War Cry 24 December

Caped crusaders

Midwives aim to spread some festive cheer in TV drama

What is The Salvation Army?

The Salvation Army is a Christian church and registered charity seeking to share the good news of Jesus and nurture committed followers of him. We also serve people without discrimination, care for creation and seek justice and reconciliation. We offer practical support and services in more than 700 centres throughout the UK. Go to salvationarmy.org.uk/find-a-church to find your nearest centre.

What is the War Cry?

The Salvation Army first published a newspaper called the War Cry in London in December 1879, and we have continued to appear every week since then. Our name refers to our battle for people’s hearts and souls as we promote the positive impact of the Christian faith and The Salvation Army’s fight for greater social justice.

WAR CRY

Issue No 7608

Editor: Andrew Stone, Major

Deputy Editor: Philip Halcrow

Production Editor: Ivan Radford

Assistant Editor: Sarah Olowofoyeku

Staff Writer: Emily Bright Staff Writer: Claire Brine

Editorial Assistant: Linda McTurk

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Graphic Designer: Mark Knight

Email: warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk

The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory 101 Newington Causeway London SE1 6BN

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The Salvation Army Trust is a registered charity. The charity number in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is 214779, in Scotland SC009359 and in the Republic of Ireland CHY6399.

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From the editor’s desk

CHRISTMAS is a time when all manner of traditions are observed. Some of those are specific to individual families – such as whether the presents are opened before or after breakfast, if Christmas dinner is eaten in the middle of the day or the evening and whether Yorkshire puddings go with turkey.

There are other traditions, though, that are observed on a national level, none more so than switching on the television and settling down to watch the Queen’s speech. Except, of course, this year at three o’clock viewers will, for the first time, be watching a king’s speech at Christmas.

No doubt much attention will be paid to the content and tone of the Sovereign’s festive message. The Queen often spoke of her own Christian faith. In this week’s War Cry, author Ian Bradley reflects on the beliefs that the Queen expressed over the years.

He says: ‘She spoke very directly straight to camera about her own Christian faith and was uncompromising about it.’ He adds that, when she did this, she explained that the teachings of Jesus were her ‘great example’.

In his interview, Ian reminds us of the Queen’s words in 2014, when she said: ‘For me, the life of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, whose birth we celebrate today, is an inspiration and an anchor in my life. A role model of reconciliation and forgiveness, he stretched out his hands in love, acceptance and healing.’

In all the excitement and traditions of Christmas, it is easy to forget whose birth we are celebrating. So it is good to be reminded that the baby – born and laid in a manger in Bethlehem more than 2,000 years ago – can still provide inspiration and an anchor for people of all walks of life today.

However we are celebrating Christmas this year, may we experience God’s love in a way that will change our lives not just for the next few days, but for all the days that lie ahead.

calls Christmas

TV preview by Sarah Olowofoyeku

CHRISTMAS is coming, but the residents of Poplar need a bit of cheer. After the community at Nonnatus House put their heads together, caretaker Fred (Cliff Parisi) comes up with the idea to hold a talent show. In the Call the Midwife Christmas special, which will be broadcast on BBC1 on Christmas Day, instruments and dancing shoes are brushed off for some feelgood festivities.

The year is drawing to a close, but life for the nuns and midwives shows no sign of slowing down for the holidays. As well as organising entertainment, Fred teams up with Nurse Trixie (Helen George) to take presents to the hospital. Sister Frances (Ella Bruccoleri) in particular is busier than ever, working double shifts and preparing extra festive treats. But she may be forced to take a breather.

Meanwhile a young woman named Cindy (Jesse Akele) has found herself all alone in the world, after being released from prison. She is pregnant and has no clue as to her partner’s whereabouts. Knowing little about the system or how to get the support that she needs, she ends up in an unsafe environment. With the nuns and nurses nearby, though, help is hopefully on its way.

Returning to the clinic is Rhoda (Liz White), one of the mothers who had been affected by the thalidomide tragedy.

Her youngest daughter was born with small limbs, affecting her mobility and causing her to be socially excluded. The experience has taken its toll on the whole family, but Rhoda is expecting another baby. Understandably anxious and guilt-ridden, she questions whether she wants another child and struggles to trust the medical advice she is given.

