the christmas feast.

Nothing elicits quite as much gustatory anticipation as meat roasting in the oven, tantalising aromas filling the air… And no one knows more about good meat than the master butchers at The Ginger Pig. Here are their best roast recipes, for gatherings big or small, glorious centrepieces for your Christmas table – plus side dishes and stuffings to light up the main event

RECIPES TIM WILSON AND REBECCA SEAL PHOTOGRAPHS SAM HARRIS FOOD STYLING ANNIE RIGG STYLING TABITHA HAWKINS

You can never have too much bacon at Christmas, and dressing turkey with a bacon lattice does a valuable job, too: it imparts flavour and helps prevent the breast drying out

Roast turkey with a bacon lattice

Creamy baked leeks

Roast sprouts with bacon, chestnuts and cream

Slow-cooked pork shoulder stuffed with orange and prunes

Meltingly rich and tender meat, cut through with apple, orange and sweet prunes. If you can, leave the pork uncovered overnight in the fridge before cooking. This dehydrates the skin and helps to make great crackling

Guineau fowl: a special roast for a smaller gathering

Roast guinea fowl with fennel, shallot and white wine sauce

Serves 4

Hands-on time 30 min

Oven time Up to 2 hours

• 8 banana shallots, peeled and halved lengthways

• ½ small fennel bulb, trimmed and sliced widthways

• 3 garlic cloves, unpeeled

• 1 tbsp thyme leaves

• 2 tbsp salted butter, softened

• 2 small guinea fowl, about 1kg each (or a 2kg guinea fowl)

• 4 smoked back bacon rashers

• 10 pitted prunes, halved

• 350ml white wine

• 150ml chicken stock

• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

• 1½ tsp dijon mustard

• 4 tbsp double cream

• Squeeze lemon juice

• 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley

1 Heat the oven to 160°C fan/ gas 4. Choose a snug roasting tin for the guinea fowl. Arrange the shallots in the bottom, cut sides up. Top with the fennel and garlic cloves, keeping it all as well nestled together as possible so the vegetables under the bird/s cook slowly in the juices and wine, rather than burning.

2 Mix the thyme with half the butter. Loosen the skin around each guinea fowl neck cavity and push the herbed butter under it, massaging it along the meat. Rub the remaining butter all over the bird/s. Drape the bacon over the breasts and put the halved prunes into each cavity. Put the bird/s on top of the veg, then pour in the wine and stock. Season with salt and pepper, then drizzle with the olive oil.