From delicious roast spuds to tips for homemade gravy, Darina Allen has shared some of her top tips for Christmas cooking.

Whether you're preparing a small intimate meal or you're serving up a feast for your extended family, Christmas cooking can feel a bit overwhelming.

Fear not, however, as Ballymaloe Cookery School founder Darina Allen has a few simple tips to make your meal even tastier.

On Newstalk Breakfast, Ms Allen explained how you can brine your own turkey at home to make it even more flavourful.

Brine

For turkeys that come pre-stuffed, she recommends a dry brine.

"Dry brine is literally getting some good salt and rubbing it all over the surface several hours ahead, or on the day before - that draws out extra moisture," she said.

If your turkey is not pre-stuffed, Ms Allen says you can also make a brine with water and salt.

In both cases, she advises against using specialty salt - such as truffle salt.

Brined turkey, Alamy

Gravy

To make homemade gravy, Ms Allen urges home cooks to keep their turkey's giblets.

"Put them in a saucepan with a couple of carrots, celery stalks, onions and peppercorn," she said.

"Bring that up to the boil, simmer it for a couple of hours, strain it and you've got the stock."

Once the turkey is finished roasting, Ms Allen advises home cooks to remove the top layer of fat from the concentrated turkey juices to the stock.

Boil the fat and add it to the turkey stock along with a roux of flour and butter, then whisk until all the lumps are gone.

Roasted potatoes, Alamy.

Potatoes

For perfectly crispy spuds, it is vital to parboil the potatoes and roast them in a a hot oven.

Ms Allen also recommends either using a lard, like goose fat, or a good olive oil.

Feature images shows Darina Allen, Alamy