🦃 Problem?

[isha]

https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/red ... 12502.html

What are you going to have for Christmas if isn't available? Have you got back up plans?

A dead swan found in Cavan had avian flu. A whopping 75% of the turkeys produced for the Christmas market comes from Cavan/Monaghan.

This could get serious, people!

I have 2 lovely recipes I can give ye to replace

One is really simple - lentil and nut roast - very easy and tasty. The other is slightly tastier in my opinion but it's a pain to be peeling boiled chestnuts on Christmas morning, so make it the day before - chestnut and Brussels sprouts loaf. Obviously you have to like Brussels sprouts, which I do, and to hell with the crazy people who don't!

I will post the recipes if the worst comes to the worst and ye have no

I have to say I feel very sorry for the turkeys, but then again they didn't have long lives stretching before them anyway.

[Mirabeau]

I propose Soylent Green, preferably made from the Greens.

[isha]

I propose Soylent Green, preferably made from the Greens.

I like this idea.

[Del.Monte]

I gave up on Turkey a few years ago as the children prefer chicken with only the ex,being a fan of the big bird. So out went Turkey along with calling 'Boxing Day' St.Stephen's Day so as not to offend the in-laws. To quote Mel Gibson - Freedom!!....

[knownunknown]

Taste buds everywhere rejoice.

[CelticRambler]

One of the first "culture shocks" we had to face when we moved to France was this idea that there's one, and only one, dead animal that can/should be served as the main Christmas dish. And seeing as turkey is considered alongside pork as one of the bog-standard everyday meats, there's no way you'd serve it over the festive season!

After that first Christmas, while our "ex-pat" English acquaintances were going to great lengths to import ginormous mutant birds from their homeland, we went native and haven't ever looked back.

Traditional festive meals here usually feature duck, goose, deer and boar; and for the bourgeois blow-ins, our supermarkets would also usually offer ostrich, bison, kangaroo and such like.

Regarding the bird flu situation, I saw this morning that the UK authorities are repeating the same mistake with poultry farmers that they made with humans - giving advance notice of a lockdown because ... reasons (not connected to disease control). Our poultry here in France has been in lockdown for a year and a half, and at the time the instruction came in the form of a e-mail stating "by the time you receive this message, these measures are in force: get your birds under cover now!" ... Oh, and we won't prosecute you straight away for using up those labels marked "free range" .

[95438756]

I see a dozen young scientist projects based on this grave matter in a few months time. No ordinary chicken and egg situation after all )

[NickNickleby]

The only thing I hate more than turkey is...... sprouts. Unless they're parboiled and then thrown into the pan with chopped streaky bacon. Yum.

Coincidentally, only last night, I was looking at a youtube video about cooking chestnuts. Might give it a lash, if I can find some. Regardless of my efforts or Isha's encouragement, ' er indoors ' will never permit a turkey free Christmas dinner. Many years ago, I persuaded Mrs N that fillet steak, chips and onions would be a great Christmas dinner, simply because at that time, fillet steak was a real luxury. Only got away with it once though. But that was enough to allow me to say to my 18 month old son, as I fed him chopped pieces of fillet steak ... "it's far from fillet steak you were reared, son!"
Did I mention the fillet steak?

[isha]

You will get the recipe before days end Nick, I promise ya!

[Cyclepath]

You will get the recipe before days end Nick, I promise ya!

Hmmm, tryna slip us veggie recipes under the radar huh?!
No matter! I've my eye on a couple of plump wood pigeons sitting in a tree in the garden rn.
They look healthy enough and a good roasting should kill off the bird flu.

[CelticRambler]

only last night, I was looking at a youtube video about cooking chestnuts. Might give it a lash, if I can find some.

If only you'd said so sooner! You could have come over for the weekend and treated yourself to 101 variations on the theme of cooked chestnuts: Eguzon Chestnut Festival

[KHD]

I've a sweet chestnut tree down the end of the field. It produced chestnuts for the first time this year but they were miserable looking yokes. Will be hoping to try these next year.