It’s a moving precursor to the drama’s 12th series, which will go on to confront several social issues of the late 1960s, such as schizophrenia, teenage pregnancy, domestic abuse and the racism associated with Enoch Powell’s ‘rivers of blood’ speech.

Stars of the show have commented on how some of the themes seem pertinent 50 years on. Jenny Agutter, who plays Sister Julienne, compared the climate around the time of Powell’s speech to the one facing immigrants in modern times saying, ‘We’re going to live through the same things today.’

Of course, Call the Midwife’s Christmas special is always timely. While the festive season is an occasion for merriment and joy, the show is a reminder that it can often be a challenging period too. The loss of loved ones is felt more acutely. Life is still hard and, even if it seems that our hardships can be put on hold for a

time, they will still await us once the decorations are down.

But just as the new life of a baby fills viewers with emotion and brings the hope of a fresh start and exciting future, so the birth of the baby celebrated at Christmas can do the same.

Jesus’ coming into the world brings the ultimate hope – a fresh start for anyone. And there is the promise of a good future. His presence with us shines light into the darkest of situations, no matter the time of year.

Amid the harsh realities of life, nuns, nurses and neighbours make room for holiday cheer

The festive season can be challenging

Nurse Trixie (Helen George) takes presents to children in hospital

PRODUCTIONS/OLLY COURTENAY

Dr Turner (Stephen McGann) offers advice to Rhoda (Liz White), who is anxious about having another baby

Starligh t

WHEN I consider the star that was a significant part of the first Christmas story, I’m reminded that scientists view the stars in the sky very differently than I do. For instance, they use light years to measure the distance of the stars from us on Earth. A light year is the distance light travels in one Earth year, so about 5.88 trillion miles (or 9.46 trillion kilometres).

The Sun is our closest star and is some 93 million miles away. So, the Sun’s light takes about 8 minutes and 20 seconds to reach us, meaning we see the Sun as it was more than 8 minutes ago. The next closest star to us – Alpha Centauri – is some 4.3 light years away, so when we view this star today, we see it as it was 4.3 years ago. It’s as if we are looking back in time.

This means that the Magi – the wise men –

written about in Matthew 2:1 and 2 would have seen a star whose light was beaming before they could even see it. And yet, God used that star to lead them to Jesus. It is what caused them to ask upon their arrival in Judaea: ‘Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him’ (Matthew 2:2 New Living Translation).

Jesus came to be the light of the world. He came to shine his light in darkness – our darkness, the darkness of this world. In the Bible we can read these words: ‘The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned’ (Isaiah 9:2 New International Version). This was prophesied long before Jesus was born.

Are we talking about light years when it comes to Jesus? No, I don’t think so, because the Bible

A seasonal message from General Brian Peddle, international leader of The Salvation Army

tells us he is the Alpha and Omega – the beginning and the end. He is as much a bright light today as he was at the beginning of time, or when he came to the Earth to take up residence and ‘moved into the neighbourhood’ (John 1:14 The Message).

Jesus is not constrained by time. He is the ‘light of the world’ (John 8:12 New International Version) and shines light into the darkest places of our troubled world, bringing change. The light has come! There are no light years that can separate us from this light. He is here, he knows us, and we can walk and talk with him now. His purpose in coming was to be with us, but he has been, and always will be, with us.

If you do not know him already, you too can

know this light of the world. His name is Jesus, and he came to the world to bring about transformation. If you are seeking change, seek Jesus. If you are living in a dark place in life, seek him who is the light of the world.

For those who already know Jesus, he reminds us that we are light in the world. In Matthew 5:14 we read: ‘You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colours in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill’ (The Message).

May you be a source of light in your corner of the world this Christmas, as you bring the light of the world to others!

May God richly bless you throughout this Christmas season!

Jesus came to be the light of the world

The King’s speech

Ian Bradley

Interview by Emily Bright

AT three o’clock on Christmas Day, millions of people settle down in front of the TV for an annual tradition: watching the monarch’s Christmas broadcast. This year will be poignant as Charles III delivers his first seasonal message.

Ian Bradley, author of God Save the Queen: The Spiritual Heart of the Monarchy, highlights the cross-generational popularity of the speech.

‘It still commands the highest audience of any programme on Christmas Day,’ he says. ‘And, of course, it goes out on BBC1, ITV and on the radio. The Christmas broadcast still seems to speak tremendously to people. I think it’s the sincerity and the way that it’s a personal message from the monarch that appeals.’

