Sumptuous  stir  fry

Stir fried meat can sometimes taste a little tough if it's cooked too quickly and allowed to dry out. But cooking it separately in water first works wonders.

Tip
Cook sliced meat in water for a few minutes until it cooks through and then brown it off with the rest of the ingredients in your stir fry.

Bolognese  sauce  ideas

Making a Bolognese sauce may seem a simple task at the outset, but there are plenty of factors to get just right.

Quality tomatoes are a must, as are some tasty herbs. But there are other elements to consider when coming up with the perfect sauce to compliment pasta, and a spoonful of sugar is the icing on the cake.

Next time you make a bolognese sauce try adding a spoonful of sugar to the mixture. This will take away the sharpness of the tomatoes and provide a richer flavour.

Be careful not to be too generous with the sweetener though, otherwise it will end up too sickly-sweet. Honey can also be used as an alternative to the sugar.

Roasts

In her new book, Roasts, food writer and chef Sonia Stevenson offers invaluable advice on conjuring up the prefect roast dinner. Here, she shares a particularly useful tip.

Tip
"If you lack an instant-read thermometer," says author Sonia Stevenson, a time honoured way of testing for doneness is to pinch a lean surface. If it springs back easily, it is rare; if less springy, it is medium; if firm, it is well done."

Roasts by Sonia Stevenson, with photographs by Martin Brigdale, is published by Ryland Peters & Small, price £16.99

Where  Rosemary  goes

Rosemary is a perfect accompaniment to lamb, but its strong flavour can be overpowering. We show you how to incorporate just a hint of the herb into your cooking

Tip
Next time you grill or roast lamb, forget the basting brush. Instead, take a sprig of fresh rosemary to dip into your oil or butter. The strength of this Mediterranean herb should give your meat a delicate hint of rosemary.

Turkey  with  a  twist

If you can't contemplate Christmas without the traditional turkey but want to introduce the odd innovative idea, simply let your creative flair flow. We offer some seasonal suggestions to get you started.

Tip
Give your turkey a twist this Christmas in the following ways:

Sack the pork and sage stuffing and go for something more adventurous. There are plenty of varieties in the supermarkets, from port and Stilton to brandy and orange.

Flick through your collection of cookery books to find the one that tempts you most and do a dummy run by making a small quantity to test before the big day.

Butter spread liberally over turkey is a great way to add flavour to the bird. However, you could also try the Mediterranean method of using a generous amount of olive oil instead.

Streaky bacon is perfect to enhance the turkey's natural juices. Why not swap salted for smoked and add distinctive flavour.

A thick, rich gravy complements turkey a treat, however you can go for a variation on the traditional theme by adding a little red wine or sherry to the sauce.

Why confine cranberry to a sweet accompaniment to the meal? Just as honey glazed ham is a delicious contrast of sweet and savoury, so spreading melted cranberry sauce over the turkey a few moments before the end of cooking will create a similar effect.

For more information about meat, visit Beefy & Lamby online.