Turkey can be dry, but it doesn’t have to be like that. And it’s not even difficult to get right

I'VE just counted. So far I've had six turkey dinners this year and have only enjoyed one of them. Which is a shame because I like turkey and cooking the Christmas Day meal is no different from cooking a good Sunday chicken dinner.

So why do we get presented with so much dry turkey? And, while I’m on the topic, it seems many chefs don't understand gravy. Those two things are essentially the most important part of the festive meal but, unfortunately, the part most often done wrong.

So that’ll be why, as Christmas approaches, magazines and newspapers are full of articles frightening us with impending culinary disaster and magical methods expounded by celebrity chefs on how to cook a turkey. But fancy methods aren't needed. Just a basic understanding of what millions of cooks have been doing for hundreds of years. That, and staying reasonably sober.

One good thing, because the turkey takes a fair time to cook, once it’s in the oven, doing the rest of the meal is relatively straightforward.

First, when ordering, allow around ¾ to 1lb (350 to 450g) oven-ready weight per person. Try to buy a fresh turkey. If you have to buy frozen it’s essential that it’s allowed to defrost slowly – preferably in a refrigerator. This could take a couple of days so be prepared. Remember to remove the giblets as soon as possible, but use them to make a stock for the gravy by simmering them for around two hours with a chopped carrot, stick of celery, onion, few peppercorns and a pinch of herbs (it’ll need skimming once it’s come to the boil). Strain and keep in the fridge until needed.

However, before stuffing the bird allow it come to room temperature which could take overnight. Don’t try and cook it from fridge temperature. The same goes for the stuffing itself.

Traditionally, turkeys are stuffed with two different types of stuffing; sausage meat in the body and possibly chestnut in the neck-end but it’s up to you. To make a sausage meat stuffing for a 12lb to 14lb turkey mix a cup of breadcrumbs with a finely chopped onion, 2lb of sausage meat, a few sprigs of picked thyme, a beaten egg and salt and pepper. You could then, if you wished, take around ½ of this and add a tin of mashed or pureed chestnuts for a different stuffing for the neck-end.

Stuff the bird at both ends and close the neck-end with a small skewer. Put the turkey into a roasting tin and generously coat the whole bird with softened butter – be prepared to use a whole pack because turkey is very low in fat – and season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Then layer the breast with overlapping pieces of streaky bacon before covering the whole tin with cooking foil that’s well sealed at the edges.

Now, the cooking bit. There are all sorts of instructions for changing temperatures up and down during the cooking period but I prefer to cook it on a relatively high temperature straight through. So, pre-heat the oven to 230°C (gas mark 8). With a larger bird like this you can’t just cook it for a set number of minutes per pound as it depends on the size of the turkey. As a general guide, a 10lb turkey needs 2½ hours, a 15lb turkey 3 hours and a 20lb turkey 3½ hours. Remember to calculate the weight to include the stuffing.

Thirty minutes before the end of cooking time, remove or cut open the foil and remove the bacon to allow the breast to brown.

To test if the turkey is properly cooked, piece it where the flesh is thickest to ensure there is no pinkness in the juices. Once cooked, lift it to it’s carving plate, cover well with foil and then layer half a dozen or more tea towels, or even bathroom towels, on top. The great thing is it will keep hot for a long time like that – easily for 60 to 90 minutes – to allow you to finish the rest of the meal. And it will benefit from the resting resulting in a more moist and tender meat.

To make the gravy, spoon off most of the fat from the roasting tin, place the tin over a low heat and stir a couple of tablespoons of flour into the juices. Then mix or whisk the giblet stock a bit at a time into the tin until you have a smooth gravy of the thickness you like. Taste and season as necessary. Take off the heat and reheat when you need it.

So once your turkey’s resting and the gravy’s cooked you can then do the potatoes, vegetables and bread sauce – or whatever else you traditionally have – in a relaxed fashion. Maybe now’s the best time to have your first sherry.