Hi guys,

I’m in Ibiza for Christmas and am gutted to say I won’t be eating roast turkey on Christmas Day as the restaurant we are going to doesn’t serve it! With my current hob taking 18 minutes to fry an onion I don’t fancy trying to time Christmas dinner on it! So this year we are eating out with friends. Turkey just isn’t the in thing in Ibiza but for those that will be cooking it, have a little read through these tips for the ultimate cooked to perfection roast turkey!

What size turkey do I need?
For the average household, a turkey weighing 8-10lb (3.6-4.5kg) will easily feed eight people. If you have more people to feed and you also want to have some leftover meat for sandwiches and so on, allowing approximately 500g per person of the whole turkey weight is a good rule of thumb and should mean you have plenty to go round.
Which type should you buy?
It is definitely worth buying either a free-range or an organic bird, because not only will it be inevitably leaner, but you can be confident that it has been farmed to a much higher welfare standard. A white bird will taste milder than say a ‘Norfolk Bronze’ variety which can taste gamier. If you prefer the darker meat on a turkey, you should consider buying a ‘Kelly Bronze’.

How long to cook the turkey?
Most birds come complete with cooking instructions but my advice for cooking a turkey to perfection is to cook it at 180ºC for as listed below. Please remember that if you stuff your turkey, you must also include the weight of the stuffing in the overall cooking time.

For a turkey weighing under 4.5kg, allow 45 minutes per kg cooking time plus 20 minutes extra.
For a turkey weighing between 4.5kg and 6.5kg, allow 40 minutes per kg cooking time, plus 20 minutes extra.
For a turkey weighing more than 6.5kg, allow 35 minutes per kg plus 20 minutes extra.
You can calculate the cooking time of the turkey to finish at least an hour before you will be serving it, as the bird will continue to cook and stay warm once removed from the oven.

If you are concerned that your oven temperature may not be ‘true,’ you can buy an oven thermometer from Lakeland (£5.99) which will show the exact temperature of the oven and set your mind at rest that your oven is working correctly.

Before cooking, always check the inside of the bird, removing the giblets, and remember that very often the neck is placed in a different orifice. Nothing worse than having to pull out a plastic bag of giblets prior to carving (and trust me I’ve done that in the past)!

It is advisable to buy a pack of extra-wide cooking foil in which to wrap the turkey (ie, once the bird is stuffed and you have covered the top with butter and placed streaky bacon over the breast). You should wrap the bird loosely to allow the air to circulate which will save a great deal of basting during the cooking time. I like to baste the turkey at least once during the cooking time and I take off the foil half an hour before the cooking time is up in order to brown off the breast. Make sure you reserve the bacon and once it is cool, snip with kitchen scissors ready to add to your Brussels sprouts.

How to test that the bird is thoroughly cooked?
Insert a skewer into the leg and check that the juices that run out are clear and not pink. You can also wiggle the leg around and if it feels quite flexible you know that the meat is cooked through. Ensuring that the turkey is thoroughly cooked but not overdone is largely a question of experience and for anyone cooking their first turkey, I would suggest they buy a smaller one on which to practise before entertaining at Christmas. A meat thermometer is also a very reliable way of ensuring that the correct cooking temperature has been achieved.

Equipment
I strongly recommend buying a sturdy roasting tin in which the turkey will sit snugly. The tin should be robust enough for you to place on the hob so that you can scrape out all the wonderful meat residue and juices to make the gravy. I know that foil roasting trays are very popular as they save on washing up but they are liable to collapse when you are taking the turkey in and out of the oven, and are not firm enough to scrape out afterwards when making gravy.

I think that’s everything covered. I hope you enjoy your perfect turkey and don’t forget to save the carcass to make a batch of bone broth, an absolute winner for the immune system after too much festive fun!

Have a lovely Christmas!

Love Kate