NEWSFLASH! i had a day off work on monday, and it was glorious. it was also our 7th wedding anniversary but mr HPMcQ has a brand new contract to be working on so we celebrated the day before at the tower of london and barbecoa. however this day i spent getting some top christmas tips and eating a lovely lunch with good friends at the britmums xmas do with morrisons, and what a lovely time we all had.
morrisons chef neil nugent was on hand giving top tips on preparing your christmas lunch. neil has covered numerous jobs in the food business, he trained in top class restaurants, he has run kitchens on the yachts of the rich a famous and he has owned restaurants too. he began his career at morrisons two years ago and his idea of the M Kitchen is now very my the heart of all the food creation and developments that you see in store on the shelves.
neils top tips
– get the turkey out in plenty of time and let it get to room temperature before even thinking of popping it in the oven.
– put plenty of butter under the skin from the neck end which will self baste the turkey as you are cooking. if diary intolerant you can use lard or dripping. don’t use olive oil as the taste is too strong.
– do not cover with foil! shocking! this will steam the turkey not cook it, so don’t do it! do not truss or stuff it either.
– hold the turkey and shake it out, to let the wings and legs open out so as to prevent cold spots. cold spots can occur in the pits of the wings and legs always use a probe to check the temperature and that it is properly cooked.
– cook for an initial 20 mins and then 20 mins per kilo at 160 for a fan over or 180
– when your turkey is cooked you must always let it rest before you start to carve.
huge HUGE thanks to susanna & jennifer for holding such a wonderful event, happy christmas x