Lilly Higgins's Christmas Special: Easy, peasy, herby stuffing

I only have two rules when it comes to stuffing: plenty of herbs and butter. If you’ve got lots of thyme on your hands this festive season then put it to good use and make this delicious stuffing. Add a handful of finely chopped parsley and the zest of a lemon or clementine for even more flavour.

I love to bake mine in an oven proof serving dish as it crisps up nicely around the edges and doesn’t become soggy from sitting in a huge turkey for four hours. Simply pop it in the oven half an hour before dinner then place on the table with a serving spoon so everyone can help themselves.

It’s worth making your own breadcrumbs. Whenever I have a spare piece of bread I just place it in the freezer in a ziploc bag. Before you know it the bag is full so just blitz it in the food processor, crusts and all for some great craggy texture.

Thyme Stuffing

• 1/2 - 1 onion, diced
• 70g butter
• 4-5 sprigs of thymes, leaves removed and chopped
• 250g bread crumbs
• 1 egg
• Salt and pepper

Sweat the diced onion in a little olive oil over a low heat till soft. Set aside to cool down.

Melt the butter and leave to cool before adding the onion, egg, salt and pepper. Whisk well.

Mix in the breadcrumbs and thyme till combined.

Place in a buttered serving dish and bake in the oven for 30 minutes till golden and crisp.