One year we had a fry up at Christmas because the power went out. Loosing the turkey would not be a big disaster but not having the turkey juices for the gravy would be a problem for me.

[678904673]

Personally at Christmas time I've always preferred a nice piece of Spice Beef to Turkey

[95438756]

Fish will do me. With a glass of cheap white vino.

[NickNickleby]

If only you'd said so sooner! You could have come over for the weekend and treated yourself to 101 variations on the theme of cooked chestnuts:

Are you trying to get us lynched??? Only a few minutes ago I was reading the other thread about the "Glasraí" (I loved THAT at the time, if you get the reference), in which DEl.Monte is quite scathing about air travel. BTW I know you never mentioned air travel, but there's no way I'm driving over.

Do they still do that thing in Henry St, at Christmas? I used to think it was a derailed steam engine, but it was a travelling chestnut roaster I think.

Anyway, I've found they can be bought cooked and vacuum packed, so that might be an easier introduction. Saves on air miles as well. Simply drive 300 meters to my nearest Tesco in my 6 cylinder diesel jalopy. (ok, I'm joking, its a 4 cylinder)

[Hairy-Joe]

Ah, no turkey for Christmas.

It always struck me as a LOAD of work for one meal of an ordinary meat. I won't be bothered and I'll find something nice to eat. I'm not a big foodie.....

[marhay70]

I'm usually the cook for big family occasions and wouldn't be disappointed in the least to use an alternative to turkey, I always considered it overrated, dry and tasteless. I usually have to make buckets of stuffing too as only Grandad's stuffing will do for the pesky little sprogs.
Nice piece of pork or slow cooked beef would suit me fine, even if i have to make the stuffing.

[knownunknown]

I'm usually the cook for big family occasions and wouldn't be disappointed in the least to use an alternative to turkey, I always considered it overrated, dry and tasteless. I usually have to make buckets of stuffing too as only Grandad's stuffing will do for the pesky little sprogs.
Nice piece of pork or slow cooked beef would suit me fine, even if i have to make the stuffing.

Beef makes the best gravy too

[isha]

I invented a kind of onion gravy where I caramelise olive oil-slow- fried onion rings with balsamic vinegar and a bit of sugar. Thicken with a bit of flour, add good bouillon, then I add things like soya sauce, mushroom ketchup, worcestershire sauce (according to taste), and my kids who are all meat eaters say it's the best gravy

Loads of onions are required. It's thick onion gravy.

[isha]

As promised. Sorry about the state of my cook books. I'm obviously a bit of a messer.

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[Hairy-Joe]

Thanks Isha.

I'd burn a cup of tea but I can always look at it and dream I'd mange to make it.....

[isha]

Thanks Isha.

I'd burn a cup of tea but I can always look at it and dream I'd mange to make it.....

You are welcome. I remember putting a recipe in the gubu baking section for some lovely date and coconut cocoa energy balls I made and a poster asked me the name of them so they could avoid them if they ever came across them because they sounded horrible. I laughed out loud at that Each to their own.

[CelticRambler]

As promised. Sorry about the state of my cook books. ...

No need to apologise for posting photos of proper cookbooks, with proper instructions and none of those whole-page show-offy photoshopped pictures of some fancy recipe that definitely isn't going to look like that when it's done!

[Cyclepath]

I invented a kind of onion gravy where I caramelise olive oil-slow- fried onion rings with balsamic vinegar and a bit of sugar. Thicken with a bit of flour, add good bouillon, then I add things like soya sauce, mushroom ketchup, worcestershire sauce (according to taste), and my kids who are all meat eaters say it's the best gravy

Loads of onions are required. It's thick onion gravy.

Oooh that sounds good actually! I do one with lots of mushrooms added and some molassess to darken it up. I had complaints one year that the gravy wasn't brown enough...

[isha]

Would you believe something similar was said to me one year. ONE year, mind you. Once.