It’s one of the most hotly debated questions about the festive feast - whether are included among the usual trimmings. Now a top chef has answered it once and for all.
Karl Green, head chef of The Unruly Pig in Woodbridge, Suffolk, voted UK’s best gastropub on whether the beloved Sunday lunch staples should be present on the table. “100% yes! There is no way I would have a without Yorkshires,” he says.
He also has a secret method that ensures his roast potatoes will be the star of the show. “We experimented with different ways and we found the best was blanching potatoes in salted water until like mash - put them in the freezer and then oven roasted them from frozen and, oh my God, they were the best potatoes you will ever have.
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“You can do your potatoes two or three days before the big day and keep in the freezer until the morning, then roast them in beef dripping or veg oil, duck or goose fat.”
He also advises in salt and water for a couple of hours. “It helps make it more succulent,” he says.”Ask the butcher to cut the breast off the bone, add the bones into the gravy and drop the breasts into the hot brine. Colour the turkey in the oven and you're done.”
And take note - the gravy should never be an after-thought. “Turkey gravy is the best. Go to the butchers and get the bones, legs, wings and neck; roast in the oven until they look like they are starting to burn and are nicely caramelised. Cook down with a good Marsala wine or good quality port.”
But for which will feel appropriately celebratory - and even make the carnivores jealous. “You won’t get better than a salt-baked celeriac wellington,” he says. “I made it for my mum and all the meat eaters wanted it. Makes a great side dish too.”
For dessert? “Ditch the and go for a pistachio or Baileys trifle,” he says.
Meanwhile, don't miss Karl's classic Christmas cocktail featuring all the flavours of the season...
* Listen to the full interview with Karl Green at or on your DAB/Smart Speaker; for more from Chloe Rivers visit @east_london_mum_ on Instagram
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