Bacon on top of turkey...

Oh feck, I forgot semolina, will be doing them the normal way in goose fat.

Some of her stuff is really good, but some of it isn't. I am taking the stuff I like and using Mrs Beeton's recipes for other bits.

I m doing jamies ham on boxing day - the one with the fiery marinade, quite looking forward to that actually. i m over the ham in coke thing.

I did her gingercake stuffing last year. it was so rich that you couldnt really have more than a small spoonful. never again. this time i m doing italian sauagemeat with more sage added, onions, garlic, chopped up dried cranberries, blueberries and apricots.

I'be brined it the last two years: once with all the spices in and once without. It did make a really moist turkey, but I have no comparison, having never cooked one before.

NickJ, Jamie's Ham looks amazing. Please report back.

The fast and hot approach works for smaller birds but I think you need to be careful with bigger ones that it does actually get cooked through. However, you are all sensible people who check your turkeys before eating them (and I know you don't wash them first) so I shan't worry about you.

My first sentence feels a bit Swiss Toni. Cooking a turkey, Paul, is a bit like making love to a beautiful woman.

yes agreed, i dont think it d work well for a really large turkey, but i still cook it fairly hot, just covered in foil. dry breast is grim.

geeky, will do.

At what size does it stop being small and becomes a big bird?

Good question. I have no idea ?

Thinking on the hoof, I'd say anything over 2.5 kg is "large"

Oh crikey. So my bird that's going to be anything between 4.5kg and 6.5kg is rather large then? Whoops.

It's one of my favourite bits too, so yummy! We don't wrap sausages in bacon (although I think we're going to have to this year for friend's 5 year old ?), just covering the top with lots of rashers of streaky. Mmmm.

My MiL cooks her turkey the night before and it's always soooooo dry but I appreciate (or not ?) that that's because it's a Bernard Matthew's frozen turkey and it's cooked for so long it shrinks to the size of a chicken.

My mum has just walked in the door with the turkey from the butchers, I can't wait to have a squizz! ?