- 4-5kg organic turkey with giblets
- 2 onions
- 200g carrots
- 2 celery sticks
- 1 bouquet garni
- A handful of sage
- A large handful of thyme
- 200g whole chestnuts, cooked & peeled
- 100g breadcrumbs
- 400g Cumberland sausages
- 50g butter
- 200g jar of cranberry sauce
- 4 tbsp cornflour
- 1.
- 2.
Around 2 hrs before you want to roast the turkey, take it out of the fridge and let it stand somewhere safe so it can come to room temperature. Take the giblets out of the turkey and rinse them.
- 3.
Fill your kettle and boil it. Peel and slice 1 onion. Scrub and slice 1 carrot. Trim and chop the celery stick. Pour 1 tbsp olive oil into a pan. Warm over a medium-high heat. Add the giblets. Season with salt and pepper. Fry for 3-4 mins till browned.
- 4.
Add the onion, carrot and celery to the pan. Drop in the bouquet garni. Pour in 1½ ltrs hot water from the kettle. Bring to the boil, then cover with a lid, reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for 1 hr. Strain the stock into a jug. You should have at least 1 ltr stock. Top up with water, if necessary. Set aside.
- 5.
Preheat your oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4. Trim, peel and slice 1 onion. Trim, peel and slice the remaining carrot. Trim and slcie the remaining celery stick. Pop them in a roasting tin. Weigh your turkey to check its exact weight (see our tip, right). Place the turkey on top of the veg. Rub salt and pepper into the skin. Pour 500ml hot water from the kettle around (but not over) the turkey. Roast on the middle shelf for 1 hr (this is the same, whether your bird is nearer 4kg or 5kg).
- 6.
After 1 hr, take the turkey out of the oven and carefully turn it over so it’s breast-side up (protect your hands from the heat and have some sturdy spatulas to help turn it). Use a sharp knife to slice through the skin between the legs and breast to allow the juices to drain out and to help the thighs cook. Insert the meat thermometer into a thigh. Top up the liquid in the tin with 250ml water. Return to the oven. Roast for another 1 hr if you have a 5kg turkey. For a 4kg turkey, roast for 45 mins.
- 7.
Meanwhile, melt 50g butter in a pan. Stir in 4 tbsp cornflour. Cook, stirring, for 2 mins. Slowly pour in the strained giblet stock and stir to incorporate. Bring the pan to a gentle simmer. Cook for 15- 20 mins, till the gravy has thickened slightly. Set aside, lid on.
- 8.
When the meat thermometer in the turkey hits 60-65°C, transfer the turkey to a board, wrap loosely in foil and rest for 1 hr. Pour the roasting juices into a jug, discarding the veg. Let the juices sit for 15-30 mins so the fat rises to the surface. Skim off any fat. Pour the juices into the gravy.
- 9.
While the turkey rests, turn your oven up to 190°C/Fan 170°C/Gas 5. Make the stuffing. Trim peel and coarsely grate the final onion. Scoop it into a bowl. Finely chop the chestnuts and add them to the bowl. Pick the sage and thyme leaves off their sprigs. Finely chop them and add to the bowl with the breadcrumbs. Split the sausage skins and squeeze the meat into the bowl. Seaon with salt and pepper, then mix together.
- 10.
Shape the stuffing mixture into balls about as big as walnuts. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Pop the stuffing balls on there. Bake for xx mins till goden brown and cooked all the way through.
- 11.
Reheat the gravy. Carve the turkey. Serve the turkey with the gravy, pigs in blankets, stuffing and cranberry sauce.
- 12.
- Tip
Check Your Turkey's Weight
Your turkey should weigh between 4kg and 5kg. For a 4kg turkey, the total cooking time is 1 hr 45 mins. A 5kg turkey will take 2 hrs. If it’s nearer 6kg, it will take 2 hrs 25 mins. For all weights, let the turkey rest for 1 hr afterwards, so it can keep cooking and reach the right temperature. - Tip
The Perfect Roast
Your KellyBronze® turkey needs less time to cook than a standard supermarket turkey because of the way it’s been reared. KellyBronze® turkeys are more mature than standard turkeys, so there’s more fat marbling the meat. This fat conducts the heat through the bird more effectively. They’re safer to cook at a lower temperature, and to eat with a little colour in the flesh, because the way the turkeys are cared for reduces the risk of them picking up bacteria. However, the most important thing when roasting your turkey is to check the internal temperature, so we’ve included a meat thermometer with your bird. Insert it into the thickest part of the meat (the thigh) when you’ve turned your turkey over. When the thermometer hits 60°C, take the turkey out of the oven and leave it to rest – but don’t take the thermometer out. The turkey will continue to cook while it’s resting. The thermometer should hit 65°C. This will give you juicy meat, still with a hint of colour. If you prefer your turkey more well-done, let it come to 65°C in the oven, so it reaches 70°C when it’s resting.