Ian adds that the monarch’s broadcast has provided a welcome source of stability for many years.

‘The Christmas broadcast has been a kind of continuous element in all our lives. When I was a little boy, I would

Author IAN BRADLEY tells how Christianity has shaped monarchs’ Christmas broadcasts and what we might expect to be in the King’s first seasonal message

always sit and watch it at home with my parents and, if they were there, my grandparents after Christmas lunch. Then we did the same with our children, and we still do it.

‘For a lot of people, it’s associated with Christmas and is a reassuring ritual.

At a time of great difficulty, disruption and fear, it’s tremendously reassuring to know that at three o’clock on Christmas Day, the monarch will be talking to us.’

The broadcast began 90 years ago in the time of Elizabeth II’s grandfather, George V.

‘Essentially it was the brainchild of Lord Reith, the founder of the BBC, who was a

committed Christian,’ says Ian. ‘In 1932 he persuaded the Palace, who were rather reluctant, that George V should make a live Christmas Day broadcast. George V did so and it went right round the world.’

Little did the King know that it would become an annual Christmas TV highlight.

After the death of the Queen this year it seems fitting to look back at her Christmas broadcasts throughout the 70 years of her reign. Ian says that the focus of her speeches shifted over time.

‘There was a marked change of tone in the year 2000,’ he says. ‘Up until then her broadcasts tended to be travelogues,

which were mostly about where the royal family had been, with film of their travels and the children.

‘But then in 2000, she spoke very directly straight to camera about her own Christian faith and was uncompromising about it. There was a huge postbag to Buckingham Palace after this, more I think than for any other Christmas broadcast. People really appreciated it.

‘As a result, the Queen was persuaded, partly I think by Prince Philip, to make much more of her own faith. For the last 22 years of her life, every Christmas broadcast had a clear message from her,

There was a change of tone in 2000

From page 7

often referencing something in the Bible. She told the story of the good Samaritan, and often went back to the Nativity story. She talked about how the teachings of Christ were her great example. She always clearly had a strong Christian faith.’

Given that the Queen delivered so many Christmas speeches, it might be tricky to choose a favourite. But there is one that stands out for Ian.

‘The 2014 broadcast particularly speaks to me, where the Queen said: “For me, the life of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, whose birth we celebrate today, is an inspiration and an anchor in my life. A role model of reconciliation and forgiveness, he stretched out his hands in love, acceptance and healing. Christ’s example has taught me to seek to respect and value all people of whatever faith or none.”

‘That was a tremendous encapsulation of the Christian message. What she described there – reconciliation, love, forgiveness, acceptance, healing and respect – just seemed to me to be wonderful. This is what she took from Christ’s life and example. I think she lived out those values.’

While the Queen was known for her strong Christian faith, less is known about the beliefs of her eldest son. I ask Ian what impression he has, from the research he has done, of the King’s faith.

‘I think he has a strong faith,’ Ian says. ‘He has said very clearly that he is a

committed Christian. I think he has a slightly different approach from the Queen. Her faith was probably simpler. It’s a matter of generations.

‘He is more of a seeker, I would say. He has spent time in an Orthodox monastery in Greece, he is interested in the Eastern Orthodox tradition. Charles is also interested in the Book of Common Prayer.’

While UK monarchs are known as ‘defender of the faith’ in their capacity as head of the Church of England, Charles courted controversy in 1994 when he said he would be ‘defender of faith’ as a whole, rather than just Christianity.

Ian explains that he believes the King’s role will be to represent the multicultural nation as a whole.

‘He is upfront about his own Christianity. But I think he will see part of the monarch’s role as standing for faith in general. The King has reached out a lot to other religions, particularly to Islam. So did the Queen. Often in her Christmas broadcast, she would make clear her own Christian faith, but she would also praise the sacred teachings of Judaism, Islam and Hinduism.’

Ian says that, despite the King’s desire to defend religious pluralism, he hasn’t been afraid to talk about his own faith.

‘He has made speeches which have a lot of spiritual content,’ he says. ‘Charles talked about his faith in the first speech he made after he acceded to the throne and in a meeting of different faith leaders in

Buckingham Palace early on in his reign. I don’t think he’s going to be shy about talking about it.’

