Nigella Lawson advises leaving Christmas turkey outside

Nigella Lawson said she is “utterly convinced” by her Christmas roast turkey method.

The celebrity chef and cookbook author said she leaves the brined bird outside for several days, with her son’s skateboard offering protection against foxes.

“Before I had a garden, I put mine by an open window in the kitchen,” she wrote in her newsletter.

“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.”

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.

Lawson, known for her indulgent recipes and eloquent cooking programmes, 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 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.