Bits to go with … continued

The stuffing – my favourite!

Do whatever suits your time – make your own crumb mixture or use a packet and “zhuzh”. I like to zhuzh stuff and make it my own.

As a basic guide :

190g crumbs – your own or a packet of sage & onion

add 400ml boiling water together with a large knob of butter

salt and black pepper

allow the mixture to stand, then fold in 2 tbsp of that apple

sauce you've just made

1 medium onion, finely chopped and

softened with a drop of rapeseed oil and a small

knob of butter

1 small leek, finely chopped softened as the onion

Use a dessert spoon of mixture to give a consistent measure to form the balls which will give you 9 with everything plus 4 without onion.

Pre-heat oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6 and bake for 30 minutes

The stuffing can be made ahead.

Here's the dilemma, shape into balls or make like a “meatloaf” which can then be sliced.

Personally I like balls – another advantage is that if you have guests who don't like onion it's easier to make up however many are required with the basic mixture and the apple and/or the leek and then add the softened onion to the remainder and everyone's happy.

If you'd prefer the “meatloaf” route you could use a cake liner in a loaf tin so that you finish up with the “meatloaf” shaped stuffing. Use a 1lb loaf tin with the appropriate liner and pack the mixture evenly. Bake as above.

You'll notice that the cooking time is 30 minutes – again – which fits in perfectly with your “pull it all together” plan to serve your roast.

Ps. I always make more than I need. There is nothing quite like a sandwich filled with pork (for the meat eaters) and stuffing with coleslaw – not forgetting the mayo. A good source of protein for the veggies is the deli style Quorn wafer thin slices if you like that sort of thing - it ticks the box for sandwiches. An idea that you might want to bear in mind when planning your “C” shopping list – can't bring myself to mention the word, it's too early!