Also, take the turkey out of the fridge two hours before cooking. This means more even cooking all the way through and a juicier bird, too.
"Don't cover your turkey with foil as there's no need to do this. In a high quality bird, the layer of fat under the skin will keep the meat moist. By leaving the bird uncovered you allow the turkey to develop that beautifully golden, crispy skin.
"After cooking, let your turkey rest for 30-60 minutes but don't cover it! This is because the turkey will continue to cook even after it's removed from the oven, so covering runs the risk of the meat becoming dry and overdone. It can also result in soggy skin. A Golden Turkey® should have Golden skin!”
What can I do with the leftovers?
To help you make the most of your Christmas Day turkey, top TV Chef Rachel Green has joined forces with the farmers at Golden Turkeys® to provide you with some brand new and utterly delicious ways to enjoy leftover turkey. Cooked turkey is the ideal leftover ingredient. It is versatile and is equally delicious cold or reheated.
New recipes from TV Chef Rachel Green to make the most of leftover turkey. That's Christmas would like to offer our appreciation and thanks to Rachel Green and Golden Turkeys® for allowing us to share these recipes with our readers.
The Perfect Hot Roast Turkey Sandwich with a Brussels Sprout Aioli Coleslaw
Makes 4 sandwiches
For the coleslaw:
200g Brussels sprouts, trimmed and finely sliced
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely crushed
3 spring onions, finely sliced
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
4 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp sour cream
2 tsp Dijon mustard
Zest and juice of ½ lemon
Sea salt flakes &freshly ground black pepper
For the sandwiches:
1 small onion, diced
30g butter
1 tbsp cranberry sauce
4 stuffing balls
200g cooked turkey meat, shredded
Leftover gravy
4 brioche buns, halved
8 rashers cooked bacon
4 slices mature cheddar cheese
8 cooked pigs in blankets
Make the coleslaw. Put the Brussels sprouts into a bowl along with the red onion, garlic, spring onions and carrot and mix well. In a separate bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, lemon zest and juice and season with a little salt and pepper. Tip the mayonnaise mixture into the bowl of vegetables and stir to coat.
Fry the onion in the butter and add the cranberry sauce, stuffing and the turkey. Stir in enough gravy to moisten the meat, set aside and keep warm.
Preheat the grill and toast under the grill, cut side up. Once toasted, top the bottom halves of the buns with the turkey mixture, followed by the bacon then the slices of cheese and grill until oozing. At the same time pop the pigs in blankets under the grill to warm through.
Top with the other bun halves, stick a couple of pigs in blankets into the top of the bun using a skewer and serve immediately with the Brussels sprout coleslaw.
Next Day Toad in the Hole with Turkey, Gravy and Cranberry Sauce
Serves 4
vegetable oil, for roasting
175g plain flour
¼ tsp salt
5 eggs
375ml milk
4 leftover cooked pigs in blankets
leftover Brussel sprouts, halved
leftover roast potatoes, halved
leftover carrots, halved lengthways
leftover parsnips
leftover stuffing balls
1 red onion, quartered and thinly sliced
350ml leftover gravy
450g leftover white and dark cooked turkey meat
1 tbsp cranberry sauce
2 tsp English mustard
6 large sage leaves torn
Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas mark 7
Cover the bottom of a roasting tin with a thin layer of vegetable oil and transfer to the oven for 5 minutes or until the oil is piping hot. Meanwhile, make the batter. Mix the flour and salt in a mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Break the eggs into the well along with a little of the milk and whisk until the batter is smooth, then gradually add the remaining milk. Pour the batter into a jug.
Carefully remove the roasting tin from the oven and slowly pour the batter into the roasting tin. Add the leftover pigs in blankets, vegetables, stuffing and scatter with the sliced red onion. Quickly return the batter to the oven and cook for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and well-risen.
Meanwhile, heat the gravy in a pan, add the turkey meat along with the cranberry sauce, mustard and torn sage leaves and heat until warmed through.
Serve the Toad in the Hole with the turkey gravy.
Turkey Laksa with Chilli and Lime
Serves 4
1 litre turkey stock (made from the roasted carcass), skimmed and well-strained
4 spring onions, sliced
2 shallots, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 birds eye chillies, chopped
5 cm piece of ginger, finely grated
6 kaffir lime leaves, torn
400ml coconut milk
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp fish sauce
juice of 1 lime, plus extra lime wedges to serve
2 tsp finely grated palm sugar or light brown sugar
200g vermicelli rice noodles, cooked
500g leftover cooked turkey meat, shredded
200g tender stem broccoli, trimmed and cooked
a few sprigs of mint and some coriander leaves, to serve
1 birds eye chilli, sliced to serve
Put the stock in a pan with the spring onions, shallots, garlic, chopped chilli, ginger, lime leaves, coconut milk, sesame oil, fish sauce, lime juice and sugar. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Then add the noodles, turkey and broccoli. Cook for a further 25 minutes or until the turkey is piping hot.
