
But remember to wait till the flames go out before serving. Light it with a match and immediately pour over the pudding. Pour your brandy, rum, whisky or vodka into a metal ladle or saucepan and heat over a gas flame. If you want your Christmas pudding to be a showstopper remember to heat the spirit you’re going to set alight beforehand. Try roasting with bacon or chestnuts for an extra touch. So you might find that your fussy easters actually like sprouts after all. Roasting caramelised the natural sugars, resulting in a much sweeter sprout.

Need convincing? See what Nigella has to say about it.
#Smarty sprouts skin
Then remove it for the final part of roasting to allow the skin to crisp and stop the meat becoming too wet. You can also use aluminium foil to cover the bird for the first half of the cooking time. But you should remember to turn the turkey back over 30 minutes before it’s done to brown the top, and let it rest 30 mins before you carve. The method works because the heat circulates the oven, cooking the legs quickly as well as letting the juices fall into the breast. It might sound strange but cooking the bird upside down will ensure the most succulent breast meat.

To help you in your pursuit of the perfect Christmas dinner, we’ve collected 5 handy tips to help you make sure your food will never be forgotten (in a good way). The turkeys have found their way to the supermarkets and you’re probably starting to think about what festive treats to cook this year.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
