Final Score: Christmas Lunch 0, Chris & Friends 3 (after extra time)

So as I posted earlier in the month, what might have been a solitary Christmas for me turned out not to be, as two of my board-gaming friends found themselves on their own as well, due to various circumstances.

Originally, I had ordered a stuffed turkey leg joint, which should serve 2-3 typical portions, and would have fed me with plenty of leftovers for Boxing Day. When John said he would join me, I thought it would still suffice, but on hearing Bob could make it too, I decided to get a breast joint instead, serving 4-6 people.

Except I didn’t cancel the leg joint, so I had both coming to me. However, they were both fresh, so I could easily freeze one, and cook the other.

However, on the day, I thought “I need to cook the breast to be sure to have enough for 3 adult males; but I quite like leg meat”. So I cooked them both.

End of the story (you know what is coming)… we ate the lot. It’s not as bad as it sounds though – after lunch we decided to play a game, then one game led to another, and I looked up and it was 8pm; I was hungry, and I was sure my guests were, so I went out to the kitchen, and cut up the rest of the turkey for sandwiches. So the turkey actually served up 6 meals (or 7, as I have a little bit still left).

All in all a very good day, and much better than I thought it might have been a couple of months ago.

Cooking: I’ll say one thing for a boned, stuff joint, it makes it easy for the cook. Both joints were cooked in an hour and a half, a bit quicker than cooking a whole bird; and less mess. With roast potatoes, carrots, butternut squash, sausages in bacon and stuffing balls, we had our plate full. I did also cook sprouts, but for some reason they seemed to take a long time to cook (in a steamer), and were going to hold everything else up. It turned out I was the only one who was bothered, so I forgot them – I can use them up over the next day or so as a veg or in some bubble.

This post is fast turning into food porn, so I may as well finish the job. Lunch was followed by Christmas Pudding with brandy butter or cream, and later we also had sausage rolls and chocolate cake (but not on the same plate!).

My guests have now gone, and I have just looked in the kitchen, and the washing up is going nowhere. So I am putting the roasting trays in to soak, then sitting down with a beer and seeing what Dr Who was like.