Marco's Christmas Lunch secrets

Organisation is the key to a stress-free Christmas. If you want to enjoy a bird or a large joint, make sure you order it in advance; don’t, whatever you do, leave it until the last minute.

Make a list of what you need to buy and be sure you get the shopping done in plenty of time. This is the time of year when supermarkets will run out of ingredients like brussel sprouts, fresh cranberries, chestnuts and double cream, so thinking ahead will really pay off. 

Being organised also pays off when it comes to the kitchen. Check you have a roasting tin large enough for your turkey or goose; this is the same for serving dishes and the cheese board. Don’t forget to stock up with plenty of kitchen foil and cling film.

8.15am: An hour before you’re ready to roast it, take the turkey out of the fridge to bring it to room temperature. 

8.45am: Preheat oven to 180°C, 160–170°C, fan oven, Gas Mark 4. Place the roasting tin in the oven too so that it preheats.

Clarify the butter.

9am: Make the Knorr Chicken Stock Cube paste and spread it over the turkey. Chop off the turkey wings and place them in the pre-heated roasting tin. Add a little oil to the base of the roasting tin and add in the turkey, topping with a little more clarified butter.

9.15am: Place the turkey in the oven and roast for 4½ hours, basting regularly to keep it moist. While it’s roasting, prepare the bread sauce, make the stuffing and peel and chop the vegetables.

1pm–2pm: Depending on how quickly after the main course you want to eat dessert, set the Christmas pudding to steam over plenty of simmering water for at least 1–2 hours beforehand. Set a timer to ring periodically to remind yourself to check that the water hasn’t boiled away!

1.15pm: Check the turkey has cooked through. Transfer the turkey to a preheated serving dish, cover with foil and set aside to rest for 45 minutes.

While the turkey is resting, roast the potatoes and parsnips in the oven at 200°C, 180°C fan oven, Gas Mark 6.

If you have a double oven, bake the stuffing at 180°C, 160-170°C fan oven, Gas Mark 4. If not, bake it in the bottom part of the oven alongside the roast vegetables. Cover it with foil if it looks as if it’s drying out.

Make the gravy using the roasted turkey wings, the sediment from the turkey roasting tray and a Knorr Vegetable Stock Pot.

 Cook any other side dishes and gently heat through the bread sauce.

2pm Serve up Christmas lunch! Bon appetite!

Don’t forget to put in the fridge a couple of days before 25th December so it’s lovely and chilled.

Get the meal off to a great start by serving a glass of fizz with a pre-dinner nibble. The Smoked Salmon Pate and Stilton Pate are perfect this time of year and can be made in advance; serve them on crackers, mini oatcakes or home-made crostini.

We all know people who boast “I’ve just ordered the turkey. It’s a 20 pounder”. They’re insane. The truth is they may as well buy a brick and cook it. If I’m cooking for a larger number, I’d prefer to cook two smaller turkeys than one massive bird.

Sauce makes the dish. You’re wasting your time cooking if you obliterate a plate of perfectly good flavours by drowning it in brown syrup. Don’t ruin your roast, read up on how to make a great gravy or use my Rich Beef Gravy recipe for the ultimate result.

The floury flesh of Desiree and King Edward potatoes make them ideal for roasting. If you can find them, Rooster potatoes are a good option too. I use butter for great-tasting roasted potatoes but at Christmas time you can look out for jars of goose fat to make your spuds really special.

Make it early. Store it in the fridge where it will keep for up to a week and have one less thing to worry about on the day.

Home-made bread sauce really is the best; try my recipe and see for yourself. The trick to making bread sauce is the 3:1 ratio; three times the amount of milk to breadcrumbs. Simple to remember and you can make as much as you like.

Don’t stuff the bird; it only slows down the cooking process leaving the outside of the turkey dry. Place the stuffing in an ovenproof dish and bake until cooked through.

Buy them frozen. The point is that frozen vegetables are in the freezer within a few hours of being picked. Buy 'fresh' sprouts and you've actually got no idea when they were pulled out. I like my sprouts with chestnuts; a classic combination.

At this busy time of year, who has time to roast and peel chestnuts for stuffing or veg? Take my advice and get ready-peeled, vacuum-packed chestnuts instead, they taste just as good and need no preparation whatsoever.

Christmas wouldn’t be the same without it. Make it a few days ahead, store it in the fridge and tick it off the ‘to do’ list.

While it’s traditional to have a Christmas pudding, not everyone is a fan. Cater for non-pudding eaters with home-made mince pies, a chocolate roulade or a tangy clementine jelly.

Serving up a cheese board is an easy way to turn a meal into a feast. Have a look at my advice on how to assemble a great cheese board.