The Orient Diet and tips for Christmas turkey

Correlation is not always causation, but since LOFC appointed Nick Green as new head chef, results have demonstrably improved. Leyton Laureate got Nick to spill the beans...

You live your life the Orient way.

You follow every match home and away. You wear your £12 Orient socks you bought from the club shop. You've memorised passages from Nigel Travis' book, and you've got inspirational quotes from Richie Wellens embossed on your walls, naughty words and all.

But are you also eating the Orient way?

Maybe you aren’t aware that Leyton Orient have a new head chef, Nick Green, who has overseen a complete overhaul of the food served to the players at the training ground that club officials say has played a big role in the first team’s recent run of good form.

Since the new menu, designed in collaboration with a nutritionist and the club’s strength and conditioning staff, was installed at the beginning of November, Orient have gone 8W 1L 2D in all competitions, with players and coaches citing improvement in fitness and energy levels.

“The nutritionist came in, and she was checking all their stats and where they should be and how they can be optimized, and she saw that people needed strengthening in different areas for their performance,” Green said in an interview with the Orientear, the full details of which you can read in the upcoming issue that will be available for sale around Brisbane Road for the Boxing Day match, as well as online.

Pick up a copy to see how the menu, which feeds about 70 first team players, academy lads and support staff, was developed and implemented, and that a typical training week food-wise looks.

You might sample some of Green’s cooking yourself, if you buy one of Orient’s posh hospitality tickets, as he also does the food for the Legends Lounge and 1881 Suite on matchdays.

Seeing as how the festive season is upon us, I also asked Green for his tips on Christmas dinner. Green, who joined Orient after stints at Everton, Chelsea and Fulham, goes heavy on the meat, so I didn’t get much in terms of vegetarian dishes.

“For Christmas, I start with pancakes, bacon and maple syrup with berries in the morning,” he told me. “And obviously, like a light lunch, so I’d probably go for lemon-thyme roasted chicken and duck fat roast potatoes, sprouts and cauliflower cheese, pigs and blankets.”

If this is a “light lunch,” I’d like to know what Green considers a heavy meal.

“I’m a big meat eater,” he said.

But, I asked, what about the turkey?

“I think everyone gets sick of turkey,” he said.

This is true. Whenever I go to Toby Carvery (which is more than I’d like to admit as it is somehow my kids’ second favourite restaurant after Nando’s), I always get the turkey, convincing myself that I’m being healthy, and then regret it as I’m chewing the sawdusty bites that not even a glog of gravy can rescue.

Still, I insisted, in the service of our traditionalist Orientear Substack readers, he must have some tips for turkey.

“I steam it to 72 degrees,” Green said.

I’d never heard of steamed turkey, and to be honest, it sounds like something you’d serve in a care home, so I pressed for further details.

Above: Nick in his new element in the West Stand [pic courtesy George Jones]

Green: Basically, I wrap it in herbs, salt and pepper in wrapping film, and then I steam it. That keeps it moist.

Me: So, you put it in, like, a steamer on the hob? How does the steam go through the cling film?

Green: Yes, it penetrates. You wrap it tight like a barrel, basically, and then you put it in a steamer. If you haven’t got one, then obviously, you roast it in the oven. If you have an oven that does steam, even better.

Me: What kind of herbs would you use?

Green: Rosemary and thyme.

Me: And what temperature do you set the oven?

Green: 82 degrees.

Me: And you get the turkey up to 72 degrees?

Green: Yeah, if you have an internal temperature probe, you can monitor it. It’s fully cooked when it reaches 72. It’s low, low heat, and with low heat cooking, it will keep its size, and you don’t lose as much [moisture]. You retain the flavour, and it’s softer.

Me: How long does it take to steam a turkey to 72 degrees?

Green: It’ll take probably about 2 hours, 2 and a half hours. And then once it’s done, it’s ready to slice and eat. I’m doing mine pre-Christmas, so I’d probably do it like that beforehand and then reheat it. If you have to do that, then you just roast it, like finish it off in the oven, and you’ll get a bit of colour.

So there you have it, Orient head chef Nick Green’s tips for moist, tender Christmas turkey. Give it a go, and let us know how it comes out!

Pictured above: turkey - probably not the only thing that will be steaming this Christmas