Berkshire

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<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="720" height="720" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2017/12/PeterGrey.jpg" alt="Head Chef Pete Grey, Hind's Head" class="wp-image-12781" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2017/12/PeterGrey.jpg 720w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2017/12/PeterGrey-150x150.jpg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2017/12/PeterGrey-300x300.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2017/12/PeterGrey-500x500.jpg 500w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></figure></div>


<p>If&nbsp;Christmas lunch has your reaching for the sherry in sheer panic, then help is at hand. It is after all just a pimped up roast dinner and according to The Hind&#8217;s Head&#8217;s Head&nbsp;Chef Pete Grey, organisation and time is key. Stand down, you won&#8217;t need a kitchen that looks like a science lab.</p>



<p>Pete&nbsp;has worked for Heston Blumenthal&#8217;s Michelin star&nbsp;pub for nearly seven&nbsp;years – and was appointed&nbsp;Head Chef&nbsp;in November 2017. He&#8217;s a good northern boy, growing up near Wakefield,&nbsp;has worked for Tom Kitchin and Adam Simmonds, loves a cookery book and&nbsp;is just one of life&#8217;s top blokes.</p>



<p>Here are his&nbsp;top tips for producing the killer Christmas roast.&nbsp;So here you go, tidings of great joy for anyone who&nbsp;hankers after perfect roasties&nbsp;and can’t be bothered to wrestle for hours with a turkey.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/12/christmas-turkey-hinds-head.jpg" alt="christmas turkey Heston Blumenthal's hinds head Bray" class="wp-image-49053" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/12/christmas-turkey-hinds-head.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/12/christmas-turkey-hinds-head-800x800.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/12/christmas-turkey-hinds-head-400x400.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/12/christmas-turkey-hinds-head-768x768.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/12/christmas-turkey-hinds-head-525x525.jpg 525w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/12/christmas-turkey-hinds-head-500x500.jpg 500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">PERFECT ROAST TURKEY</h2>



<ol><li><strong>Start prep before Christmas Day</strong> – people are too ambitious, and there&#8217;s simply not enough time to do all the prep for a big Christmas lunch, while sipping fizz and all the other distractions of the day. Source your turkey (local farmers are best), know what you&#8217;re serving with it and make a shopping list. To reduce cooking time, ask your butcher to <strong>debone the turkey </strong>–&nbsp;keep&nbsp;the bones for the&nbsp;gravy.</li><li>&nbsp;You don&#8217;t have to do this, but at The Hind&#8217;s Head we <strong>brine our&nbsp;turkey </strong>to&nbsp;add flavour and moisture. You can do the same by submerging your bird in a clean container with water and 10% salt, then throw garlic, rosemary and thyme. Pop a lie on it and leave for&nbsp;at&nbsp;least 6&nbsp;hours later (or overnight), then rinse the meat and wash in fresh water, before leaving&nbsp;it open to dry in the fridge.</li><li><strong>Day 2,&nbsp;make your gravy</strong>. Using your turkey bones, add onions, garlic, leaks and carrots and <a href="https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/heston-from-waitrose-chicken-stock/621794-88219-88220" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Heston from Waitrose Chicken Stock</a>&nbsp;(it really is the best, Heston wasn&#8217;t giving him a Chinese burn).&nbsp;Reduce down and then add&nbsp;splosh of red or white wine (optional here but essential in life). When you come to reheat on the Christmas Day, take your cooked chipolatas from the roasting dish&nbsp;and drop those bad boys into the gravy for a few minutes to add flavour.</li><li><strong>Prep all your veg on Christmas Eve</strong>, too. Peel the root veg and blanch them. We cook our roast potatoes 3 times, but I&#8217;d recommend at least&nbsp;twice.&nbsp;Par-boil your spuds (Maris Piper is&nbsp;a good choice), rough them up and put them in the fridge overnight – little pockets are created so when the hot fat (beef or duck fat are my faves) get into them, they&#8217;ll&nbsp;crisp up a treat.</li><li><strong>No need to stuff the stuffing</strong>&nbsp;where the sun don’t shine. Just make it into a sausage, wrap it tightly in foil and bake in the oven. When it comes out you can slice it like a salami. This will lower the cooking time of your birdy, as it takes longer with the stuffing in the cavity.</li><li>If you&#8217;re making you&#8217;re own, do it 2-3 days in advance. Try using&nbsp;pork, herbs, breadcrumbs, prunes and egg. Make your sausage, wrap it tight and leave it in the fridge until the big day. Alternatively, buy Paxo.&nbsp;It tastes good, does the job and comes without the faff.&nbsp;If you&#8217;re feeling adventurous, <strong>stuff your deboned legs</strong> with your stuffing mix, wrap in clingfilm, poach, rest, pop them in the fridge and pan fry before serving.</li><li><strong>Pimp up the humble spout.</strong> The best way to eat sprouts is to treat them like cabbage by separating the leaves (get one of the kids to do it) and cooking them in butter with smoked bacon, chopped chestnuts and seasoning. Don&#8217;t overcook them, they take just 5-6 minutes in the pan.</li><li>There’s&nbsp;<strong>no need to cook your turkey for hours and hours and hours</strong>&nbsp;and stuff butter down the turkey skin and all that jazz. Baste the outside of the turkey in plenty of butter,&nbsp;allowing 15 minutes per 450g, plus a further 20-30 minutes.&nbsp;Preheat the oven to 220°C/fan200°C/gas 7, basting regularly from one hour onwards. No need to turn the turkey upside down to cook it – all that does is flatten the breasts. (Frankly there’s enough of that problem in the Muddy house without encouraging it further).</li><li>Use&nbsp;<strong>a temperature probe</strong>&nbsp;to test the meat – if it’s 65C in the thickest part of the bird, she&#8217;s cooked. It’s that simple.</li><li><strong>You don&#8217;t need to leave your turkey to rest for hours</strong>. All you need is 20 minutes under a clean tea towel and you&#8217;re good to go.</li><li>Making you&#8217;re <strong>bread sauce</strong>? Blitz&nbsp;white breadcrumbs in a food processor. Stud an&nbsp;onion with cloves, then put it in a small saucepan with the milk, bay leaf, peppercorns on a low-med heat.&nbsp;Once the milk is warm, remove the pan from the heat and allow the milk to infuse for 20 minutes. Strain, return to the pan and add the breadcrumbs, butter and cream and my secret ingredient, ground mace. Warm gently for 5 mins, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Job done.</li><li>Buy the&nbsp;<strong>fun extras</strong>. <a href="https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/shop/search?&amp;searchTerm=heston%20from" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Heston&#8217;s from Waitrose Black Forest Panettone and Hidden Orange&nbsp;Christmas Pud</a>; brandy butter, custard, cream;&nbsp;a set of golf clubs, cuddly toy, and an electric blanket if you can remember the order on the conveyor belt.</li></ol>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">TRIPLE COOKED ROAST POTATOES</h2>



