Ingredients

Step by step

1. For the cranberry stuffing, first melt 25g of the butter in a small pan and soften the onion in it over a low heat, this will take 8-10 minutes. Tip the onion into a large bowl and add the bacon, sausagemeat, lemon zest, breadcrumbs, sage, parsley, cloves, egg yolk; mix well. Season well; mix in the remaining butter. Add the cranberries, and mix gently again.
2. Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Remove the wishbone from the turkey, then take a third of the stuffing and push it under the skin. Bring the excess skin over the stuffing to hold it in place; secure it with a skewer. Smother the 50g of soft butter over the turkey; season the skin well. Lay the bacon over the turkey breast. Roll the rest of the sausagemeat into stuffing balls, you will have about 20; chill.
3. Transfer the turkey to a trivet set in a large, deep roasting tin; pour in 450ml boiling water. Roast the turkey, uncovered, for 1 hour, then cover the tin with kitchen foil and return it to the oven for a further 2½ hours, basting the turkey every 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, start the gravy. Melt the butter in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the washed giblets and vegetables, and fry for 8 minutes, until golden. Add the bay leaves, peppercorns and the chicken stock, and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain the gravy base into a jug – you should have about 1 litre. Cool slightly, then discard the fat from the surface.
5. To make the pigs in blankets, first roll out the bacon in batches between two pieces of baking paper, using a rolling pin, to stretch it. Wrap each rasher around a chipolata.
6. To check if the turkey is cooked, pierce the thickest part of the leg with a knife – if the juices run clear, the turkey is ready. If not, pop it back in the oven for a further 15 minutes. When ready, transfer it to a platter; cover loosely with kitchen foil and rest for 45 minutes-1 hour. Set aside the tin and juices for the gravy later.
7. Increase the oven temperature to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. Bake the stuffing balls and pigs in blankets on a large oiled baking tray for 45-50 minutes. This is the time to roast your potatoes.
8. Put the turkey tin over a medium heat, add the wine and bubble to reduce. Sprinkle in the flour, whisking until smooth. Add the gravy base, bit by bit, and simmer for 10 minutes; then strain, season and warm through.