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It's hard to beat a traditional roast turkey at Christmas and it's not as difficult to prepare as you might think. Follow our simple instructions and use our Turkey Cooking Calculator to cook your turkey to perfection!

Serves 4 – 6               

Ingredients

1. Turkey, giblets removed.  (An 8lb turkey is enough to feed 6 people, but you can choose a larger one if you want more meat for the next day)
2. Stuffing (see our recipes) 

Instructions

If you are using a frozen turkey, make sure it is completely defrosted before roasting.  Remember to handle your turkey as little as possible, and wash your hands thoroughly as well as any surfaces that come into contact with raw turkey.

1. Remove the giblets and keep them for making gravy
2. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350oF/ gas mark 5  
3. Place the turkey on the roasting tray 
4. Cover the whole turkey loosely with tin foil and place in the hot oven
5. Baste the turkey every hour with the juices coming out of it
6. About halfway through the cooking, remove the bird from the oven, lift off the foil and spoon the juices into a clean bowl.  Put the turkey back in the oven to continue roasting
7. About a half hour before the end of the cooking time, remove the foil to allow the turkey skin to brown and become crisp.  If the skin is already brown, keep the foil on the turkey to keep it moist

Check that the bird is cooked by ensuring that there is no pink meat left, the juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh and breast meat are pierced with a clean fork or skewer and that it is piping hot all the way through. If the bird is stuffed check that the centre of the stuffing is piping hot as well before serving.