I ask Ian if he has any ideas of what can be expected from the King’s first Christmas broadcast.

‘I don’t think we could really predict what he is going to say,’ he says.

‘However, I’d expect it will probably reflect his own faith. I imagine he’ll say something about his mother, as it’ll be the first Christmas without her, and I’d be surprised if he doesn’t mention the importance of faith.’

Looking to the future, Ian believes that the King’s reign will be one of championing faith.

‘The thrust of the speeches and interventions he has made throughout his life suggest that he wants to protect and defend faith in a culture that is increasingly secularist and dismissive of it. I think we can expect to see that, at the heart of monarchy, there is a commitment to faith.’

Queen Elizabeth II making her Christmas broadcast in 2019

l God Save the Queen: The Spiritual Heart of the Monarchy is published by Continuum

I think the King has a strong faith

Because the night

Fresh from appearing at the Royal Albert Hall with classical pianist Lang Lang in a celebration of the music of Disney, vocal group the Tenors have released a Christmas single. New member MARK MASRI explains what he sees as being special about the time of the year

Interview by Philip Halcrow

SINGER Mark Masri’s favourite carol, ‘O Holy Night’, uses the word ‘divine’ to describe the night when Jesus was born. It’s a word that Mark himself applies to Christmas, as well as to the art form that he has spent his life exploring as a solo artist and now as a member of vocal group the Tenors, who have just released a single ‘Christmas Miracle’.

‘There’s a divine element to music,’ says the Toronto-based musician. ‘It’s powerful.’

Before joining the Tenors – formerly known as the Canadian Tenors, who in their various line-ups have performed at

occasions such as the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and more recently a celebration of 100 years of Disney with classical pianist Lang Lang at the Royal Albert Hall – Mark had already enjoyed success as a songwriter and singer, with some notable collaborations to his name.

‘Olivia Newton-John recorded on my album, I recorded on a couple of hers, and we performed live together,’ he says. ‘I treasure the times I had with her, creatively and personally.

‘I’ve also duetted with Katherine Jenkins, and I worked with David Foster in premiering a song on a TV special called The Hit Man Returns which also

featured Seal, Earth Wind and Fire, Donna Summer, the list goes on. The Canadian Tenors were also on the stage that night.

‘I’ve been a friend of the Tenors for many years and on occasions when one of the guys couldn’t make an engagement, because of illness or a family commitment, I would sub. So when one of the guys said he was going to retire, it seemed natural for me to join in a more permanent fashion.’ Mark did not always have music in mind for a career.

‘At university I was studying science, because I was on a trajectory towards

Mark Masri, Clifton Murray, Alberto Urso and Victor Micallef

medicine,’ he says. ‘I had a strong love for music, but I felt like I was going to need a real job. So I went down the road of sciences until I lost a dear friend as a result of a brain tumour. It made me take stock. I realised that really I was created to make music, and I needed to follow that path.’

He had begun walking his musical path from a very early age.

‘My mother says I could carry a tune before I could form words,’ he says. ‘So I guess music is in my blood.

‘My mother was a singer. My father was a pastor, and I started singing in front of his congregation, probably when I was five or six years old. Then my mother and I sang duets together on the church circuit. We were a bit of a novelty, because I could sing harmony to her melody. It was a great environment in which to hone my craft and get comfortable singing in front of people, because, for the most part, church congregations are forgiving.’

Mark traces more than his music back to those days.

‘My Christian faith has been an integral part of who I am my entire life,’ he says. ‘Because I grew up in the church with a father who was a pastor, a lot of those principles and teachings were ingrained in me at a young age. But you get to a point in life when either those teachings are for you or you choose to walk away.

I chose to continue with faith, and it informs my big life decisions. I don’t always get it right, but I’m still connected to that faith, in my life and that of my family.’

Mark’s path took an important turn when he was given the opportunity to develop his skills with a Canadian production company that made a long-running Christian talk show, 100 Huntley Street

‘I was on the staff as a producer, so I was able to use my songwriting skills, perform on the programme and book other artists. At the same time, I began to work with songwriters and producers that were more in the mainstream pop world.’

Mark says that he has aimed to write songs that ‘deal with all aspects of human experience’, and he hopes that the songs he sings with Alberto Urso, Clifton Murray and Victor Micaleff in the Tenors encompass ‘a plethora of emotions’. He believes that music has a power.

