All-in-one roast turkey, caramelised sprouts and marmalade parfait: Tom Kerridge's stress-free family Christmas

Like a cosy cashmere jumper, Tom Kerridge’s food is comforting, casual and just the thing for the festive season. Unpretentious he may be – Kerridge has previously described himself as “not a Michelin-star kind of guy” – but his Buckinghamshire gastropub, The Hand and Flowers, is the only pub in the UK to have been awarded not just one of them, but two. The Coach, also in Marlow, received a star this year. Both are lauded for their dressed down, off-duty vibe – and now he has a third, The Butcher’s Tap, where you can pop in to collect cuts of Aberdeen Angus, or settle down with a pie and a pint.

It follows that Kerridge is exactly the relative you’d wish for to take on turkey duty. Luckily for his family, he’s delighted to oblige. This year, he’ll be spending Christmas in Staffordshire with his wife, Beth, and their son Acey (who turns three on December 21), along with a crowd of in-laws, nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles. “Family is everything to Beth, and her mum and dad have been amazing support for the whole family, so everyone getting together and just hanging out is really important,” he says.

But that’s not to say that Kerridge will be taking charge of all the trimmings solo. One of his recommendations for a more convivial (and less stressful) Christmas Day is to get everyone involved. “Give someone a job,” he suggests. “Get someone peeling the sprouts, and someone on the carrots. Then they’ll feel that they’re part of it, and that’s really special. And it does lighten the workload!”

Although he likes to be organised and structured (“I plan it out in my head - it’s a process I really, really enjoy”), he’s refreshingly relaxed. He’s not averse to the idea of kicking things off with a glass of Buck's Fizz at breakfast, and after a lifetime of splitting Christmas between cheffing shifts and family, he has no particular set pattern or routine for the day. “Think it through and do a time plan, and write it down,” he advises. “But if you’re planning lunch for two o’clock and no-one gets it until five o’clock, it doesn’t really matter. As long as everyone’s having fun, each year can be something exciting and different.”

Kerridge’s own childlike excitement is palpable: “I love what I do and Christmas Day is the best day for doing it. I don’t take it too seriously,” he says. “It’s a whole day that revolves around food, so really it should be the dream day for any food lover.” As with timings, he’s not particularly precious about pairings. “I’m not worried if people prefer white wine over red with their turkey, as long as they’re having what they want.”

His hacks for a simpler, less stressful Christmas include blanching vegetables the night before, as well as setting up his ingenious all-in-one roast complete with chipolatas, parsnips, bacon lardons and stuffing balls. This year, he will be serving up his turkey roll with a crumble topping, a sliceable feast which featured in his 2013 book, Tom Kerridge’s Proper Pub Food.

Aside from the main event aside, Kerridge is enamoured with the in-between bites that add to the Christmas magic. “We always have a huge amount of cheese, and especially a really big, strong blue with loads of flavour. The idea of cracking walnuts next to an open fire and having a bit of cheese is just lovely. It’s also the only time of year that it’s alright to eat After Eights and Matchmakers. I think that’s fairly standard for most people – and you know you’re somewhere posh if you’re having Bendicks!”

For Kerridge, Boxing Day is on par if not superior to Christmas Day. “We try to get out on Boxing Day and go and see some sport, and give ourselves the chance to get out and wear our new Christmas jumpers somewhere. Going out in the cold and then coming back for hot bubble and squeak served with cold meats is just amazing. Boxing Day might even be my favourite in terms of food: I’m a massive fan of hams, pork pies, pickles and piccalilli.”

We refer you to his honey-roast ham with Christmas-pudding ketchup for further inspiration, and to his baked soft cheese with truffle honey, to fuel your own fireside moments.

All-in-one turkey roast

You will need a really wide oven and tray for this – otherwise halve all the trimmings if you need to.

