Nigella Lawson has revealed her quirky secret for achieving the perfect Christmas turkey, and it involves a surprising method.

The 64-year-old celebrity chef and author confessed that she prefers to keep her turkey in a “very cold place” for a couple of days before roasting it on Christmas Day. In fact, she sometimes even leaves it outside. To keep it safe from foxes, she cleverly hides the bird under her son’s skateboard.

In a recipe featured in her festive newsletter, Lawson explained that brining the turkey for several days beforehand not only “tenderises and adds subtle spiciness” to the roast but also makes it much easier to carve.

Her method involves filling a large pan, bin, or bucket with water and spices, placing the turkey in the brine, and setting it in a cold spot. “Before I had a garden, I put mine by an open window in the kitchen,” she wrote. “It does mean everyone freezes, but who am I going to put first — my turkey or my family?”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Nigella (@nigellalawson)

She added that if you’re fortunate enough to have a garden, it works just as well there, but the pan must be securely covered. To prevent any foxes from getting to the turkey, Lawson goes the extra mile: “If I’ve got a bucket or bin out in the open, I cover it twice with foil and then put my son’s skateboard on top to prevent foxy foraging.”

Describing the sight of “a raw turkey covered in brine” as “beautiful,” Lawson admitted that she can’t resist peeking at the bird, lifting the lid of the bin or bucket for “quick, blissfully reassuring peeks.”

Nigella has been a long-time fan of this extended brining process for her Christmas turkeys. Her special method even became a running joke in the 2008 Gavin & Stacey Christmas special, where Pam Shipman and her husband Mick bicker over “the water, the bucket, the soaking, all this other nonsense” she advocates.

The star has also been open about her quirky food habits, including her fondness for eating in bed, which she shared earlier this year.