

Maggie Beer

Roast Turkey with Prune & Orange Stuffing and Cumberland Sauce

Step 1: To make the Cumberland sauce, place the orange and lemon zest and juice, redcurrant jelly, mustard, ginger and port in a saucepan.

Step 2: Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring to combine, then cook for 20 minutes or until it thickens a little. Leave to cool completely, then stir in the horseradish cream.

Step 3: Cover with plastic film and refrigerate until needed. Store in a sterilized jar in the fridge for a up to 1 week. (Makes about 1 ¼ cups (310 ml).

Step 4: Preheat the oven to 140 c fan-forced (160 c conventional).

Step 5: To make the stuffing, heat the olive oil in a heavy-based non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 20 minutes or until dark golden and slightly browned around the edges. Set aside.

Step 6: Combine the parsley, rosemary, thyme, breadcrumbs, prunes, orange and onion in a bowl, then season with 3 teaspoons salt and pepper to taste.

Step 7: Fill the turkey cavity with the stuffing mixture. Fold the wings under the body and then truss it well with kitchen string.

Step 8: Place the flour in an extra-large oven bag and shake to distribute the flour through out the bag. Slide the turkey into the bag to coat with flour. Tie the end of the bag well with kitchen string and slip in into another oven bag, then seal this too.

Step 9: Place the turkey in a baking dish or roasting pan, then roast for 2 ½ hours or until golden and cooked through.

Step 10: Remove the turkey from the oven. Cut a corner off the oven bag, then carefully pour all the juices and fat into the tallest, thinnest jug you have (so you have the smallest surface area) to accelerate the fat setting. Place the jug in the fridge to chill so that the fat will separate from the juice.

Step 11: Place the piping-hot turkey, breast-side down, in the dish/pan. Leave the turkey to rest for up to 1 hour with the torn oven bag or a sheet of foil loosely covering it; it will retain its heat in this time.

Step 12: If the turkey is not golden brown, remove it from the oven bag and place it on a baking tray breast-side up.

Step 13: Increase the oven temperature to 180 c fan-forced (200 c conventional), then return the turkey to the oven for 10 minutes or until golden all over.

Step 14: Once the fat has set, scoop it from the jug and discard. Place the juices in a small saucepan, then bring to the boil over high heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until reduced by half. Strain and keep warm until ready to serve.

Step 15: Serve the turkey and stuffing with the pan juices and Cumberland sauce.


  1. 1 tsp plain flour

Prune & Orange Stuffing

  1. 100g onion roughly chopped
  2. 2 Tbsp flat-leaf parsley finely chopped
  3. 1 Tbsp rosemary finely chopped
  4. 3 Tbsp lemon thyme finely chopped
  5. 280g 4 cups breadcrumbs loosely packed
  6. 200g pitted prunes cut in half
  7. 1/2 tsp sea salt and pepper to taste

Cumberland Sauce

  1. 2 oranges zested
  2. 100ml orange juice
  3. 2 lemons zested
  4. 80ml 1/3 cup lemon juice
  5. 140g 1/3 cup redcurrant jelly
  6. 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  7. 125ml 1/2 cup port
  8. 115g 1/2 cup horseradish cream

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