Ingredients

• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 onion
• finely chopped
• 1 leek
• trimmed and finely sliced
• 4 pork sausages
• around 275g/9¾oz
• 50g/1¾oz dried cranberries
• 25g/1oz flaked almonds
• 1 unwaxed lemon
• finely grated zest only
• 1 heaped tbsp roughly chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 40g/1½oz dried white breadcrumbs
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1.5kg/3lb 5oz turkey breast joint
• fully thawed if frozen
• 16 rashers smoked streaky bacon
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• plus extra for oiling
• fresh thyme and bay leaves
• to garnish
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• splash of wine
• 450ml/16fl oz chicken stock
• made with 1 chicken stock cube
• 1 tbsp redcurrant jelly

Directions

• To make the stuffing
• heat the oil and gently fry the onion and leek for 5 minutes
• or until well softened and lightly browned
• stirring regularly. Tip into a mixing bowl and leave to cool for 30 minutes.
• For the turkey
• generously oil a small
• sturdy roasting tin
• roughly 30cm x 22cm/12 x 8½in – the turkey needs to fit snugly.
• To continue the stuffing
• once the onion and leek are cool
• add the cranberries
• almonds
• lemon zest
• thyme and breadcrumbs. Squeeze the sausage meat out of the skins and add it to the bowl.
• Season with salt and lots of pepper. Mix well with a spoon or with clean hands until thoroughly combined.
• Place the turkey breast on a board and gently remove the skin. Turn over and cut horizontally almost all the way through the thickest part of the breast and open up like a book
• so that the turkey has a flatter
• more oblong shape. Cover with a sheet of cling film and bash with a rolling pin until around 2.5cm/1in thick all over.
• Place a sheet of cling film on a work surface and put eight pieces of kitchen string
• each 50cm/20in long
• roughly 4cm/1½in apart along its length. Stretch each rasher of bacon with the back of a knife until around 32cm/13in long. Place the bacon rashers on top of the string and cling film
• overlapping each slice.
• Place the turkey breast
• smooth-side down
• on top of the bacon and arrange the filling all the way down its length. Bring up the cling film and bacon on both long sides to enclose the filling.
• Tie firmly with the string and discard the cling film. Place the turkey parcel in the prepared tin
• knot-side down. (You can cover and chill for up to 24 hours before cooking if using a fresh turkey joint
• or cook the same day if using a previously frozen joint.)
• Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Uncover the stuffed turkey joint
• then drizzle with oil and season with black pepper. Cover loosely with foil and roast for 1 hour. Remove the foil and continue cooking for a further 30–45 minutes
• or until the bacon is crisp and the turkey and stuffing are thoroughly cooked.
• Transfer the turkey to a warmed platter. Cover with foil and a tea towel and leave to rest for 15 minutes.
• For the gravy
• put the roasting tin on the hob over medium heat and stir in the flour. Add the wine and cook for 15–20 seconds
• stirring constantly.
• Gradually add the stock
• stirring all the time. Bring the liquid to a simmer
• stir in the redcurrant jelly and cook for 2 minutes
• or until thickened and glossy. Season to taste
• strain carefully (the tin will be extremely hot) through a sieve into a saucepan and keep warm until ready to serve.
• Snip the string off the turkey and garnish with bay leaves and thyme. Carve into slices and serve with the hot gravy.