Recipes for the festive season

• Toasted breadcrumbs (we use GF because my family is riddled with Coeliacs)
• Chopped dried fruit- whatever you have but I love home grown dried apricots rehydrated in verjus or cranberries, prunes or currents are good too.
• Chopped parsley- lots of
• Chopped sage- lots of
• Pickled cumquats – if you like a piquant touch
• Lemon zest
• Macadamia nuts or pine nuts, lightly toasted (don’t do what I classically do and try and multitask whilst toasting nuts… I burn them every time)
• Salt and pepper
• Chopped pancetta, just a small handful.
• A few cloves of smashed garlic
• Mix thoroughly and stuff your meat before roasting.

I don’t use quantities but I do like the mix to be colourful, zesty, fruity and be well mixed so that it’s not too much or too dry. The verjus component will be your wet part and remember that the meat juices will finish it off when the meat is resting after being cooked.

Make extra for leftovers. I use this in Turkey and Pork, Duck and Pheasant and Chicken, and eat it with the leftover cold meat the next day, it makes a delicious salad mixed with torn up leftover roasted meats and I think it’s actually better eaten like this!