We’re going to let you in on a little secret … Christmas cooking doesn’t have to be that hard; at least, not when you have a few tricks up your sleeve, and Marks & Spencer to lend a hand. Over the years, the retailer has worked hard to perfect its Christmas offering so that you can spend less time labouring in the kitchen and more time relaxing with family and friends.
Marks and Spencer sources only high-quality Irish turkeys; it looks for one particular mark of quality – exceptional flavour – which its birds, reared in Co Monaghan, have in abundance.
“How the birds are reared, their environment – it all feeds into how they will taste,” says Matt Dawson, lead product developer for meat and poultry at M&S. “Sourcing matters to us for lots of reasons but also because it adds to the flavour and texture you will end up with.”
M&S Irish turkeys come in prepared in a variety of ways, including boned and rolled for those who want no waste, turkey crowns or full turkeys, with delicious stuffing options, all succulent and ready to pop in the oven. So, forget the fuss, fiddly prep and long cooking times that can stress even confident cooks.
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A big fan of Christmas cooking, Dawson has loved working on the M&S range this year – and believes he has found the ultimate solution for the “struggling juggler” in its new Best Ever Slow-Roast Turkey. This, he promises, is your key to cooking the tastiest turkey with the minimum of fuss.
“Perfecting an easy and delicious turkey option like this has been a passion of mine, which is why the slow-cooked range is bigger than ever this year,” he says. “We’ve been working hard on this range so you don’t have to.”
To reduce cooking time at home, Dawson and the M&S in-house kitchen team developed a way of precooking that results in you only needing to put your turkey from the slow-cooked range in the oven for a short time to finish.
“We developed a method that involves precooking the turkeys using the sous vide technique. It creates the most succulent and tender texture so all you need to do is pop them in the oven for just over an hour.”
The turkeys, in various sizes, are brined in buttermilk for tenderness and sweetness. There’s plenty of choice, with different stuffings, from the bacon-topped bone-in crown with pork, chestnut, bacon and thyme stuffing to pork and cranberry stuffing wrapped in signature dry-cured bacon. The M&S kitchen team are “incredibly excited” about the new range. “I can’t wait for customers to try it – they are utterly divine,” says Dawson.
They’re a game-changer for doing the traditional spread, he assures us: “Even the most confident cook can get flustered with so much going on, so we wanted to take some of the guesswork out and create a delicious product that saves time and stress but still gives that quality and finesse you’re looking for.”
To make sure you get the most out of your bird, it is recommended that you take it out of the fridge an hour before cooking – and remember to rest the cooked meat before carving, to capture more juices and flavours.
Of course, Christmas dinner isn’t just about the turkey; no festive feast would be complete without the trimmings. Braised cabbage is a great option, almost as popular as Brussels sprouts. This year you can get your seasonal greens with smoked bacon, chestnuts, and a caramelised shallot-and-bacon butter.
Then there’s carrot and swede crush, sticky honey and mustard parsnips – and a really wow cauliflower cheese that Dawson has earmarked for his own Christmas table – the Collection Cornish Cruncher Cauliflower Gratin.
You can even get your roast potatoes fully oven ready; this year’s recipe uses M&S roast potato seasoning and lots of garlic.
“I’m looking forward to trying our roast potato recipe this year because it’s quite a straightforward recipe and I love the idea of garlic in the roasties and the M&S seasoning has that all important polenta for that extra crisp exterior,” says Dawson.
Playing a strong condiment game not only means bringing Christmas dinner itself together but livening up leftover sandwiches in the following days. Make sure to have plenty of bread in stock, of course, but also cranberry sauce and mayonnaise. Plus – Dawson’s top tip – M&S Best Ever Meaty Gravy.
“I like cold turkey with hot gravy,” he says. Who doesn’t? “I think that idea came from a Friends episode where Ross has a slice of gravy-soaked bread called the ‘moist maker’ in his sandwich. M&S gravy is perfect for doing that.”
From slow-cooked turkey with all the trimmings to creative ideas for leftover sandwiches, M&S has everything you need to make the festive season memorable, enjoyable and, most importantly, fuss free.
This latest turkey range is in-store now. Fresh Irish turkey’s arrive on December 21st. The Best Ever Slow Cooked Turkey is €95.
Marks and Spencer roast potatoes
Serves: 8
- 2kg Irish rooster potatoes
- 200g M&S goose fat
- 50g M&S Roast potato seasoning
- Salt
- Rosemary
- Garlic
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Add the goose fat, rosemary and garlic bulb to a roasting tray and preheat.
- Peel the potatoes and place in a pot of cold water.
- Season the water heavily with salt. Simmer for five minutes until the outsides of the potatoes become soft.
- Remove, and steam under a cloth for two minutes. Add the seasoning, mixing until it sticks to the outside of the potatoes
- Carefully transfer to the preheated tray. Cook for 50 minutes in the oven, turning regularly until the potatoes are crispy and brown all over.