Neven’s Perfect Stuffing

made easy

You will need:

• 175g butter • 2 onions, finely chopped • 500g fresh white breadcrumbs • 25g fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves finely chopped • 15g thyme sprigs, leaves only • 15g fresh rosemary sprigs, leaves finely chopped • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1Melt the butter in a frying pan set over a low heat, then add the finely chopped onions and saute them for 10 minutes until they are softened but not coloured.

2Tip the sauteed onions into a bowl and mix in the breadcrumbs and the finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, the thyme leaves, and the finely chopped rosemary leaves, then season generously with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Leave to cool completely.

3If you’re stuffing the turkey, use one-quarter of the mixture to fill the crop of the neck end. Start at the neck end, where you’ll find a flap of loose skin. Gently loosen this away from the breast and make a triangular pocket. Pack the stuffing inside as far as you can go and make a neat round shape on the outside. Then tuck the neck flap underneath the bird and secure it with a small skewer.

4Roast your turkey as normal, taking care to check the weight of the stuffed bird in order to calculate the cooking time.

5Cook the remaining stuffing outside of the bird. This will also make it suitable for vegetarians. Roll it up in a sausage shape in tinfoil and leave it in the fridge to firm up nicely before you roast it in a 180°C, 360°F, Gas 5 oven for 50 minutes, still in the foil.