Nigella Lawson reveals rather unusual secret to the 'perfect' Christmas turkey – and it involves leaving it outside… under a skateboard

Nigella Lawson has shared her bizarre secret to having the ‘perfect’ Christmas turkey this festive season.

The culinary queen, who is famous for her wry sense of humour and practical approach to cooking, shocked fans when she revealed her quirky method involves leaving the meat outside under a skateboard.

In a recipe email to fans, Lawson shared her top tips for a delicious Yuletide roast – while emphasising the importance of brining the bird.

But, there was one strange detail in her email which caught the attention of her readers.

Nigella advised leaving the turkey outside for several days before cooking it to achieve the most tender meat.

She added that she places the bird in a pot in her garden with her son’s skateboard on top to keep it from peckish foxes.

The chef said that, before she had a garden, she used to leave it next to an open window in her kitchen, freezing her family half to death.

She added: ‘It does mean everyone freezes, but who am I going to put first – my turkey or my family?

‘Out in the garden if you’re lucky enough to have one would also be fine, though the pan must be securely covered: if I’ve got a bucket or bin out in the open, I cover it twice with foil and then put my son’s skateboard on top to prevent foxy foraging.’

Nigella Lawson has shared her bizarre secret to having the ‘perfect’ Christmas turkey this festive season

In a recipe email to fans, Lawson shared her top tips for a delicious Yuletide roast – while emphasising the importance of brining the bird

The culinary queen, who is famous for her wry sense of humour and practical approach to cooking, shocked fans when she revealed her quirky method involves leaving the meat outside under a skateboard

In the newsletter recipe, titled Spiced And Superjuicy Roast Turkey, Lawson described how immersing the bird in a salty and subtle spice mixture for a ‘up to a day or two’ tenderises the meat and adds to its flavour.

Nigella added: ‘And, though you might find it hard to believe sight unseen, a raw turkey covered in brine – with its oranges, cinnamon sticks, and scattering of spices – looks so beautiful as it steeps that I can never help lifting the lid for quick, blissfully reassuring peeks.’

‘You have only to try this method to be utterly convinced,’ she wrote.

The process involves immersing the turkey in a salty and mildly spiced solution for a prolonged period to enable a more succulent final flavour and texture.

The turkey tradition appears to have gone down well with fans, with many saying they followed her brining method every year.

The 64-year-old has won legions of followers since her first cookbook How To Eat in 1998 through to 2020’s Cook, Eat, Repeat, and their accompanying television shows.

It comes as Nigella Lawson gave her opinion on whether to cater for fussy eaters this Christmas.

We all know Brussels sprouts are a pretty divisive vegetable, but if someone doesn’t like them, does that mean you have to serve them something else? The answer is no, at least not according to Nigella.

‘I ignore fussy eaters at Christmas,’ the 64-year-old cook, author and television sensation said in an interview with Good Housekeeping.

‘The thing is, obviously if you’ve got them staying with you for two weeks, then you’ve got to take them into account. But if they’re just coming for Christmas dinner, they are not going to starve if they don’t eat everything that is on their plate.’

‘There is a lot to do over Christmas and I think it’s a bit rude of people to start saying, ‘oh I can’t eat that’ or ‘oh I won’t eat that’. There’s always enough out there to eat. And frankly to keep you going until the next meal.’

Nigella’s spiced and super juicy roast turkey

INGREDIENTS:

For the turkey brining:

1 large orange or 2 smaller (quartered)

250 grams Maldon salt (or 125g / ½ cup table salt)

3 tablespoons black peppercorns

1 tablespoon caraway seeds

2 tablespoons allspice berries

2 tablespoons white mustard seeds

2 onions (unpeeled and quartered)

1 x 6 centimetres piece of fresh ginger (unpeeled and cut into 6 slices)

4 tablespoons maple syrup

4 tablespoons runny honey

stalks from 1 bunch fresh parsley

For the basting glaze:

75 grams goose fat (or butter)

3 tablespoons maple syrup

METHOD:

Put the water into your largest cooking pot or a clean bucket or plastic bin. Squeeze the juice from the orange quarters into the water before you chuck the husks in, then add all the other ingredients, stirring to combine the salt, sugar, syrup and runny honey.

Remove any string or trussing from the turkey, shake it free, remove the giblets, if not already done, and put them in the fridge (or straightaway set about making the stock for the gravy), then add the bird to the liquid, topping up with more water if it is not completely submerged.

Keep covered in a cold place, even outside overnight or for up to a day or two (and see intro) before you cook it, remembering to take it out of its liquid (and wipe it dry with kitchen paper) 1-2 hours before it has to go into the oven.

Read the Important Note below, and preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/gas mark 6/400ºF.

Melt the goose fat (or butter) and maple syrup together slowly over a low heat. Paint the turkey with the glaze before roasting in the oven, and baste periodically throughout the cooking time.

Roast for 2½ hours. When you think it’s ready, pierce the turkey with the point of a sharp knife where the body meets the leg, and if the juices run clear, it’s cooked; if still pink, cook it for longer until they run clear, or use a meat thermometer.

Then take the turkey out of the oven, and let it sit, tented with foil, for 20–40 minutes or even longer if you like, as I do

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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk

Nigella Lawson reveals rather unusual secret to the ‘perfect’ Christmas turkey – and it involves leaving it outside… under a skateboard