The traditional Christmas dinner is a recipe that has lasted generations, but can’t it get a bit boring?
If you’re looking to spice up your menu this year, look no further. Here are five ways that you can add some extra cheer to your roast this festive season.
Top Up Your Turkey
Orange?! I hear you gasping at your computer screens.
Yes, orange. Adding a little bit of zest to your platter is a great way of mixing up your festive feast, and it’s a lot easier than you think.
Before popping your main event into the oven, leave it in a pot of water that has some slices of orange readily placed inside. Allow the turkey to absorb all that zesty goodness for approximately 2 – 3 hours before cooking, and just sit back and enjoy the flavours.
It’s all pretty straightforward and you don’t have to completely abandon tradition. If you’d like to give it a go, find a full breakdown of the recipe here.
Bump Up Your Beef Dripping
A lot of people like to cook additional meats to go with their turkey at Christmas, and one of the most popular choices is beef.
Unfortunately, a lot of people also have eyes that are just a teeny tiny bit too big for their stomachs, and a lot of food goes to waste.
Thankfully, one thing that doesn’t have to go to waste is all that delicious meat juice that accompanies your beef roast.
If you’re often left with dry, flavourless roasted vegetables, try marinating them in the beef dripping before popping them in the oven with some greaseproof paper sheets.
It’s an easy and straightforward way to add something extra to your traditional veggies.
Crank Up Your Cranberry
Cranberry sauce has long been a staple sauce of the Christmas dinner.
Unfortunately as we all know, long time tradition can begin to get tiresome after a while.
Thankfully, there is a way you can crank your cranberry up to the next level by adding a few slices of apple to the deep rooted recipe.
A favourite of famed chef Jamie Oliver, all you need are a one or two bramley apples, caster sugar and a sprinkling of cinnamon to complete your new dressing.
Pump Up Your Peas
You wouldn’t be blamed for believing that peas are nothing more than a part of your festive roast, a staple that can’t be changed for better or for worse.
Well we’re here to tell you that you can.
Adding some cheesy goodness to the humble vegetable is a sure fire way to spice up your platter.
And it doesn’t take long either. All you need to do on top of boiling your peas as usual is to pop them back in the pan, add some Parmesan and watch as the two unlikely companions convolute.
All Hail the Hazelnut
The golden rule of festive feasting is to never stop.
While there will ultimately be gallons of chocolate on offer, it may be worth expanding upon your usual nibbles in order to really make some Christmas memories.
All you need are some hazelnuts, a drizzle of caramel and sheet of rice paper in order to impress the guests this festive season.
If you fancy a go, take a look at a more in depth guide to the nibbles here.
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For more quirky recipes and guides to quality cooking and storage, take a look at a few of our blogs below. Otherwise, Merry Christmas from us here at Charlotte Packaging.