Recipes

Christmas Turkey (12-14lb)

The perfect recipe for a succulent Christmas turkey

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Instructions

The most important things to bear in mind when cooking a turkey, is to keep the bird as moist as possible and add as much flavour as you can.

To do this you can use Goodall’s herbs such as thyme, rosemary, sage and parsley and add them to butter to make a paste which can be massaged onto the breast of the turkey. Then place 2-3 lemons halved into the cavity of the turkey with some more Goodall’s herbs and a bay leaf and cover the bird with tinfoil until there are only 45 minutes of cooking time left. Put a half a bottle of white wine and some added water in the base of the cooking tray to give the turkey a fruity flavour and keep even more moisture in. All of these flavours will also give you the base for the most amazing gravy later.

Massage Paste

Ingredients: 300g Butter, 1 tsp Goodall’s Thyme, 1 tsp of Goodalls Rosemary, 1 tsp Goodall’s Parsley, salt and pepper to taste.
Mix up all the ingredients in a bowl. Lift the skin of the turkey around the cavity and gently ease it off the bird. You need just enough space so that you can fit your hand and the mixture between the skin and the breastmeat. Push halve the mixture into each side and gently massage it into the meat. If you have any remaining mixture that won’t fit just rub it all over the outside of the bird.

Inside the Turkey Cavity

Ingredients: 3 lemons halved, Goodall’s Thyme, Rosemary, Parsley and a couple of Bayleaves.
Cut these up and place in the cavity of the bird – make sure to remove the giblets if there are any – especially if they are in a plastic bag inside the bird.

In the Baking Tray with the Turkey

Ingredients: Half a bottle of white wine, about 200 ml of water.
Just add this to the base of the Turkey pan before you put it in the oven. It will keep it nice and moist and add a lovely flavour to both the meat and the gravy afterwards.
Cover the Turkey with Foil until about 45 minutes from the end of cooking so that the skin will crisp up nicely

If you are working to a budget you can absolutely use a frozen Turkey rather than a fresh one. Just ensure you have thawed the bird properly and thoroughly. Always allow over 24 hours and leave the turkey to thaw in the fridge. As a guide, you need to allow at least 24 hours defrosting for every 4-5 lbs (2-2.5 kg) weight. Never wash the inside of the birds as this can cause bacteria to be splashed around the kitchen. Any bacteria inside the bird will be killed with thorough cooking.