Dum dum dum de dum dum. Dum dum dum dum de dum dum. Ping Ping. Under Pressure… Surely the background theme tune for anyone gearing up to cook the Christmas dinner this year.  Most of the pressure is being applied by you yourself of course.  Not that you are competitive. And you are overtly grateful for all help offered. But this year it is your Christmas. Your way.

But it's not is it.  It is everyone else's way. If the pleas haven't already started from the various members of the invited then they are about too….Please do the bread sauce properly with cloves stuck in the onion…. can we have Brussels sprouts cooked normally and not that weird way you attempted last year… can you make sure the roast potatoes are really crispy, not soggy….  what do you mean you are thinking of cooking goose?  All year I have been dreaming of my Christmas turkey………  Yet the one component of the Christmas meal that is never scrutinised is the stuffing.  Either it is the same bland instant one every year that it makes no impact anyway or it is deliciously homemade BUT because no single, freshly made stuffing tastes the same as the next there is no festive yard stick to measure it by. Stuffing is totally taken for granted.  Yet it has the power to turn a meal into a feast.  Sound familiar?  You above everyone should be empathising with the stuffing and ensuring it is given the time, love and respect it needs.

While you are applying yourself to make a delicious, British festive stuffing, why not make several.  They are so easy to make. Feed the inner-martyr and make a stuffing to suit each guest. Alongside a sausage meat stuffing you could have a pork-free one by using dried British cranberries or chestnuts.  Someone at the table is bound to have a food intolerance or allergy, be it nuts, gluten or meat.  Making them a special stuffing is a marvellous way of making them feel loved and included and has the added bonus of guilt-inducing them into not being critical of any other part of the meal. In fact, they will be so touched at the apparent effort you have made they won't even remember much about the rest of the meal.   

When presenting your stuffings - and here is another reason to make more than one - don't hide your light under a bushel by burying it all in the backside of the bird.  If you are desperate to stuff something then stuff the neck cavity but be sure to leave nothing more than a peeled onion in the main cavity. You don't want to dry the bird out and more importantly you want to show off.  The brilliant thing about an array of stuffings is that it looks as though you have done so much more than you have and, even better, it doesn't have to look beautiful.  There is no expectation.  In fact, the lumpier and chunkier the better. That is why stuffing is such a joy to make - because of the good old-fashioned, rough-and-ready, throwing together of ingredients without censorship.  Make the stuffings when it is convenient for you.  Make them your way.  On your terms.  Just ensure they are at room temperature before you cook them, particularly if some stuffing is being cooked within the carcass.  

The stuffing ingredients and its success are a representation of the meal itself.  The butter is the sibling that needs softening up but left too long alone turns bitter; the slow-cooked onion over a low, sustained heat is the father who needs a constant stream of attention before he warms up and shines; the sage is the mother-in-law - too much and it's a complete take-over, too little and what's the point of it being there; the golden breadcrumbs are the children, fresh and excitable - avoid over-tired or stale breadcrumbs as they are nowhere near as effective - and you, yes you, dear reader are the British sausage meat - the integral ingredient that holds the whole thing together.  

As usual, I'm hoping, your larder will already be stocked with British onions, butter, bread and eggs.  British sausage meat should be easily obtainable from any local butcher and never be afraid to ask and ascertain the origin of the meat.  If you are buying sausage meat from a supermarket don't just be content with a Union Jack symbol - that could just mean it's been packed here - check that the Red Tractor Pork logo is attached.  If you don't yet grow your own herbs you will be relieved to hear that British sage is widely available in supermarkets and for a price comparison [click here]. When making stuffing, do try and use fresh herbs.  You can also order British herbs online from places such as Eggleston Hall, Jekka's Herb Farm and Norfolk's Finest Herbs.

So really enjoy making a variety of British stuffings this Christmas.  In all their understated glory the stuffings will enhance the turkey and transform your Christmas dinner from a meal into a feast.  

For suggestions on how to cook a truly British Christmas dinner [click here]
For British Turkey's traditional stuffing recipe [click here]
For a fantastically festive sage sausage stuffing recipe [click here]
For a selection of Christmas stuffing recipes [click here].

This month, The Sauce tests out Tamasin Day Lewis' Chestnut, Apple, Walnut and Celery Stuffing…

The Sauce

Tamasin Day Lewis' Chestnut, Apple, Walnut and Celery Stuffing

• What ingredients did you use and how readily available were they?
  
  • 3 tbsp olive oil - already in store cupboard
  • 1 large onion - already in store cupboard
  • 1/2 head finely chopped celery - from Sainsbury's (origin Yorkshire)
  • 110 g finely chopped walnuts - I finally found a bag of whole walnuts in Waitrose that had been grown in the UK as opposed to China or Italy. 
  • 2 British cox apples from Sainsbury's
  • 450 g British pork sausage meat from local butcher
  • 225 g wholemeal breadcrumbs from bread in store cupboard
  • 2 beaten British eggs, already had in store cupboard
  • 2 tbsp flat leaf British parsley from Sainsbury's.
  • black pepper - in store cupboard
  • 450 g vacuum-packed chestnuts - French vacuum packed chestnuts were easy to find, British far less so.  Ended up buying them from www.nutsandseeds.co.uk


• What was the sum total cost of this recipe?
  £14.72


• How many people did it actually feed?
  8, although the recipe said it would serve 6


• How long did it take and how easy was it?
  The recipe itself was incredibly easy - fry onion, apple, walnut and celery and then add remaining ingredients and cook for 30 minutes in a separate roasting tin. However, because I could only find whole British walnuts, it took a lot longer to make as I had to shell each nut before I whizzed them all up in the mixer.


• What did you and your guests think of the stuffing?
  Absolutely delicious.  The texture of the stuffing seemed to make the meat even more succulent.  A fantastic recipe.


• Would you cook it again?
  Yes, but before I do I am going to find a reliable British walnut producer.

Let us know if you agree with The Sauce by This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it