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When youre compiling special Christmas hampers and gourmet food for friends and family, it is vitally important to make sure all the ingredients that go inside are prepared to perfection.

A dessert spoon of sherry or rum can be a great way to add a kick to your Christmas cake. You should use one for every pound of fruit to be used and soak the fruit overnight. One interesting trick is to place a bowl of water in the bottom of the oven before you heat it up, as this will increase the humidity and will lead to the perfect cake for Christmas. Be sure to remove the cake in a room with a steady temperature and leave it to cool. Finally, you will need to wrap the cake in greaseproof paper and cover with tin foil before storing it in a dry cooled space to mature

If you are going with tradition and baking your own Christmas pudding then dont forget to add coins to the Christmas pudding, of course, care should be taken especially if children are going to be eating it and you should always tell your guests you put them in there. Coins can be added to bought puddings and these can be inserted gently once the pudding is cooked and turned onto a plate, dont forget to boil the coins for at least 3 minutes before using them and spread them to ensure everyone gets one to avoid disappointment.

The turkey in most homes is usually the centrepiece of the Christmas dinner. After many hours of cooking; you present it in all its glory, the perfect golden skin cooked to perfection. Now you have to carve it and you need to do this the right way in order to ensure its served as good as it smells, if you plan on carving soon after roasting then cover the turkey with foil and allow to stand for 15 minutes. Always make sure you cut the dark meat first before the light and the secret to removing the wings, legs and thighs is to finding where the bones meet and cutting between the joints.

Top tips for Christmas turkey perfection

Cool your stuffing before you use it and make sure to prepare it in advance

Only stuff the neck cavity of your turkey and not the rear end

To add some extra flavor to your turkey, cut and slice a few onions and place them in the baking tray and position your turkey on top. This will avoid your bird to go soggy and will add some additional nuances

Before stuffing the turkey, you could use sliced lemons, oranges or onion to add flavour by placing them in the body cavity of the turkey.

Rub cooking oil, salt, pepper and spices in to the skin of your turkey to help it permeate the meat.

You can also position streaky smoked bacon over the bird halfway through the cooking time to add some additional flavors.

Eggnog is always a winner at Christmas and is very popular with the traditionalists. Many people add brandy to their mix, although you can have it without alcohol and even without eggs for th dairly and egg intolerants among us. Eggnog is a quick way to warm any new visitors to the house and is best in small doses as can be very potent.

A non-alcoholic eggnog recipe for all the family. Take a dozen eggs and separate the yolks from the whites, beat the whites and add ” a cup of sugar beating until the whites start to peak, take the yolks and beat until creamed, slowly adding 1 cup of sugar as you beat. Take one quart of cream and beat until stiff, then mix the eggs and the cream and add a little vanilla for flavouring. Pour the eggnog into containers and place into a refrigerator for at least one day, when needed shake the containers well and tip into a large serving bowl adding nutmeg to the top to taste.