Christmas lunch loaf

My mum famously used to make a roast out of sausagemeat because it was cheaper than a prime joint but just as tasty – if not even more so. This is my festive version. It combines all the meaty bits of Christmas dinner: every mouthful tastes like the last few bites, when everything comes together. Does it replace a whole turkey on Christmas day? That’s up to you, but just like my mum’s sausage roast, this loaf tastes every bit as good, and is cheaper and easier to prep and serve.

SERVES 12 PREP 30 mins plus resting COOK 1 hr 40 mins EASY G

3 onions, finely chopped

50g butter, plus extra for the tin 700g turkey mince

500g pork mince

250g smoked streaky bacon, finely chopped

70ml port

200g vacuum-packed chestnuts, roughly chopped

100g dried cranberries

1 orange, zested

1 tsp thyme leaves

5 sage leaves, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

80g rye crackers (like Ryvita), whizzed to a crumb, or dried breadcrumbs trimmings, gravy and bread sauce, to serve

1 Fry the onions in the butter for 15-20 mins until golden and softened. Butter a 900g loaf tin and put in the fridge to chill.

2 Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl, and work everything together to form a large meatball. Remove the loaf tin from the fridge and transfer the mixture to it – it will look like a lot, but should all fit if you pack it in. Use a spatula to shape the top, so that it resembles a loaf a bread. 3 Cover with foil, then bake for 1 hr, or until the loaf reaches 70C on a meat thermometer. Heat grill to medium, then grill the loaf for 5-10 mins until golden on top. Leave to rest in the tin for 20 mins, then carefully tip the loaf onto a carving board or platter. Serve in slices with the usual trimmings, gravy and bread sauce.

PER SERVING 360 kcals • fat 17g • saturates 7g • carbs 19g • sugars 9g • fibre 3g • protein 30g • salt 1.1g