BETAA Traditional Christmas Feast
An extra leaf in the table. Chairs borrowed from the kitchen. Someone arriving with a serving dish. Make Christmas a generous family gathering with herb roast turkey, optional glazed ham and the sides everyone reaches for. Prefer a smaller roast? There is a chicken option, too.
A table made for passing dishes
Begin with a whole herb roast turkey and add maple-mustard glazed ham if your gathering calls for two meats. Set out creamy potato salad, buttery baked potatoes and parsley carrots, then finish with apple tarte Tatin. Choose one potato side or smaller portions of both, depending on your family favourites.
The new recipes are written for eight servings or side portions. The 5 kg turkey and 1.5 kg ham are fixed batches; serving both will make a generous spread with leftovers. Keep those meat batches as written rather than multiplying whole-bird sizes in the planner. For more guests, plan additional separate batches, equipment and cooking time.
- Herb roast turkey for the family table
A 5 kg unstuffed turkey with lemon, rosemary and butter, ready to carve and share.
270 minutes · 8 pieces / portions; keep the batch as written · Also allow: Allow 3–4 days refrigerator thawing for a frozen 5 kg bird; cooking time varies. Includes 30 minutes resting. - Maple-mustard glazed ham
A fully cooked boneless ham warmed gently under a sticky maple and mustard glaze.
150 minutes · 8 pieces / portions; keep the batch as written - Creamy potato salad for a gathering
Tender potatoes, crisp celery and spring onions in a mustard and mayonnaise dressing.
180 minutes · 8 servings · Also allow: Includes approximately 2 hours chilling. - Fluffy baked potatoes with butter
Crisp-skinned jacket potatoes with fluffy centres, split open at the table.
100 minutes · 8 servings - Buttery parsley carrots
Simply simmered carrots finished with butter and parsley for the Christmas table.
30 minutes · 8 servings - Caramelised Apple Tarte Tatin
Apples cooked in deep amber butter caramel under a blanket of puff pastry, baked until crisp and flipped out so the glossy, sticky fruit sits on top. Served warm with crème fraîche.
95 minutes · 8 servings - Lemon-Saffron Chicken & Roast Potatoes
Golden chicken and potato wedges with saffron, lemon and a cool spoonful of yogurt.
65 minutes · 4 servings
A chicken roast belongs here, too
For a smaller table, try the Lemon-Saffron Chicken & Roast Potatoes instead of turkey. Its recipe uses chicken thighs and already includes potatoes; check the stated portions before choosing extra sides. Pair it with carrots or potato salad, and leave the ham for another occasion if one roast is enough.
You do not need every dish to make this feel like Christmas. Choose the centrepiece and sides that suit your guests, your kitchen and the traditions you love.
The day before: make room and get ahead
Read the recipes before shopping, ask about dietary needs and check your oven, roasting tray, rack and meat thermometer. Check turkey thawing instructions several days ahead: a 5 kg frozen bird needs days in the fridge, not a morning on the worktop. Buy a fully cooked, ready-to-eat ham for the ham recipe, rather than raw gammon.
Make and refrigerate the potato salad the day before, then set the table and put out serving dishes. Check each recipe and package label for allergens, including milk, egg, mustard and wheat. The chicken alternative has its own ingredients and allergen notes.
Give the oven a realistic plan
The turkey needs roughly 3–4 hours at 180°C, plus preparation and 30 minutes resting; the thermometer decides when it is ready. The ham also uses 180°C but needs its own space and up to 2½ hours. Cook both together only if separate dishes fit with good airflow and you can check each safely. Otherwise, choose one hot centrepiece, or use a second oven.
For a single oven, choose cold potato salad and hob-cooked carrots alongside the turkey. Baked potatoes need about 75–90 minutes at 200°C, so they will not cook from raw during the turkey’s rest. If you want them too, bake them earlier, cool promptly and refrigerate, then allow time to reheat fully to 74°C after the turkey comes out. Keep carved meat hot at 60°C or above if waiting.
The apple tart uses 200°C and takes around 95 minutes. Bake it after the main course for a leisurely later dessert, or give it a separate oven slot earlier and follow appropriate storage and reheating guidance. Do not squeeze all the dishes into the last half-hour. Finish the carrots on the hob, bring out the chilled salad and ask someone to help carry dishes.
Shop for the menu you actually choose
Save your chosen recipes to My kitchen individually and review portions before opening your grocery list. Leave out the alternative centrepiece and any sides you are not serving. Whole turkey and fully cooked ham remain separate shopping items so you can select the right size and product locally.
Refrigerate leftovers in shallow containers within two hours, removing turkey meat from the carcass first. Use refrigerated leftovers within 2–3 days or freeze, and reheat to 74°C. Make space in the fridge before guests arrive, then enjoy sitting down together.