Make sure this is the only thing that looks like a turkey this Christmas. Photograph: Design Pics/Corbis
So, the season of giving, joy, and rosy-cheeked cherubs carolling on the doorstep isn't nearly upon us. But what the heck, is it ever too early to start worrying about a Christmas meal? Well, quite possibly, but if you want to do it properly, you will have made a Christmas pudding in January and a cake in September, and been assiduously spooning brandy over both of them ever since ...
Stories like these can turn the heart of the under-prepared Christmas chef into a rising soufflé of terror; devils on horseback riding in to wring every last drop of pleasure from the homely act of providing a delicious and nourishing meal to a dozen of your closest relatives.
But it doesn't have to be this way. With a little help from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and the River Cottage team your questions can be answered, your dilemmas resolved and your fears assuaged before the panic has a chance to set in. You just have to get them in early; and for that we apologise (we know, it's only October).
Post a question here or email weekend@theguardian.com and they'll do their best to set your mind at rest in the run-up to the big day. The deadline for questions is October 29 and questions selected for Hugh's answers will appear in Weekend's bumper winter food and drink supplement on December 1.
