Roasting Guidelines from your Q Guild Butcher this Christmas

Preparing and roasting your turkey doesn`t need to be too onerous.

Our Butchers have prepared a few top tips to ensure you enjoy your festive feast. Check your oven size, a standard oven will take up to a 9kg turkey.

It's recommended that you do not stuff a good quality Turkey as this lengthens the cooking time and can overcook.

Stuffing is, of course, delicious cooked separately and works really well in a stuffed breast or rolled joint.

If foil is used to stop the breast from drying out, unwrap 30 mins before cooking time is finished to allow the skin to crisp.

Cooking times vary depending on the type of bird purchased. Free-range / slow grown birds cook in less time than normal so always check any information provided by the farmer or butcher.

Preheat your oven to temperature 180°C (Fan) / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.

Calculate the cooking time by allowing approx. 15 mins per 450g/1lb of bird weight.

If you want to double check your timings a good website to use is www. britishturkey.co.uk/cooking/cooking- calculators.

There are various cooking suggestions to help reduce drying and keep in the moisture, one we like is to cook the bird breast side down for the first half of cooking time, on top of seasoned vegetables in liquid, then turn over for the remaining time.

Let the bird rest for at least 30minutes or more to let the juices in the meat settle before carving.

After resting it's ready to serve when the temperature reaches 75°C / 170°F.

We recommend using a meat thermometer to check it's done, place into the thickest part of the thigh (don't touch the bone).

If you don`t have a thermometer, then check the juices are clear and if you jiggle the drumstick, the joint should move freely.

Enjoy with your home made gravy, roast potatoes and steamed vegetables.

Download the guide and cooking times