The centre piece of many a Christmas lunch is the iconic turkey but with the stress of preparing Christmas lunch and cooking such a difficult bird, it can so easily end up a disappointment. For this reason we have devised a 3 part guide which will help you in achieving a beautiful juicy tasting turkey. Today we talk about the first and probably most important step: Buying your turkey.

Tip 1
When choosing your turkey limit yourself to a turkey weighing at the most 6kg. Anything over this weight will make it harder and harder for you to evenly cook it.

Tip 2
A 5 to 6kg turkey will easily feed 10 to 12 very hungry people but if you are having more guests or you’re a sucker for leftovers don’t worry. Turkey pairs up perfectly with a piece of bone in gammon. This way you will have plenty of food for everyone whilst making sure you also have a perfectly cooked turkey. Also turkey and ham sandwiches on Boxing Day are simply delicious.

Tip 3
Obviously a good tasting turkey has to have been well reared. Make sure you speak to your butcher and ask him where the turkey is coming from. Normally your butcher will have a selection, and if you are opting for a frozen one make sure you factor in defrosting times before you come to prepare the bird.

Tip 4
Giblets! They are so important so make sure they are included with your turkey. The giblets will make the most heavenly stock which is the basis for your gravy.

Tip 5
Back to the butcher. He will be your best friend in the holiday season. Good butchers will also have specialist sausage meat and freshly prepared stuffing this time of year and these will be the prefect accompaniment to your turkey.

In the next instalment we’ll share tips about how to prepare the perfect turkey.