The complete guide to cooking and carving a turkey

The day before For a succulent texture, brining is the ultimate hack. “I brine my turkey the day before,” says chef Tom Kerridge. “Make your brine by using a ratio of 5% salt to water. Add bay leaves, juniper berries and rosemary, before leaving to brine for eight hours, depending on the size of your bird.” Or dry-brine your turkey by simply rubbing salt over the skin and leaving in the fridge overnight.

On the day Take your turkey out of the fridge an hour before to allow it to come to room temperature. Pat-dry thoroughly with kitchen paper, and rub with olive oil or butter and salt and pepper, ensuring you get it into all the cavities. Once your turkey is in the tray, it’s time to add layers of flavour – think lemons, clementines and a bunch of woody herbs in the cavity, or a sausage meat stuffing, and celery, carrots and onions in the bottom of the roasting dish. “The veg gives lots of flavour and provides a base for your gravy,” says Tom. For even more flavour, try sprinkling with our Oak Smoked Anglesey Sea Salt. Don’t forget to preheat your oven while you prep the bird.

It’s important to rest your bird to allow the meat to relax, so once it’s cooked, cover with foil and a couple of tea towels. This also frees up oven space for things like roast potatoes, carrots and parsnips, and the stuffing (and gives you a chance to pour a well-deserved glass of fizz).

When the rest of your Christmas feast (including the gravy) is good to go, it’s time to carve your bird. Carve and plate up your bird in the kitchen, then serve on a big platter for minimum stress and maximum deliciousness. Using a sharp carving knife, remove the wings first, then carefully cut away the legs and thighs, following the carcass rather than slicing through bone. Finally, carefully slice the breasts into 0.5cm-thick slices. Arrange everything on the platter and serve with piping hot gravy. Don’t fancy the prep? Opt for Our Best Ever Slow-Cooked Turkey, where we’ve done the hard work for you. The thighs come stuffed with chestnut stuffing and wrapped in dry-cured bacon, so they’re super easy to slice, as is the buttermilk-brined crown.

What would Christmas dinner be without lashings of gravy? It’s the only thing that will make a succulent turkey taste even better. Make yours with the rich, flavour-packed juices from your bird, and throw in delicious extras to take it to the next level. “Mushrooms are fantastic in gravy,” suggests Tom. “They create an earthy flavour as well as volume, body and texture. Use fresh as well as dried porcini, as well as bay leaves and thyme. I love a splash of sherry, some runny honey for sweetness and soy sauce, for that salt content and the nice dark colour. Add acidity with some red wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce.” After thickening it with flour, “I like to pass my gravy through a fine sieve, so it’s super silky”.

Try adding a spoonful of our Collection Cranberry and Port Sauce, one of our Red Wine Flavour Pots, or a dollop of rich Concentrated Chicken Stock to make your gravy next-level delicious.