Iceland shopper and mum-of-one Julie Connor has shared her mum’s tips for a stress-free Christmas dinner – and they’re all based around a delicious roast turkey
Christmas Day is a four-generation event for 34-year-old Julie Connor from Kirkby in Merseyside.
While her mum Tracy takes care of the dinner, Julie plays the role of Santa’s little helper. “I’ve got an older brother and younger sister, so there are usually about 12 of us for Christmas dinner. mum is always in charge of the cooking so I’m the helper,” she shares.
“We all used to go to my nan’s but now she’s passed the baton to my mum. I have to pay attention because I know eventually that baton is going to be handed to me.”
She adds: “When I’m the one in charge of cooking I don’t want everyone to be thinking, your dinners are awful compared to theirs, so I’ve actually taken notes before so I don’t forget anything! ” Julie, who’s a single mum to five-year-old Curtis, says with so many around the table on Christmas Day, they have some tried and tested hacks to deliver a beautiful tasting turkey and keep the stress levels down.
Here are four hacks for cooking a tasty turkey – without the stress:
1. Cook your turkey from frozen
The Perfect Turkey Crown, from Iceland’s luxury range, can be cooked in the bag from frozen. “It’s a big time-saver when there are so many other things going on and all the trimmings to get ready,” says Julie. “It means we’ve even got time to make sausage butties on Christmas morning before we start the turkey.”
2. Try the air fryer
To speed up the cooking process, save energy and allow more oven space for all your accompaniments, try cooking your turkey crown in the air fryer.
3. Gravy is your secret weapon
Gravy is Julie’s not-so-secret ingredient for a lip-smackingly good roast. She swears by her mum Tracy’s homemade concoction, saying, “She makes her own from scratch and doesn’t just mix the meat juices with cornflour and stock cubes, she puts in juices from the veg too.”
Julie is unwavering in her praise: “Nobody does gravy like her, it’s the best I’ve ever tasted.”
4. Taco care of your leftovers
Say goodbye to mundane sandwiches and hello to a unique Boxing Day treat. Why not wrap your festive leftovers in a soft tortilla and create a scrumptious turkey taco?
This nifty recipe even finds a place for that delicious gravy, ensuring nothing goes to waste.
