Plan your fridge space effectively. Store raw turkey and other raw food separately from cooked and ready-to-eat food. Keep covered and chilled on the bottom shelf of your fridge. Check that your fridge is below 5°C. Wash your hands after touching raw meat.

We recommend cooking stuffing in a separate roasting tin. The bird will cook more easily, and the cooking guidelines will be more accurate if it isn’t stuffed. To cook your stuffing inside the turkey, you’ll need to extend the cooking time to ensure that everything is properly cooked.

Cover your turkey with foil during cooking and uncover for the last 30 minutes to brown the skin and baste regularly during cooking.

It is very important to cook your turkey at the right temperature and for the correct length of time. A general guide, in an oven pre-heated to 180°C (350°F, gas mark 4):

• Allow 45 minutes per kg plus 20 minutes for a turkey under 4.5kg
• Allow 40 minutes per kg for a turkey that’s between 4.5kg and 6.5kg
• Allow 35 minutes per kg for a turkey weighing more than 6.5kg.

Ovens and turkeys themselves vary and the only recommended way to test your turkey is cooked is to always check:

• The turkey is steaming hot throughout
• There is no pink meat visible when you cut into the thickest part or pink meat juices
• The meat juices must run clear
• Use a temperature/thermometer probe – you should ensure that the thickest part of the bird (between the breast and thigh) should reach 75°C for a minimum of 30 seconds.

Allow the turkey to rest for 20 minutes.

If you have frozen your turkey at home, to work our roughly how long it will take to fully thaw your turkey follow the guidelines below:

• In a fridge at 4°C (39°F), allow around 10-12 hours per kg
• In a cool room (below 17.5°C, 64°F), allow approximately 3-4 hours per kg, or longer if the room is particularly cold.

Before cooking, make sure there aren’t any ice crystals in the bird’s cavity. Test the thicker parts of the turkey with a fork to check if the meat feels frozen.

Enjoy!