Bacon, Chestnut & Thyme Stuffing

Place a large frying pan over a medium heat and add 20g of butter. Add the bacon and cook until golden (turning once), then remove from the pan and set aside on a tray or plate. Use the same pan to fry the onion over a medium-low heat until soft, then lift the onion out on to the plate with the bacon. Again, return the pan to the heat, add the 300g chopped chestnuts and fry for a couple of minutes, then set aside.

Next, tear the bread into chunks, then put them in a food processor and blend to give fairly chunky crumbs. Add in the cooked bacon, onion and chestnuts, plus the fresh and dried herbs, then pulse once or twice for a slightly finer texture (don't overmix). Tip the stuffing to a large bowl, then add the lemon zest and juice, a pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper and stir well to combine. Preheat the oven to 180⁰C (Gas Mark 4) and place 30g of butter into a small pan over a gentle heat until softened. Stir the soft butter into the stuffing, together with a couple of teaspoons of water, then tip the stuffing into a baking dish and cover with foil. Cook in the hot oven for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for a further 10 minutes. When the stuffing has almost had its time, melt the remaining 20g of butter in a frying pan and add the reserved 60g chestnuts, frying for a couple of minutes until slightly golden. Scatter the chestnuts over the stuffing and serve.