So the meat madness is nearly over for another year , just a few more days before we are finished up in South East London. I’ve been workimng day and night …
…. not quite in these sort of conditions !
This year I’m on my way to Exmouth. With a free-range turkey, a Mrs Kings Pork Pie and plenty of smoked salmon I’m sorted. Wishing you all a wicked Christmas.
Charlie the butcher
Posted in Christmas, Uncategorized
OK …. the most regular question from both turkey virgins and old hands is …. “How long should I cook the turkey ?”. Each family seems to have developed its own approach to the whole business.
It can be a very stressful time especially if you are hosting Christmas lunch for the first time and want to impress – but you don’t always need to get up in the middle of the night to kick the whole the process off.
You might like to look at this app that seems to be getting reasonable reviews …. at just 69p it might be a life and reputation saver ….
The write up says ….
TurkeyTimer helps you take the guesswork out of Christmas and other holiday cooking. Enter the weight of your turkey, whether it’s stuffed, your desired internal temperature, and whether you plan to baste the turkey. Using algorithms based on top cookbook instructions, TurkeyTimer will track the approximate brownness of your turkey, the approximate internal temperature of your turkey, and about how long it will be until you can take the turkey out of the oven. This handy tool will even remind you when it’s time to baste the turkey!
FEATURES
- Know how soon your turkey will be ready
- Know your turkey’s internal temperature
- Track your turkey’s brownness
- Choose between a moister or a dryer turkey
- Know when it’s time to baste
- Always works, even if you send text messages or make or receive phone calls
With TurkeyTimer, you can be certain that your turkey will be perfect!
It’s a bit Americanised and I’m not sure though about defrosting times as I always say fresh is best – support your local butcher ….
Charlie the butcher
Posted in Christmas, Meaty Apps for your phone, Turkey
It is often the trimmings that really make a Christmas lunch and I am frequently asked for advice on stuffing !!
I usually recommend people to look at my old mates at the Good Food Channel where I sometimes pop up.
Click here for some excellent stuffing ideas.
They also have some really great ideas for trimmings here.
Charlie the butcher
Posted in Christmas, Little extras, Turkey
Around this tme last year I was suggesting that you might want to think about having a goose instead of a turkey for your Christmas dinner. Have a peek here to see what I was on about.
It seems that many people are taking the idea more seriously with more people choosing a goose for Christmas – the age-old tradition, natural open-air lifestyle of the goose and succulent flavour are appealing qualities.
Families often choose a goose for the first time – and find that cooking is much easier than they’d realised. There’s also the bonus of goose fat, so cherished by top chefs, for perfect roast potatoes and parsnips.
The British Goose Producers have created a new recipe leaflet available 
from their producers, farm shops and butchers, or by contacting British Goose Producers.
A recent independent ADAS study on goose meat has found that the real fat content of goose meat today is much lower than the general figures quoted in the traditional nutritional textbooks. Aagain the British Goose Producers have published five helpful hints for cooking and serving goose.
For much more information from the British Goose Producers take a look here.
If all else fails you could follow Gordon Ramsey’s spicey goose recipe.
Posted in Christmas, Goose, Health, Uncategorized