‘It has the capacity to tear down walls and cut to the heart of the individual who hears it,’ he says. ‘I have been in a crowd that is predominantly English-speaking and I have been singing in Spanish or French or Italian or Arabic, and yet, even without being able to comprehend every lyric, the people in the room catch the emotion of what is being communicated. The inflections of a voice and how we communicate have such power. I’ve written some songs that I will go back and

Everyone is looking for a miracle

listen to and they move me to tears, and I can’t understand how they were birthed through me – I don’t feel like I can take any ownership of them.

‘It’s why we all have a favourite song, whatever the genre. But the reason why a song has power is hard to articulate. I can’t explain it in any other way than that it’s divine.’

The Tenors’ new song ‘Christmas Miracle’ arose after Alberto teamed up with two writers associated with the church worship music scene, Jonas Myrin and Michael Fatkin, and is about another subject that Mark believes to be powerful beyond words.

He says: ‘There’s something special about Christmas that – regardless of what you believe – you just know. Like music, it’s one of those divine things that you can’t really explain. My all-time favourite Christmas hymn, ‘O Holy Night’, articulates that it’s a holy season, where

God touched the Earth and everything changed for the better. Because of that night, we’ll never be the same.’

‘Christmas Miracle’ acknowledges that people go through troubled times, but offers reassurance: ‘This Christmas-time, we can find a miracle tonight.’

Mark explains: ‘When we first started getting together as a new line-up of the Tenors, we began listening to songs that we had written. Alberto played this song for us, and instantly we could connect with its message. Everyone is looking for hope. Everyone is looking for a miracle in their lives in some shape or form.

‘The song encourages the listener to look for those miracles – because what I call micro-miracles are happening all around us all the time. When we sing it live, we get such a response, because it’s a message that the world needs to hear.

‘We’re on the tails of two years of some tumultuous times. There has been Covid,

anxiety levels are at an all-time high and we may be in the midst of a recession. People are scrambling for something to hold on to. We want to encourage them to look for the little miracles – because they’re there. We’ll get through the storm.’

Mark indicates where he looks for a Christmas miracle.

‘The greatest miracle at Christmastime is the birth of the Christ-child and his message of love and peace,’ he says. ‘We can all experience that love and peace –it’s there for the taking. And I think that’s what the world needs.’

The new line-up of the Tenors performing live

l ‘Christmas Miracle’ is released on Tenors CFV

THE War Cry invites readers to send in requests for prayer, including the first names of individuals and details of their circumstances, for publication. Send your Prayerlink requests to warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk or to War Cry, 101 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BN. Mark your correspondence ‘Confidential’.

jBecoming a Christian

There is no set formula to becoming a Christian, but many people have found saying this prayer to be a helpful first step to a relationship with God

Lord Jesus Christ, I am truly sorry for the things I have done wrong in my life. Please forgive me. I now turn from everything that I know is wrong.

Thank you that you died on the cross for me so that I could be forgiven and set free.

Thank you that you offer me forgiveness and the gift of your Holy Spirit. Please come into my life by your Holy Spirit to be with me for ever.

Thank you, Lord Jesus. Amen

Wisdom in the words

Keith Burr explores song lyrics that have a note of truth about them

Top tunes can’t beat a silent night

IT’S beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and one of the signs that Santa Claus is coming to town is the appearance of the ‘best Christmas songs of all time’ list. Last Christmas, Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want for Christmas is You’ again featured prominently in these round-ups, and it has already returned to the top of the singles chart this December.

According to Guinness World Records, top of the list should be Bing Crosby’s 1942 song ‘White Christmas’, because it has sold more than 100 million records around the world.

We all have our favourite music which we play when we’re driving home for Christmas, putting up the Christmas lights or rockin’ around the Christmas tree. These songs can conjure up a strange unlived nostalgia. I have never roasted chestnuts on an open fire, and I don’t think I ever saw my mother kissing Santa Claus. Nevertheless, they warm my heart with a sense of good times past.

There are some songs, however, that have the quality of transporting us to a different place – to the spiritual heart of Christmas.

‘Silent Night’ may never have topped the charts, but the carol did feature three times last year in The Telegraph’s ‘100 Best Christmas songs of all time’. At this time of year, its familiar tune is often heard being played by Salvation Army bands up and down the country.