Transfer to bowls, top with some sprigs of mint and coriander leaves and serve immediately with the sliced chilli and lime wedges.
Pappardelle Pasta with Portobello Mushroom, Rosemary, Turkey Ragout and Parmesan
Serves 4-6
2 tbsp olive oil
50g butter
4 Portobello mushrooms, thickly sliced
20g dried porcini, soaked
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves chopped
sea salt flakes
freshly ground black pepper
300g pappardelle
100ml white wine
300ml double cream
2 tsp Dijon mustard
50g grated Parmesan, plus extra to serve
350g cooked turkey meat, cut into chunks
75g cooked crispy bacon, cut into pieces
chopped parsley, to serve
Heat the olive oil and butter in a saucepan over a high heat and add the mushrooms, garlic and rosemary. Cook for 4 minutes, add a little of the porcini soaking water with some salt and pepper and reduce slightly.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water until al dente (firm to the bite). Drain the pasta, reserving a cup of the pasta water. (That's Christmas suggests using Sainsbury's special Christmas Shapes Pasta with this recipe.)
Add the wine, cream, mustard and Parmesan to the mushrooms and reduce further until thickened slightly. Stir in the turkey meat and bacon and warm through.
Place the pasta into a serving bowl, top with some sauce and scatter with some freshly chopped parsley and grated Parmesan. Serve immediately.
Turkey Tikka Masala
Serves 4
500g leftover cooked turkey meat, cut into chunks
200g thick natural yoghurt
1 green chilli, chopped
juice of 1 lime, plus extra wedges to serve
2 tbsp Tikka Masala paste
sea salt flakes
freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp vegetable oil
50g butter
5 green cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
2 onions, chopped
2 cm piece fresh ginger, grated
4 large garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato purée
125 ml single cream
200ml water
1 tsp fenugreek leaves, crushed in a pestle and mortar (optional)
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp sugar
a small bunch of coriander, chopped, to serve
Naan bread, to serve
steamed rice, to serve
Greek yoghurt, to serve
Put the turkey into a large mixing bowl with the yoghurt, chilli, lime juice, Tikka Masala paste, some salt, pepper and 1 tbsp of vegetable oil, tossing well to coat. Set aside for at least 30 minutes or overnight in the fridge.
To make the curry sauce, heat the remaining oil and butter in a deep frying pan, then add all the cardamom and cinnamon and cook for 20 seconds until you can start to smell the spices. Add the onions with a pinch of salt and cook for 6-8 minutes until they start to colour. Add the ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander, turmeric, chopped tomatoes and tomato purée and stir well. Simmer for 15 minutes until the oil starts to separate from the sauce. Use a stick blender to purée until smooth or leave a little chunky if you like.
Heat the grill to high. Transfer the meat from the marinade to a baking tray lined with foil, reserving the marinade.
Grill the marinated cooked turkey for 5 minutes on each side until heated through and the marinade is charring in places. Slowly stir the reserved marinade mixture into the tomato curry sauce, along with the cream and water. Add the fenugreek (if using), garam masala and sugar. Simmer for 5 minutes, then stir in the grilled turkey. Taste and season, adding salt, sugar or lime juice as needed.
Serve sprinkled with some chopped coriander, extra lime wedges, Naan bread, steamed rice and Greek yoghurt.
Sausage, Apricot, Chestnut and Sourdough Traybake Stuffing
Serves 8-10
75g butter
1 onion, diced
100g sourdough, broken into small chunks
100g whole dried apricots, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
a small bunch of parsley, chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
100g peeled and cooked chestnuts, roughly chopped
sea salt flakes
freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp dried thyme
400g sausage meat (about 6 sausages), roughly torn into chunks
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6
Heat the butter in a large non-stick pan over a medium heat and cook the onion until softened. Tip into a large mixing bowl along with all the other ingredients, using a fork to combine.
Lightly grease a roasting tin and bake the stuffing mixture in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes until cooked through and golden brown. If the stuffing is browning too quickly, cover loosely with some foil.
(Image courtesy of Golden Turkey®)
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