Cooks have always looked for ways to make expensive foods stretch a little further, while at the same time wanting to make them even more enjoyable. So, over many centuries, have emerged mustards, sauces, pickles, relishes and of course stuffing. And when an animal is prepared for cooking,  cleaning out the innards leaves a secret space – just right for packing with goodies. That works quite well in smaller animals such as rabbit, smaller birds, but when it comes to  a large turkey it can be difficult to ensure that  the stuffing is cooked enough – especially if you are using one that contains meat. In that case cook the stuffing separately and just place a couple of lemons in the cavity – perhaps with some sage, thyme or other herb you have to hand.

Notice that phrase  - have to hand. My youngest daughter is a great fan of stuffing so when she is at home  we serve it often. But this is never planned – a quick tour of the garden or a peek at frozen herbs in the freezer – a handy fruit bowl and a few other bits and pieces and we are away.

To serve 4 ( you will have to multiply the amounts for more diners) my stuffing recipes always include an onion or a few shallots or green onions. These are peeled and roughly chopped before placing in food processor along with 3 slices of bread, torn, a knob of butter, an egg, and some salt. – about ½  a teaspoonful. What else is added and how much just depends  - sage or thyme, parsley or cilantro – at least a tablespoon of one or two of these if using fresh or frozen herbs. Half as much if using dried. Some herbs need rather less – tarragon and rosemary for instance. There is usually some fruit – perhaps a peach or apple, a few slices of mango or half a dozen apricots – is using the dried ones soak for 20 minutes or so in boiling water. The grated rind of an orange, lime or lemon are all good. You can add heat with a deseeded and finely chopped chilli, or perhaps parika, mustard, curry powder or garum masala.

Favorite combinations :-

* rosemary, apple and lemon rind and honey mustard
* sage, thyme and pear and chilli
* tarragon and apricot with black pepper
* lemon balm, pear and a little tarragon
* peach, thyme and cranberry
* apple, cranberry and chilli
* mango, chilli and cilentro

You can just combine everything in a dish and bake for about 25 minutes. Forcemeat balls can be made as small and dainty as you like. If there is room you could cook these around the turkey for the last 40 minutes or so.

Another nice idea is to use rashers of bacon or pancetta.  Cover these with stuffing mix and then roll up. Secure with tooth picks before cooking  for about 25 minutes in the oven.
The oldest known cookery book was by the Roman Apicus and included recipes  for stuffing chickens, pigs and even humble dormice. I once managed to jokingly convince a class of 8 year olds doing a project on Roman history to eat what  some of them at least believed were stuffed dormice  - figs with a chopped apricot stuffing. All the food  vanished, and some cam e back for more, but I dread to think what they told their parents. Turkey was of course one of the staple meats of the Aztecs and Incas, so there is little new under the sun – until you make up your very own stuffing recipe.