Here in Marconi House, the Christmas trees are up, the fairy lights are dangling, our socks are hung and the mistletoe is strategically placed - but today was the day the festive feeling really kicked in as Neven Maguire popped by with his recipe to success.
The MacNean man's fifteenth book Neven Maguire's Perfect Irish Christmas is flying off the shelves, as once again he's top of the books charts in Ireland. In fairness, who else would we ask for advice right now? #NevenKnows
Seeing as we had Blacklion's finest in, we asked him for some little nuggets of wisdom to help us get through the biggest feast of the year unscathed.
He let us in on some of his secret methods around the kitchen, and when using certain ingredients. He keeps things very simple (which we love), as he feels some cookbooks, and explanations can be quite tricky to follow - leaving you like...
Things like "treat the turkey like a big chicken" and the tried'n tested "20 minutes per pound + 20 minutes" are just what you want to hear. Don't over-elaborate the bird!!
We were also treated to some of the creations from his book and it was a complete droolfest - super stuffing suggestions, terrific turkey tips (like his buttermilk brined roast crown), gorgeous gravies, plus sexy sauces and soups.
His honey and clove sauce:
Getting a lesson in cooking from the main man is always great, but the highlight of the chat was a very special phone call to the show.
Unbeknownst to Neven, we had his head chef, Glen Wheeler on the line to surprise his buddy with a very touching message.
Glen finishes up in MacNean house in a few weeks time, after fourteen years of, well...everything, and he just wanted the nation to know what Neven means to him and his wife. Neven's reaction is priceless!
We might have cried...maybe...
Have a listen in full here:
Here's the perfect stocking filler for your loved one:
For more pieces of magic like this, tune into The Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show every weekday morning from 7am.
