Bailey's Turkeys

Traditional Farm Fresh Turkeys

Here's To A Delicious Turkey Christmas Dinner

Having chosen this top quality product for the most important meal of the year, we hope that the following tips will help make it a successful start to your festive celebrations.

Storage

Keep the turkey in the refrigerator until you are ready to prepare it for cooking. If it is too big for the fridge, store it in the garage or the coolest place available. Remove the giblets and keep them in a seperate container in the fridge. Wash them in salt water and use the liver to make a tasty paté. Boil the remainder in water with vegetables to make stock or soup.

Preparation

Make sure that the inside of the turkey is clean, removing any remaining pieces of giblets. Turkey is a tasty meal cooked by itself but for added flavour, prepare a stuffing and place in the neck cavity of the bird. For varying flavours, try placing a large peeled onion or orange in the body. Alternatively, rub the outer skin with butter, lemon juice or herbs, or cover with rashers of bacon.

How To Make Real Gravy For Your Special Turkey Christmas Dinner

Making the stock

Don't throw away those giblets - pop them in a small pan of water, bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Strain the stock, allow to cool and keep in the fridge until required to add to the turkey juices which are released as your Bailey's Quality Turkey gently roasts on Christmas Day! Making the stock can be done up to 2 days before required to make the gravy. Don't forget to give your pet dog or cat a treat and give them the cooked giblets for their Christmas Dinner!

Recipe for the best turkey gravy

At the end of cooking time for the turkey, lift it out of the roasting dish and set it aside on a serving dish, cover and leave to relax for a few minutes to make carving easier. Place the roasting pan with the juices on the hob and heat through until just bubbling gently. Sprinkle in 2 heaped tablespoons of flour and cook gently for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Slowly add giblet stock, stirring rapidly with a whisk until smooth and the gravy has reached the desired thickness. Remove from heat and season to taste. Serve with your mouthwatering, tender turkey for a Christmas Dinner to remember!

NB If you don't want to make your own giblet gravy, reduce the flour to 1 dessertspoon to just thicken the turkey juices.

Turkey Leftovers? Try Our Turkey Tikka!

A good way to use up that leftover turkey is to make our version of turkey tikka and serve it simply with some plain bolied rice.

Ingredients

Method

Melt butter and lightly fry onions for 3-4 minutes. Add the chopped turkey and stir for 5-6 minutes. Add spices, stir and cook for 2 minutes over a low heat. Add the stock and stir gently. Gradually add the cream and keep stirring. Finally, season to taste and add the ground almonds. Cook over a low heat for a further 3-4 minutes and serve.

(For a little variation try adding a handful of sultanas and/or chopped apple when you add the turkey)