Mrs Crunch shares last-minute Christmas deals and advice to put your mind at rest

Wrap up your shopping with great offers on meat, veg and tasty sauces.


Earn yourself a festive halo by stocking up on essentials, including batteries and bubbly.

And if you’re feeling a bit wobbly about cooking the Christmas meal, I’ve got some insider tips to make it a lot easier.

Cooking tips

FOR stress-free Christmas cooking, stick these tips – from Richard Jones, Head Development Chef at Morrisons – on your fridge.
Turkey roasting tips:

If you buy a frozen turkey, allow plenty of time to defrost it in the fridge – it could take a couple of days. Always follow the pack instructions and ensure your turkey is fully defrosted before cooking.

When roasting a turkey, cook in a preheated oven at 190℃ (170℃ fan) or Gas Mark 5 and calculate the weight of your bird after stuffing.

As a rule, allow 20 minutes per kilo plus 70 minutes to cook a turkey weighing less than 4kg. Allow 20 minutes per kilo plus 90 minutes for a turkey weighing over 4kg. These timings also work for a turkey crown.

To check your turkey is cooked through, insert a skewer into the thickest part of the thigh. If the juices run clear the turkey is cooked. If they’re pink, return to the oven and check every 20 minutes until they run clear.

Leave your turkey to rest for at least 30 minutes after cooking to let the juices settle.

Richard’s insider secrets:

  •  Don’t peel parsnips and keep in water as they won’t crisp up, they are best peeled and roasted last minute.
  • But do try making some of the dishes ahead of time. You can part boil your potatoes in water and drain, then refrigerate overnight ready to roast the next day. They will take half the time to cook, and you will have lovely fluffy spuds.
  • Give yourself plenty of time, start cooking your turkey nice and early, wrap it loosely in foil and allow it to rest.
  • Get some help. Find a volunteer to help peel veg. Carrots can be peeled and chopped and kept in water until they’re needed.

Fresh offers

GOBBLE up your turkey with a British Turkey Crown now £7 per kilo at Morrisons and a whole ­British turkey £4 per kilo.

Get all your veg for less than £2.50 with great deals at the supermarkets, including British Brussels sprouts at Lidl for 19p, a kilo of potatoes at the Co-op for 49p and 500g of parsnips at Sainsbury’s for 30p.

Get your fresh stuffing sorted, with Outdoor-bred British Pork Stuffing, £2.29 at Lidl.

Switch to salmon for a seasonal change, with a Fresh Whole Salmon down from £9.50 per kilo to £5 per kilo at Morrisons.

Snap up all your Christmas spuds with a big 2.5kg bag of potatoes as part of a three for £1 deal on six different festive veg at Morrisons.

Get your Christmas ham sorted with Oak Smoked Gammon down to £5.32 from £8 at Marks & Spencer. Had it with ham? All turkeyed out? Get your meat fix with a British Leg of Lamb for £6 per kilo or a British Beef Roasting Joint for £5 per kilo at Morrisons.

Stock up on last-minute starters with two for £6 on Waitrose Smoked Salmon Terrine Slices, or £3.99 each.

Put your pigs in blankets with two for £5 on Waitrose 8 British Honey & Rosemary Pork Chipolatas in Bacon, or £3.29 each.

Add the finishing touch to your Christmas pudding or mince pies with two for £4 on Tesco Finest Brandy Butter, 200g, Tesco Finest Vanilla Liqueur Extra-Thick Cream, 250ml, and Tesco Finest Brandy Sauce 500ml, all £2.35 each.

Selected desserts are on a three-for-two offer at Tesco including Finest 12-month Mature Christmas Pudding, £8, and Tesco Finest Yule Log, £3.50

ESSENTIAL BUYS

GET over the final shopping frontier with these deals on forget-me-not essentials.

Keep your washer running with £4 off 60 Fairy All-In-One Dishwasher Tablets at Morrisons, down from £12 to £8.

Find a match when you need one with the The Original Cook’s Safety Matches, 75p at Waitrose.

Yes, you will need another ­bottle of bubbles . . . so save £2.50 on Sainsbury’s Taste The Difference Conegliano Prosecco, now £7.50, or pocket just over £3 on Freixenet ­Prosecco, down to £8.98 from £12 at Ocado.

You always need more batteries than you think. Add two packs of Duracell Ultra Power AA Batteries for the price of one at Waitrose, £8.65.

Stock up on tin foil with Bacofoil Original Kitchen Foil, 10m, £2.50 at Asda.

Get Christmas wrapped with 50p off 50m Sellotape Original, now £1 at Sainsbury’s.

Buy one get one half-price on Rennie Peppermint Heartburn and Indigestion Relief Tablets, 24 pack, £2.20 at Ocado.

Need a bigger tin? A Bacofoil Turkey Roasting Tray is £1.25 at Iceland. Need another stocking filler? Get two for £4 on Terry’s Chocolate Orange milk, or £2.75, at Waitrose.

Every stocking should be stuffed with chocolate coins, £1 or two for £1.50 at Ocado.

Make mincemeat of spillages when you save £1.50 on Vanish Oxi Action Stain Remover Powder, 470g, now £3 at Morrisons.

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