Preparation

Buying the Turkey 

Turkey: Allow 450g (1lb) per person, weighed when plucked and drawn or 225g (8oz) per person, for boned and breast-only roasts.

Goose: Allow 900g (2lb) per person, weighed when plucked and drawn or 450g (1lb) per person, for boned and breast-only roasts.

This allows for second helpings and a manageable quantity of leftovers that can be safely used up within two to three days. 
 

Defrosting and Storing The Turkey

It is essential that you allow a frozen bird to defrost for the correct length of time. Thaw your bird in the coolest room of your house (preferably below 16^oC. First remove the packaging and check on your turkey or goose regularly. Once defrosted (there are no ice crystals remaining in the cavity and the legs are quite flexible), store covered, low down in the refrigerator at a temperature of no more than 5^oC.

Defrosting Times

Preparation 

Remove the bag of giblets from inside a fresh bird as soon as you take delivery of it. In the case of a frozen bird, remove as soon as they become loose during defrosting. You can use the giblets to make your own stock for gravy, it really is worth it and it's so easy in the AGA simmering oven.

To make the carving more elegant, remove the wishbone before cooking. This will give you more even slices when carving the breast. Either ask your butcher to do this, or do it yourself using a sharp knife. Beware cross contamination - after handling all raw poultry wash all utensils, surfaces and your hands.

To remove the wishbone yourself:

1. Cut carefully to avoid piercing the skin. 

2. Loosen the skin at the neck end and ease your fingers up between the breast and the skin. 

3. Cut the wishbone at the base end near the wing joints first.

4. Cut up along the bone to remove from the flesh and loosen at the top, twisting to remove.

Stuffing

Allow about 225g (8 oz) prepared stuffing for each 2.25 kg (5 lb) of dressed bird. Prepare the stuffing ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze it. Stuff the bird with the stuffing at room temperature just before you are ready to roast it. Additional stuffing can be cooked in a separate dish, and given several bastings of turkey roasting juices as it cooks. It is not recommended to truss a bird, this allows free circulation of heat to all parts. 

Season the insides of both cavities with salt and pepper and a generous amount of butter. In the interests of food safety, with a turkey it is recommended to stuff the neck or breast end only. In the body cavity, place a quartered peeled onion and lemon together with a stick of celery, a few batons of carrot with sprigs of fresh parsley and thyme.

 

Vegetables & Trimmings

To make the day less stressful, prepare your vegetables and trimmings the day before.

Peel your parsnips, carrots and potatoes ahead of time and store in the fridge ready to be cooked the next day. Shred cabbage and trim tiny Brussels Sprouts, removing any discoloured leaves, then store in a sealed container with a little water in the refrigerator overnight. You can always enlist little helpers for this!

Make the bread sauce and cranberry sauce beforehand (they freeze well if you prefer) and reheat, covered, in their serving dish in the simmering oven for about an hour or two before the Christmas meal.

Prepare Roast Potatoes Ahead

To help minimise stress, potatoes and parsnips can be prepared the day before.

Simply peel and cut your potatoes and parsnips and pre-roast until they just start to colour. Drain off the fat, cool and then keep covered in the refrigerator.

On the day, bring back to room temperature for several hours before finishing off on the floor of the roasting oven for 20-30 minutes.

Don’t place cooked roast potatoes in the simmering or warming ovens or they will not remain crisp. Place the filled ovenproof serving dish on the floor grid on the floor of the roasting or baking oven, with a cold plain shelf above to prevent them over browning