This Christmas the main worry for many will be cooking the Christmas dinner, but why do we go through all the trouble of a turkey when there are so many other options asks Laurence Gibbons.

Now, don’t get me wrong I love turkey, but I just don’t think it warrants the price or effort needed to pull it of successfully.

A turkey crown from ASDA will cost excess of £29 and will require cooking for a whopping three-and-a-half hours, once you have defrosted it for ten hours in a fridge or two hours at room temperature.

However, for the same price you can obtain eight pheasant hens from Shrewsbury market.

These hens, a bargain at £3.50 each will only require a cooking time of 30 minutes and are actually just as traditional as a turkey.

Some might argue pheasant is more traditional, as up until the 16th century they were served at the Christmas dinner table to accompany the boar, King Henry the VIII being the first monarch to have turkey for Christmas.

If you want to stay well clear of all game this winter, then your best off taking inspiration from mainland Europe.

Due to more and more foreigners moving to Britain, many Christmas dinner tables up and down the country will this year be occupied by fish.

Most of Europe and Scandinavia eat fish as their primary meal on December 25th.

The Polish population of Britain will no doubt be continuing their tradition of a Christmas carp this year. It is custom for the carp to live in the family bathtub for a week, before being killed and either fried or stuffed on Christmas morning. With a total cook time of ten minutes fish is quicker, lighter to carry and won’t leave you reaching for the ‘Rennies’ afterwards.

Many of my friends this year are taking influence from Scandinavians, who serve herring at Christmas, and the Polish by going down the fish route, whereas many family members have been making stressed phone calls to each other trying to arrange visits that fit around the turkey.

Personally this year, I will be steering clear of turkey or goose and eating a Nordic inspired sea bass, followed by pheasant hens, with traditional trimmings and none of the stress.