<p>Serves: 6-8</p>



<p><strong>Ingredients</strong></p>



<ul><li>2.5kg large Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters (roughly the same size)</li><li>10 rosemary sprigs</li><li>14 thyme sprigs</li><li>18 cloves garlic, bashed with a knife</li><li>500g beef dripping</li><li>500g olive oil</li></ul>



<p><strong>Herb salt</strong></p>



<ul id="block-7490e75f-d956-4e41-bd73-282ddefe1b48"><li>20g salt</li><li>5 sage leaves</li><li>½ rosemary sprig leaves picked</li><li>1 thyme sprig</li><li>2 juniper berries</li></ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Method</h2>



<ol><li>Preheat the oven to 180ºC, gas mark 4. Put the potatoes in a colander and hold under running water for 5 minutes to wash off the starch. Drain, place in a large pan, then cover with cold water. Add 2 rosemary sprigs, 6 thyme sprigs, and 2 bashed garlic cloves. Bring to the boil, then simmer until very soft and starting to crumble (about 25–30 minutes). Drain carefully; leave to cool completely in the colander.</li><li>Put the beef dripping and olive oil in a roasting tray large enough to hold all the potatoes in a single layer. Put in the oven for 15 minutes (once melted the fat should come about 0.5cm up the sides). Add the potatoes to the tray with the remaining garlic cloves. Stir to coat in the oil and place back in the oven for 1 hour, gently turning every 20 minutes.</li><li>Meanwhile, for the herb salt, grind the salt, sage leaves, rosemary leaves, thyme and juniper in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle to a fine powder.</li><li>After 1 hour, add the remaining rosemary and thyme to the potatoes; return to the oven for 20–30 minutes or until the potatoes are golden brown and crispy. Drain on kitchen paper and season with 4 tsp herb salt to serve.</li></ol>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-perfect-pour">The perfect pour? </h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/12/The-Hinds-Head-Christmas-dinner-wines.jpg" alt="The Hind's Head Christmas dinner wines" class="wp-image-32223" width="640" height="640" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/12/The-Hinds-Head-Christmas-dinner-wines.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/12/The-Hinds-Head-Christmas-dinner-wines-300x300.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/12/The-Hinds-Head-Christmas-dinner-wines-500x500.jpg 500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/12/The-Hinds-Head-Christmas-dinner-wines-150x150.jpg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/12/The-Hinds-Head-Christmas-dinner-wines-768x768.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/12/The-Hinds-Head-Christmas-dinner-wines-525x525.jpg 525w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/12/The-Hinds-Head-Christmas-dinner-wines-200x200.jpg 200w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /></figure>



<p>You can rely on The Hind&#8217;s Head&#8217;s chief sommelier to come up with the goods. On Christmas Day she&#8217;ll be drinking <strong><a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Domaine Perraud Mâcon-Villages Chardonnay 2018 (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.winedirect.co.uk/domaine-perraud-macon-villages-chardonnay-2018" target="_blank">Domaine Perraud Mâcon-Villages Chardonnay 2018</a></strong> from Burgundy in France. It’s perfect for turkey and has perfumes of white flowers and stone fruit. It’s also complex and weighty thanks to some oak ageing.&nbsp; </p>



<p>An off dry (slightly sweeter) alternative is <strong><a href="https://shop.littlebeauty.co.nz/products/little-beauty-limited-edition-pinot-gris" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Little Beauty Limited Edition Pinot Gris (opens in a new tab)">Little Beauty Limited Edition Pinot Gris</a></strong> from New Zealand. It goes particularly well with a roast, oozing floral and stone fruit aromas &#8211; think jasmine, apple blossom, apricot, white peach and a hint of spice. Yum!</p>



<p>Happy Christmas!</p>



<p><em><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://hindsheadbray.com" target="_blank">Hind&#8217;s Head Bray</a></em></p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-you-might-also-like">YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE…</h2>



<ul><li><a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Jack Stein's get-ahead gravy recipe (opens in a new tab)" href="https://berkshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/home/recipes/christmas-gravy-recipe-jack-stein/" target="_blank">Jack Stein&#8217;s get-ahead gravy recipe</a></li><li><a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Survive Christmas one local tipple at a time (opens in a new tab)" href="https://berkshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/eat-out/christmas-drinks-berkshire/" target="_blank">Survive Christmas one local tipple at a time</a></li></ul>


A Michelin star chef’s top tips to nailing Christmas lunch

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