Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, but it can also be very stressful when it comes to serving up a festive feast for the family. Ian Orr, Chef Patron of Ardtara Country House, believes it should be about spending quality time with family and friends and indulging in traditional festive fare.
Here are his top ten tips for the perfect Christmas dinner.
- Keep things simple and don’t try to do too much.
- Prepare your potatoes and veg the day before.
- Boil your ham the night before and leave in water to cool, add cloves, garlic, sage, thyme and an orange cut in half.
- Don't score your sprouts, there is no need.
- When roasting vegetables there is no need to boil them, just roast in the oven with honey, thyme & rosemary.
- Use duck fat for roasting potatoes in the oven, and once they are crispy finish with sea salt - Maris Piper is my recommendation.
- If cooking a turkey crown, leave it to rest for 30 minutes before carving.
- If serving a cheeseboard, leave it out of the fridge three hours prior and serve with a glass of port.
- Use tin foil trays to keep washing up to a minimum.
- Cook extra on Christmas Day so it can be easily reheated on Boxing Day.
Hopefully these top ten tips will inspire your Christmas dinner and help keep stress levels to a minimum. If you want to relax completely and enjoy the finest festive feast, Ian’s restaurants are offering a seven course Christmas dinner, which comes fully prepared with instructions to reheat – click HERE for details.