SERVES

6 

INGREDIENTS

• 5kg turkey

For the stuffing mix

• 200g sausage meat

• 140g fresh breadcrumbs

• 1 onion, diced and fried until soft

• 6 tbsp chopped cranberries

• 2 egg whites

• 1 tsp grated nutmeg

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp cracked black pepper

For the turkey and vegetables

• Splash of oil

• 600g smoked streaky bacon lardons

• 12 small pickling onions

• 1 litre brown chicken stock

• 4 tbsp cornflour

• 1 large swede, peeled and cut into 12 wedges

• 6 parsnips, peeled, halved and cores removed

• 4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks

• 24 chipolatas

• 1 large savoy cabbage, cut into 12 wedges

• 4 large potatoes peeled and cut into quarters

• 1 orange, cut in half

• 1 bunch rosemary

• 300g melted butter

To finish

• 50g butter

• 200g chestnuts, chopped

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4.

2. Place all the stuffing ingredients in a mixing bowl and work them together to form a large ball, then divide into 24 balls. Place on a tray and leave in the fridge to firm up, for an hour or even overnight.

3. The next day, place a large roasting tin on the hob. Add a splash of oil and, when hot, throw in the bacon and fry until crisp and golden. Add the onions and fry until golden then lift everything from the tray with a slotted spoon to a colander.

4. Add the stock to the pan (with the fat still in it) and bring up to the boil. Whisk the cornflour with a little cold water then whisk this into the stock and remove the pan from the heat. Pour the stock into a jug and reserve (don’t worry about cooking this out now as it will thicken while in the oven).

5. Lay the swede, parsnip, carrots, bacon, sausages and cabbage wedges in the tray. Pour the stock over the vegetables. Set the turkey in the middle of the tray and push the orange and rosemary into the turkey cavity. Brush the skin all over with melted butter then sprinkle with a good amount of salt. Push the potatoes in around the turkey and half submerge them in the stock. As the dish cooks these will steam and soak up all the flavour, then crisp up.

6. Cover the tray with tin foil and place into the oven for 2.5 hours, then remove the foil and place the stuffing balls all around the crown of the turkey. Return it to the oven for a further hour. After this time check that the bird is cooked by testing the core temperature with a digital probe – it should be 72C or above when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh. Rest for 30 minutes, covered with foil.

7. Meanwhile, heat the butter to finish in a frying pan until foaming, then add the chestnuts. Fry for a minute or so until golden then spoon them over the turkey and vegetables. Set the tray in the middle of the table and carve, letting everyone help themselves to the vegetables.

Caramelised sprouts with bacon jam and hazelnuts

SERVES

6

INGREDIENTS

For the bacon jam (makes around 200g)

• Splash of oil

• 200g good streaky bacon diced into lardons (you could use pancetta)

• 1 onion, in dices the same size as the bacon

• 80g cider vinegar

• 4 cloves garlic, grated

• 50g brown sugar

• ½ tsp chilli flakes

For the sprouts

• Splash of oil

• Knob of butter

• 800g sprouts, par-cooked and halved

• 200g sprout tops, washed and shredded thinly

• 100g toasted hazelnuts

• 1 clementine

METHOD

1. Heat a splash of oil in a saucepan and fry the bacon lardons until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside, then fry the onion in the bacon fat until golden brown. This will take about 15 minutes or so.

2. Return the bacon to the pan along with the vinegar, garlic, sugar and chilli flakes and bring up to the boil. Simmer for 30 minutes or until the liquor reduces to a thick consistency.

3. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

4. Once cool, heat a splash of oil and the butter in a frying pan. When the butter is foaming, add the sprouts and caramelise until golden brown then stir in four tablespoons of the bacon jam to warm through. Stir in the sprout tops and hazelnuts, transfer to a serving dish and grate over the clementine zest.

Baked soft cheese with rye crackers and truffle honey

SERVES

4-6

INGREDIENTS

• 1 x 250g Tunworth in a wooden case

• Thin slices of fresh truffle, if you are feeling a bit posh

• 1 bunch thyme

• ½ bunch rosemary

For the crackers

• 100g rye flour, plus more for dusting

• 100g wholemeal flour

• 50g walnuts, crushed finely

• ½ tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 egg, beaten

• 1 tsp caster sugar

• 60ml (4 tbsp) water

For the truffle honey

• 6 tbsp good quality runny honey

• ½ tsp truffle oil

• 1 tsp picked thyme leaves

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 185C/Gas 4½.

