Despite the odd foray into alternatives, turkey remains the UK’s favourite Christmas dinner. Here’s how to invest in the best – with George Payne
Choosing your bird
First, make sure the bird you buy is big enough to feed all your guests – and will actually fit in your oven! Allow approximately 500g of raw meat per serving, per person.
Cooking
Preheat your oven to 180C/Gas4. When your bird is stuffed and ready to be roasted, weigh it and calculate the cooking time. You should be looking at about 20 mins per 500g.
What you’re trying to achieve is maximum flavour while keeping the bird moist and laying some strips of streaky bacon over the top of the bird will also enhance the flavour.
Place your turkey in a large roasting tin or on a roasting tray, rub it with olive oil and season. Roughly chop some carrots, celery, leeks and onion and scatter around the bird – this will add flavour to your gravy later.
Cover with foil and place in your pre-heated oven and cook for the calculated time.
Remove the foil for the last 45 mins or so to get a nice golden-brown colour.
To check your turkey is cooked properly, pierce the thigh with a skewer and make sure the juices run clear.
Serving
As with any meat, allow the turkey to rest after removing it from the oven at least 15 mins before carving.
Always use a really sharp carving knife, and make sure the turkey doesn’t slide about by holding it in place with a meat fork and carve on a stable surface.
Insert the fork in the top of the breast and with your carving knife make a deep horizontal cut just above the wing.
Then, starting halfway up the breast, carve down to meet the horizontal cut, trying to keep the slices thin and uniform.
Serve with a spoonful of stuffing, cranberry sauce and all the trimmings.
George Payne is a founder member of the national Butchers Q Guild, which represents 110 elite butchers from the Scottish Highlands down to Cornwall. This is one of their delicious recipes – for more wonderful recipe ideas visit www.qguild.co.uk
