11 December 2023 , 11:42
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Christmas Day is a four-generation event for 34-year-old Julie Connor from Kirkby in Merseyside and, although her mum Tracy has dinner under control, Julie gets to play 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 says.
“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.
"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!”
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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.
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.
Iceland's Perfect Turkey Crown is delicious when cooked in the bag from frozen (Julian Hamilton)“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
For Julie, it has to be her mum Tracy’s gravy. “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.
"Nobody does gravy like her, it’s the best I’ve ever tasted.”
Make it a Christmas to remember with these clever Christmas dinner hacks (Iceland)4. Taco care of your leftovers
Sandwiches are so last year. For the tastiest Boxing Day lunch, grab a tortilla and tuck your leftovers into a turkey taco. This quick and easy recipe makes good use of your gravy too.