2. Remove the plastic wrap from the cheese. If you are using truffle, slice the cheese horizontally in half and lay the slices all over the bottom half. Place the other half on top, like a sandwich (a really good one). Return the cheese to the base of its wooden box and pop in the fridge until needed.

3. To make the crackers, combine all the ingredients and work together until you have a firm dough (using a food processor, if you have one, will make this easier). Cover the bowl with cling film and leave to prove in a warm place for 30 minutes. Knock the air out of the dough and roll out very thinly on a lightly floured surface. Transfer to the largest flat tray that will fit your oven, rolling it out again to fit the tray - it should be no thicker than a 10p piece. Leave to prove for 10 minutes.

4. Pop the tray of cracker dough in the oven 10 minutes then drop the temperature down to 160C/Gas 3 to dry the cracker until it is brittle. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before breaking into pieces.

5. Meanwhile stir the honey, truffle oil and picked thyme leaves together and set aside at room temperature.

6. When ready to serve, place the herbs on a tray and set cheese in its base on top. Place in the 160C/Gas 3 oven for 20 minutes or so. Remove from the oven and serve with crackers and truffle honey – you can, if you like, break into the middle of the cheese and pour in the honey, using the crackers to dip.

Honey roast ham and Christmas pudding ketchup

SERVES

8-10

INGREDIENTS

• 3kg unsmoked gammon joint (soaked in cold water overnight)

• 4 bay leaves

• 6 cloves

• 2 tbsp coriander seeds

• Small thumb of ginger root, sliced

• 200g brown sugar

• 100ml runny honey

• 60ml orange juice

• 40ml balsamic vinegar

• 250g Christmas pudding, diced

METHOD

• Put the gammon in a large saucepan and cover with fresh water. Bring up to the boil then reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the bay, cloves, coriander seeds and ginger and braise for 3 hours – if it is threatening to dry out, cover the ham with tin foil or a lid.

• Preheat the oven to 170C/Gas 3½.

• Gently remove the gammon from the water and carefully remove the string. Leave to cool for five minutes, then, with a sharp knife, remove and discard the skin. Score the gammon all over and place in a deep roasting tray. Scatter over the brown sugar and squeeze over the honey, then place in the ove for 45 minutes, basting every 15 until richly caramelised.

• Meanwhile place the orange juice, vinegar and diced Christmas pudding in a pan with 100ml water and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and transfer to a jug blender. Blitz until smooth and allow to cool.

• Slice the ham and serve with the very festive ketchup and some braised cabbage.

Marmalade parfait

SERVES

8

INGREDIENTS

• 4 eggs, separated

• Zest of 1 orange

• 50g bitter orange marmalade

• 150ml double cream, whipped to soft peaks

• 2 tbsp brandy

• 100g Christmas pudding, crumbled

• 70g caster sugar

For the marmalade syrup

• 2 tbsp marmalade

• 50g caster sugar

• 25ml orange liqueur

METHOD

1. Line eight moulds or ramekins with clingfilm, leaving it overhanging to help when turning the parfait out.

2. Place the egg yolks, zest and marmalade in a bowl with a splash of water and set the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Whisk until thick and aerated then remove from the heat and continue to whisk until the egg mix has cooled.

3. Fold the cream into egg yolk mixture then then stir in the brandy and crumbled pudding.

4. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites and caster sugar until you have firm peaks. Fold this into the Christmas pudding base.

5. Spoon the mixture into the moulds or ramekins and freeze until needed.

6. While the puddings are freezing, heat the marmalade and sugar in a pan with 50ml water, reducing to a thick syrup. Leave to cool then stir in the liqueur.

7. It’s best to remove the parfaits from the freezer 5 minutes or so before you want to serve (discarding the clingfilm), plating them up with the sauce spooned over.