Thursday 26th December 2024

Every family has its traditions. And our family Christmas in Suffolk was that we had roast turkey on Christmas Day and roast beef on Boxing Day.

If I am honest, I hadn't eaten that much on Christmas Day, just a "normal" roast, really, so today would be the blow out.

And like all the best meals and occasions, this took planning.

Ordering the meat well in advance, getting bones last week then making stock, as well as remembering to order pigs in blankets and St George's Ball (of stuffing), and then the vegetables.

I have even been trying to improve the roast potatoes and Yorkshire Puddings, so had made the pudding batter the day before and let that lay in the fridge overnight.

So, come half nine, when the preparation began, I had everything, including a litre of beef stock.

Potatoes were peeled and left to soak and hour, then boiled to just before they fell apart. Drain and let steam dry back in their pan, before adding a cup of melted beef fat.duck fat mixture, and left to cool.

The beef, all seven pounds of it went in at ten to eleven, and the game was afoot.

Sadly, Jen came down with the flu, but Sean and Ange were coming, but potatoes for five, or was it six or seven, were already done.

Potatoes were put in at half twelve, and the beef was done at one, so then the vegetables were set to steam before finally I made the gravy and Jools used the air fryer for the pigs in blankets and stuffing balls.

Sean and Ange came at quarter to one, so I opened some wine and Sean and I had a glass, before the final bit of cooking, putting the puddings in and cooking until dark golden brown. They rose beyond anything I have done before.

Which was nice.

Jools and I dished up once I had carved a generous portion of the joint, vegetables, pigs, balls, roasties and puddings were added, gravy put in a jug and more wine opened.

The feast was served, and we tucked in.

Even if I was the cook, let me say it was magnificent.

They left at four, so the telly and radio put on so I could follow the footy, with Norwich already 2-0 up against Millwall. It ended 2-1, but happy with that.

And the evening had two Premier League games, played in mist or fog, while we had some cheese and crackers for supper.

Cheers.