Ok time to get whatever passes for a turkey out of the freezer to thaw out before cooking.
Soon be Christmas eve ..........(no rude comments about stuffing ............ probably heard them anyway,

Probably Christmas eve before you read this ........... bought myself a turkey roll from the local farm shop beats a turkey crown ............... no bones and a better quality product.

If you have a turkey probably a good time to leave it to thaw out before cooking.

Who am I to give cooking tips

What do you know Nev? A lot more than I do so have a good one.
We were expecting a good lunch at a local well recommended golf club on the 12th at the annual Xmas binge of our art club and it was dismal, processed turkey, micro waved veg. The following day we went to our Hash even at a Winchester pub and they were catering for about the same number 50ish and they were superb.

Our neighbours used to keep a few turkeys in the field behind our house, where our Eriba lives. If we did any work on the van they were always there stretching their necks past the fridge in order to give collective advice. They didn’t dare to actually come right in, but would have liked to. One day there was an urgent knocking on our front door. I opened it to be confronted by seven turkeys, who had come quite a circuitous route around the houses, in order to ask why we hadn’t been out the back lately. They tended to nest all over the place, so we sometimes came across eggs in patches of flattened brambles that their owners hadn’t found. The neighbours, being of the aging hippy variety, had not quite come to terms with the fact that we have a very active fox that visits, so now and again a turkey would disappear. Christmas came and went – they didn’t have the heart to slaughter any of them - and as we neared Easter they had a few near escapes with the fox, rendering a rather mothy look. Suddenly it all went quiet – the fox had finally done his business. The last two turkeys, ready killed were duly roasted – not without a guilty tear in our neighbour’s eye.

As for us, Roger has already started his annual moan about eating turkey for weeks on end, with soup and curry to follow. However, with a family as big as ours, it's all an illusion - it doesn't last that long!

Carole and I were spending Christmas in Darlo many years back. We had arranged to meet a work colleague also from those parts (we both worked in Winchester at the time) at a nightclub in Stockton on Tees. This was before breathalysers became natrual clip on. On the drive back my mum's place about 10/12 miles we were stopped by Plod who wanted to look in the boot for turkeys as there seems to be a large scale theft of them at the time. We had none but I tried to keeop my breath away, I had a pint or two thats all, and we were waved on our way.

Well there's no turkeys in our house. Us veggies won't be having any of that. On the menu here tomorrow is an aubergine and couscous en croute served with all the usual, roast tates and veg. We will be having a Christmas pudding, Neil made it last year so it should be well ready by now. It will all be washed down with the last bottle of Cava bought in Spain last year although I believe there is a bottle of Moscatel for the pudding .
Whatever you are having, enjoy.

Just got up early to put the bird in the oven and to retrieve escaped pickled onions that I managed to throw across the living room last night (they don't half bounce!).Kids are still keeping us up half the night - great jam session and everyone sang

My parents bought a turkey chick in the summer one year when we were kids with the idea to save money by rearing one themselves, come christmas when "gussie" was killed and cooked nobody ate christmas dinner and eventually still uneaten he was buried in the garden.

Never reared anything more than a few veggies after that.



Like this

Quote: Crystal wrote in post #6

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to retrieve escaped pickled onions that I managed to throw across the living room last night (they don't half bounce!).

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Quote: Crystal wrote in post #3

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One day there was an urgent knocking on our front door. I opened it to be confronted by seven turkeys, who had come quite a circuitous route around the houses, in order to ask why we hadn’t been out the back lately.

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Quote: Julie Grafo wrote in post #5

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It will all be washed down with the last bottle of Cava bought in Spain last year

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Well at least it was edible again this year despite a decent helping of apricot brandy for the cook.

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Christmas goodies

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My lady friend had cold chicken from the fridge (hot food is not good for them)

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Another successful Christmas dinner cooked.

No turkey for us this year. We are having to start seared scallops in chilli butter with green leaf salad followed by rib of beef, Yorkshires sprout carrots and parsnips/king Edwards roasted and Christmas pud with whipped cream to finish.
Should be ready about 20:00 hours

It's a hard life Eribanut but someone has to do it.
Our Christmas went completely pear shaped. Dad had another wobble and an ambulance was called midday. Spent the rest of the day in A&E finally getting home about 10.30pm. Hats off to all the staff, ambulance and hospital. It was a horrid day but they did their level best to make it as good as they could even bringing presents for my parents. It was Dad's 90th birthday but he said it was only the second worst Christmas he had. The worst was his 19th birthday in 1944 when he was chasing a German sub up the channel and came within range of the then German occupied Channel Islands and came under fire. They missed but he said it was a close thing and he could have done without it on his birthday.
We finally had our Christmas dinner today in the Eriba. We did the whole thing, christmas lights and tree, red wine, bubbly and sweet wine for the pudding. It was lovely and toasty. Roll on the spring, it was lovely being in the van and I can't wait to get away properly.
Hope everyone had a lovely day, looking forward to the New Year now.

Hi Julie. Steve here from the Isle of Wight. Sounds like your late Christmas went well. Hope your Dad is doing ok.
It looks like I may have sold our old 87 Eriba, We are still very interested in your van. So as soon as our sale goes through I will phone to see if it is still available. Unfortunately I have lost your photos. Regards Steve.