"I love a really fruitful mopping-up exercise" (Lawson, p. 150)

After last night's dinner, not content with having finished a tub of cream and a packet of burghal, I decided to make turkey stuffing, thereby using up the tin of chestnut purée from Sunday night's Quickly-Scaled Mont Blanc, and my panko breadcrumbs from a dinner party in April. It might seem ridiculously early to be making things for Christmas, but I've already started seeing Christmas puddings and mince pies in the shops...

154. Lidgate's Chestnut Stuffing (Basics etc.)

This recipe is not a Nigella-creation, but rather comes from her butcher, Lidgate's in London. To start off, you cook shallots with bacon and butter, and add it to a mixture of tinned chestnut purée, eggs, breadcrumbs, whole vacuum-packed chestnuts, parsley and nutmeg. I used panko breadcrumbs, but didn't have enough to make up 200g, so I added... er... toast (Wonder White Bread, in the pink plastic packet), which I de-crusted, toasted and ripped up myself.

It makes a thick, sturdy mixture, for which a KitchenAid is the best option.



It made enough to fill a plastic container which previously held 1 kilo of muesli...



I snuck a little taste. It's good stuff. Now it's in the freezer, just waiting for Christmas and one very lucky turkey.