But it is the words of one verse of the carol that sum up what Christmas means to me, as we are encouraged to join the angels in singing ‘Hallelujahs to our King,/ Jesus Christ is here.’

As I enjoy listening to my favourite festive songs this year, I hope that, in amongst all the treats and tinsel, I don’t forget that the real message of Christmas is that God entered into the world as a tiny newborn baby, so that we may know him better and enjoy life in all its fullness.

What great news – merry Christmas, everyone!

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We all have our favourite music

Extract from Why Jesus? by Nicky Gumbel published by Alpha International, 2011. Used by kind permission of Alpha International

QUICK QUIZ

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by Nigel Bovey

All set for another seasonal special

IN the days of black-and-white sets, a seasonal tradition was to pore through Radio Times and TV Times to bag Christmas viewing rights by marking the must-see programmes in indelible ink.

Subsequent arguments over who’d have to give way because their choice clashed with someone’s favourite soap special only served to spice up a family’s festive fun. The advent of simultaneous multichannel recorders and catch-up streaming services has offered a great escape from such lack-of-goodwill-to-all-men squabbles.

While the traditional way of booking a favourite TV show has changed, there is still a familiar look to this year’s seasonal fare.

Popular comedies and quiz shows will host their Christmas specials, soaps will bring out their most dramatic storylines, feelgood films will whisk us to a winter wonderland and celebrity chefs will whip up a swift soufflé or two.

Just so that we know it’s Christmas, there will be a live-broadcast church service and, for the first time in a generation, a king will deliver the post-pudding seasonal message.

Despite the increased choice of streams and channels, will one longstanding tradition survive – a good old moan that ‘telly was rubbish again this year’?

For the avid goggleboxer, seasonal viewing is the most wonderful time of the year. TV companies and streaming platforms pour bundles of thought, energy and money into Christmas programmes. But those who hope to find the ‘magic’ or meaning of Christmas through Tinseltown blockbusters or fake-snow dancefloors are likely to feel short-changed.

Christmas is about God’s scheduling. God watched as humankind broke his rules and hurt each other. Through prophets, he broadcast his message to humankind to rethink its behaviour and return to him. In time, he placed his Son, Jesus, into a broken world to save it.

Jesus focused on calling people to repentance and inviting them to put their trust in him. In return, he promised divine help in this life and eternal reward in the next. And that’s something well worth booking in advance.

Christmas is about God’s scheduling

Potato gratin

Ingredients

1kg floury potatoes, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

Salt and freshly

Method

Preheat the oven to 160C/310F/Gas Mark 3.

Layer the potatoes and garlic in an ovenproof dish and season with salt and pepper.

Pour over the cream to just above the top of the potatoes and cover the dish with tinfoil.

Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour.

Remove the tinfoil and return the dish to the oven for half an hour or until the potatoes are very tender and the tops are golden

SERVES

Roast turkey

Ingredients

3kg turkey, cleaned and trimmed 120g clarified butter

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 bouquet garni

2 eating apples, cored and chopped

1 onion, halved

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1kg white floury potatoes, peeled and chopped

Method

Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas Mark 3.

Place the turkey in a large roasting tray. Rub the turkey with half the clarified butter. Season the insides with plenty of salt and pepper, then stuff the cavity with the bouquet garni, apples and onion halves.

Smear the chopped garlic all over the outside of the turkey. Drizzle with the remaining clarified butter and season generously with salt and pepper. Roast the turkey for about 4 hours.

Meanwhile, parboil the potatoes in a large saucepan of salted boiling water for about 15 minutes, until tender to the tip of a knife.

Drain well and let cool until the turkey is ready. Then remove the turkey from the oven and transfer to a platter, covering loosely with aluminium foil.

Add the potatoes to the roasting tray, tossing them in the residual fat and juices. Increase the oven to 230C/450F/Gas Mark 8. Roast for 40-50 minutes, until golden brown and crisp at the edges, turning and tossing halfway through roasting.

Remove from the oven when ready and serve around the turkey.

SERVES 8

Recipes reprinted, with permission, from the Vegetarian Society website vegsoc.org

Joy to world!the The Lor d is come

From ‘Joy to the World’ by Isaac Watts