Christmas Dinner is not one of my favourite meals of the year. The combination of a roast dinner (never understood the fuss) and turkey (the most boring of birds) always leaves me cold. It’s a traditional, and for that I endure it, but I’ve gone through a few years of trying anything I can to make the meal more special – particularly trying different meats (goose and duck have all graced the plate recently, although the curse of the Christmas duck has resulted in a broken oven on two occasions).
However, last year I had a revelation and it came in the form of Jamie Oliver’s turkey wellington. It was so good that I didn’t even consider something different in 2012.
What makes it so special? It’s a real presentation piece, with the puff pastry rising to create something that would grace the centre of any table as a piece of art. The meat inside is moist and packed with flavour. When was the last time you heard that about a piece of turkey? The mushroom stuffing, which is slightly misnamed because it coats the bird rather than filling it, is wonderful.
A little goes a long way as well. A 1kg turkey breast easily fed a family of five and there was enough left over to form a substantial part of a Boxing Day buffet. And unlike most Christmas leftovers, this had guests lining up to try it.
If you are reading this in December 2013, wondering what you can do to make Christmas dinner a treat rather than a trial, then look no further.
lazy gastronome 
Hi, I thinking of cooking Jamie’s turkey Wellington recipe for Boxing Day lunch, do you think I can prepare this on Christmas Eve? (To save me cooking on Christmas Day) would this affect the taste/quality?
Yes definitely. I’ve prepared it on Christmas Eve for the last two years and it works a treat. It is definitely a life saver to just be able to chuck it in the oven on the day.