Turkey or not?

My DDiL is now vegan. Im going to try a Wellington recipe. Google "Leilas vegan Christmas dinner"

I have ordered my turkey from a local farmer. I will also cook a ham on Christmas Eve and serve some of that on Christmas Day as well

Thanks for suggestions Smithy

This year we are going to my DGD. She tells me she is buying a turkey crown and we are also having roast gammon. Her Dad (he and DD are divorced) she tells me does the best roast gammon so he has agreed to do that in exchange for one of my home made puddings! Luckily I have made two so will need to give up the second one.

When the family are all at home together, a good sized turkey was the easiest way to feed so many. Now that there are just the 2 of us, we're having a haunch of venison from a nearby NT park. It's been some time since I cooked venison so fingers crossed I can still remember.

I’ll come to yours then, Vq!?

We're having ribeye steak.

I always cook chicken upside down for the first half hour, then turn and baste and finish off right way up for 1/ 1 and a half hours depending on size. It is moist and delicious.

I have bought a leg of lamb and put it in the freezer, son's request. Neither he or I are keen on turkey but OH looked horrified that he wouldn't have his turkey so I bought a small one from Lidls last week. I had thought of buying a crown but the one I bought was a whole bird.

Years ago my exHs company gave a fresh turkey to their directors as a Christmas present. These had to be collected from the farm. Of course ex was late picking it up and the only one left was a 30lb whopper.
He came in brandishing the monster like a trophy. There would be only four adults and three small children to feed.
I just managed to cram it in my sink to clean it and remove the giblets, this resembled major abdominal surgery!
It was then that it occurred to me that I had no receptacle large enough to accommodate the beast so it was a last minute dash To Wilko to purchase their biggest roasting tin.
A quick consultation with Mrs Beeton and a calculator told me that to cook this fowl safely I would need to cram the damn thing into a hot oven by 6am. Oh joy!
Well it refused to be crammed in. The legs had to come off.
Oven door satisfyingly slammed shut I foolishly thought that would be the end of it until midday, silly me, on inspection a couple of hours later the Wilko mega roasting tin was full to the brim with hissing fat. There was no way I could safely lift the whole bubbling red hot caboodle out to drain this off so the old meat syringe was rinsed out and after 20 minutes I seemed to have regained control of the hissing monster, unfortunately this tedious process had to be repeated every 45 minutes involving me on my knees enveloped in steam.
Well everybody ate it and nobody died of Salmonella!
But turkey? You can stuff it!

If we were at home though it would be beef rib, or a sirloin. Probably rib, as it is more flavourful. We actually usually have beef rib New Year’s Day.

Turkey to take to daughters on Christmas Eve. Being delivered by the farmer (well a courier) on 23 rd.
organic bronze free range long growth period etc.

If we were on our own our real preference would be to eat at our local favourite hotel, but luckily our children are always happy to see us, and of course Mum is always to be given consideration.

It depends what you like, mumofmbs. You could have a quorn joint or fillets and veggie gravy, but with all the usual veg etc. I used to make a stuffing with sage and onion and veggie sausagemeat and the meat eaters liked it as well. Or a make a vegetable wellington or veggie nut roast. There are plenty of options to buy or make yourself.

I agree with Monica, free range bronze turkey from local farm, which we collect Xmas Eve so no storage problem when the fridge is full with xmas goodies. If we did not have turkey I would go for Pork with lots of crackling. Xmas meal needs to be simple and not complicsted. DIL, who is Canadian and grown up cooking turkey always starts cooking turkey upside down to keep breast moist, and it works. Having changed my family cooker for a high level oven, I find it helps to be able to cook the Turkey and be able to wrap it up to stand whilst everything else goes in the oven.

Rib of beef sounds good though.

Yes, roast turkey as usual, the family like it and expect it.

We have turkey, none of us would consider anything else, but I buy the best turkey I can find; a free range bronze turkey from a local farm. It is very expensive, but I only buy one once a year.

The reason most people do not like turkey is because the quality of mass produced turkeys is so poor.

We will have roast turkey on Christmas day, turkey sandwiches in the evening, and every evening over the Christmas period. After about 4 days the remaining turkey meat goes in the freezer to be used in various dishes over the next several months, while the carcase is turned into stock and soup. But that is what you do with a really good quality turkey.

I am not a lover of white meat on a turkey, I prefer the dark on the legs etc.

This Christmas it will be seafood platter here.

Anyone got any interesting veggie options for my lot please?

I'd be keen on a leg of lamb but I think the beef might be DH's choice. Mmm. I know turkey is traditional but I'm just not a very good cook and it's always so dry and unappetising in my opinion. Very excited about a change from the norm to be honest.

Well, any thoughts of a change from turkey at Duster Towers went by the board, when SiL sent me a text and said “ordered the turkey crown, other bits and pieces and some stuff for DD” (who doesn’t eat meat). To be honest, I was rather annoyed because a) there was no discussion, b) DH had decided he wanted a “proper turkey with legs on” (God knows why because no-one ever eats them!), and c) I have had the rug pulled out from under my feet; but on the other hand, he has saved me the effort and I really should be grateful. Left to me, it would be rib of beef every time, but it would be like casting pearls before swine because everybody but me likes it well done which ruins it.

We're having a leg of lamb.

My fave is goose.

It sounds a large bird for what it gives, but tastes is there and fat to do roasties,

Apple and a stuffing of dried apricots/ dried cranberries.

I much prefer chicken to turkey, but always got out voted at Christmas. One year we had pork belly though. We were poor, it was cheap, and it was delicious!

I'd second rib of beef but I love turkey so it's turkey crown for us you can buy a tiny one that's chicken size if that's what bothers you