Food safety and healthy eating on the island of Ireland

Prep early for a relaxed Christmas

Top tips to make Christmas dinner as easy as possible.

Start planning

Read Veggie Christmas Meat-free ideas that hold their own on the Christmas table.

Read Christmas recipes Classic sides and trimmings for a traditional Christmas dinner.

Read Turkey cooking time calculator Use our turkey cooking calculator to find out how long to cook your turkey per pound or kilo.

Food Safety

From storing food safely to preparing and cooking food

Read Food poisoning risks with raw milk

Raw milk can contain food poisoning bacteria so vulnerable people should not drink it.

Read How to cook ready meals safely

To avoid food poisoning from bacteria like Listeria, heat ready meals until they are steaming hot all the way through. Only heat them once.

Read How to stop food poisoning bacteria from spreading

Raw food can carry bacteria that cause food poisoning. These bacteria can spread to other food through hands, utensils and surfaces. Clean as you go to stop them spreading.

Recipes

Christmas dinner recipes

All our best festive recipes together in one place.

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Roast turkey

It's hard to beat a traditional roast turkey dinner, especially at Christmas and it's not as difficult to prepare as you might think. Follow our simple instructions to cook your turkey to perfection!

Smoked ham with cranberry chutney

In case the last morsel is not picked clean from the plate, be sure to store leftover ham in a secure container and place on the middle shelf of the fridge.

Sprout and onion tart

Try this delicious option for vegetarians from the Wonky Spatula.

Lemon and rosemary turkey crown

A turkey crown is the body of the bird with the legs and wings removed - perfect if everyone likes white meat, and quicker to cook too.

Brussels sprouts with apple and red onion

Boring sprouts? Make them more interesting with this tasty recipe!

Christmas nut roast

The perfect vegetarian option for Christmas dinner!

Honey roast ham

This is one of our most popular recipes. If the last of this delicious ham isn’t gobbled up in one meal, it can be stored in the fridge as equally tasty leftovers.

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