Always remove your meat from the fridge at least an hour before cooking, allowing it to reach room temperature.  This will encourage the meat to cook evenly. Season well all over with salt and pepper for flavour.

Remember to rest all joints for at least twenty minutes after cooking to dissipate the heat and relax the meat fibres for increased tenderness.

Gammon and Salt Beef

Cover with cold water in a large saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for one hour per kilo and when hot in the centre leave to cool in the cooking liquor.  For added flavour, use bay, cloves, juniper, peppercorns and star anise to your liking. Whilst still warm, remove the string and skin of the gammon, leaving the fat on the meat.  Score this and smother in honey, mustard, marmalade or sugar. Glaze in a hot oven until golden.  Serve warm, or cold for ham on Boxing Day.

Topside and Ribs of Beef

Place in a hot oven around 220ºc for the first half hour, then lower the oven to 170ºc and cover your joint with foil.  Cook for an additional 30 minutes per kilo for rare, or forty minutes per kilo for medium.

Poultry (Turkey Breasts, Chicken, Turducken, Royales)

As with beef, get the heat into your birds with a half hour spell in a 220ºc oven, then lower the oven to 180ºc and cover with foil if the breasts start to colour too quickly. Cook for around one hour per kilo including the first half an hour.

To ensure your dinner is cooked thoroughly, all juices must run clear and hot from the centre of the bird. Check this with a meat probe or small knife.

Free Range Turkey and Duck

See producers’ guides in box.

As a general rule of thumb, we’d advise 45mins per kilo, although for smaller joints we’d advise checking the meat before full cooking time.

Just remember to render the fat and reserve for roasting potatoes and season the carcass well.

Rolled Rump:

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6, season the beef with salt and place in a roasting tin. Roast in the oven for 30 mins, then turn the heat down to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and cook for 10-15 mins per 450g depending on how you like your meat – 10 mins per 450g will give you rare meat and 15 mins will give you meat that is cooked through.

When the beef is cooked, take it out of the roasting tin and allow it to rest somewhere warm, loosely wrapped in foil, for 30 mins. Pour off and reserve any resting juices.

Loin of Pork:

Salt the skin once removed from the fridge, don’t be tempted to add any oil.

Pre heat oven to 200oc, cook for 1/2hr uncovered, then lower the oven to 180oc and cook for a further 15mins for the first kilo, then an additional 40-45mins per kilo thereafter.

Ensure you let the joint rest for a minimum of 30mins once removed from the oven.

Whole Fillet:

Heavily season with salt & pepper before cooking- sear in a hot pan, then place into a preheated oven at 200oc for approx. 45mins, then wrap tightly in foil with all it’s meat juices & leave to rest for 40mins.

Saddle of Lamb:

Heavily season with salt & pepper before cooking- sear in a hot pan, then place into a preheated oven at 200oc for approx. 45mins, then wrap tightly in foil with all it’s meat juices & leave to rest for 40mins.

Saddle of Lamb (Stuffed):

Heavily season with salt & pepper before cooking- sear in a hot pan, then place into a preheated oven at 200oc for approx. 1hour, then wrap tightly in foil with all it’s meat juices & leave to rest for 40mins.

Oven Ready Wellingtons:

900-1kg, in the oven at 180oc for 45minutes, with an additional 20minute rest (in foil)

1.8kg-2kg, in the oven at 180oc for 1hr 15mins, with an additional 30minute rest (in foil)

Leg of Lamb (2-2.5kg):

Put leg of lamb in pre-heated oven at 200oc for 1/2hr then cover in foil and cook for 1hr-1hr 10 at 170-180oc, then leave to rest for 45mins (adjust accordingly for larger/smaller joints)

Try not to panic: at the end of the day its Christmas and you’re with family and friends, and if you’re like us you will be fairly well marinated in claret anyway!

Good Luck