The Review Issue One | Page 23

Advertise from as little as £25! email [email protected] 23 The Review Featured Business: wm. allan & son Every quarter we’ll be featuring an interview with a local business and you get to vote for who it will be... look out for more details on our facebook page www.facebook.com/thereviewstewarton the review popped in for a chat with alasdair m c farlane to hear his story... how long has allan & sons been established? We’ve been established since 1903, celebrating our 110th year. tell us about a fond memory you have from your time in the shop? Working with my family over the years has to be up there, when I started I worked with my Dad, Mum, Gran and Papa and now I work with my wife, sons and sister in law. why should customers come to you for their meat rather than shopping in supermarkets? Quality, value for money and personal service. what do you love about your stewarton customers? I like the fact that our customers acknowledge the importance of supporting their local small businesses, of all types. what three words would you use to describe stewarton to someone who has never been here before? Welcoming, friendly and vibrant. how do you like your steak? Medium. give us a top tip for cooking steak... Always allow your steak to rest at room temperature before cooking. how has social networking evolved your business? It has given us a wider target audience and customer base at the click of a button. have you got anything new and exciting for your customers to look forward to? We always try to devise new and exciting products for our customers to enjoy, some are a success, and sadly some are not! (laughs) tell us something we might not know about your shop Our shop is not actually our original shop, the business started on the opposite side of the street, roughly between the factory shop and the bank. alasdair shares his christmas dinner secrets... Even if you regularly host dinner parties or cook for a large family, the Christmas dinner is likely to be the most challenging you’ll put together all year. How long do you cook the turkey for, will you get it all in the oven and will you get it all on the table in time to keep everyone happy? Hopefully with the help of a few hints and tips you’ll serve up a Christmas dinner to be proud of. PREPARATION: Consider writing a list in advance of jobs to be done, if well drawn up it will make life so much easier on the big day. Take the turkey out the fridge the night before. Remove all the packaging, any bands etc and cover with a clean dishtowel. (you may also want to season with salt) CHRISTMAS MORNING: Remove the wishbone with a sharp knife, this will make carving much easier later on. Cover the turkey with butter, pepper and anything else you fancy, maybe a bit of thyme or sage and throw a couple of onions inside the carcase. COOKING: As a guide you want to do 220c/425f Gas Mark 7 for 30-45 minutes (depending on size) then down to 170c/325f Gas mark 3. Allow 30-40 minutes per KG so as a guide a 5-7kg bird will take 3.5-4 hours, a 7-9kg bird 4-5 hours and the larger 9kg + birds 5-6 hours. Cook the bird unstuffed, but if you must give an additional 20-30 minutes on top of the time above. Cover the bird with tinfoil to stop in burning or drying out while cooking, you can remove the tinfoil for the last half hour or so of cooking. Remember to rotate the turkey while its cooking as the legs can take a little longer to cook. It’s a good idea to place it on one side then the other with the breast down and place breast up for the final phase of cooking. Baste the turkey every 25 minutes or so during cooking. When cooked allow to rest for 45 minutes before carving. Hopefully this brief guide will help you have a wonderful Christmas dinner with minimal fuss, allowing you to enjoy the day with your family. Merry Christmas! this year wm. allan and sons turkeys will be available for collection / delivery on the 21 st, 23 rd & 24 th december