Classic roast turkey with festive butter
Prep time: 15 minsTotal time: 
Classic roast turkey with festive butter
Surprise your guests by giving your usual turkey a new twist with one of our three festive butters. Save the turkey giblets for a flavour-packed stock or gravy
Prep time: 15 minsTotal time: 
Nell Gordon-Hall
Our food producer Nell’s cooking is rooted in the bold and fresh flavours of the Middle East and Mediterranean. Trained in professional kitchens and with a background in food styling, she understands exactly how to make food taste delicious and look great. The kitchen is where she works and – just as often – where she unwinds.
Nell Gordon-Hall
Our food producer Nell’s cooking is rooted in the bold and fresh flavours of the Middle East and Mediterranean. Trained in professional kitchens and with a background in food styling, she understands exactly how to make food taste delicious and look great. The kitchen is where she works and – just as often – where she unwinds.
Ingredients
- 1 x 4-5kg turkey, giblets removed
- 1 onion, peeled and halved
- 1 lemon, halved
- ½ x 20g pack thyme
- ½ x 20g pack sage, plus extra to garnish
- ½ x 20g pack rosemary, plus extra to garnish
- flavoured butter of your choice, softened (see below)
- 200ml white wine
Step by step
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Remove the turkey from the fridge and leave at room temperature for at least 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 240°C, fan 220°C, gas 9. Remove the bindings from the turkey and use your hands to gently work your way between the skin and breast meat, to loosen and lift the skin at the neck end of the bird.
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Season the turkey and stuff the cavity with the onion, lemon and herb sprigs. Push about half of your chosen festive butter into the pockets under the skin and over the breast meat, then smear the rest on the outside to cover the breasts and legs, massaging well. Tie the legs with kitchen string and place the turkey on a wire rack set over a roasting tin.
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Roast for an initial 30 minutes to give the turkey a good colour, then reduce the oven temperature to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Baste the turkey with the buttery juices, then cover loosely with extra-wide foil and roast for 2 hours 40 minutes (the timing will vary depending on your turkey’s weight: for birds over 4kg, allow 20 minutes per kilogram, plus 90 minutes). Baste the turkey every 30-40 minutes. About 30 minutes before the end of cooking, pour the wine into the base of the roasting tin.
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Remove the turkey from the oven. To check it’s cooked, pierce the thickest part of the thigh with a skewer – the juices should be clear, not pink. If using a digital thermometer, it should read 74°C. Set aside to rest, covered with foil, for 45 minutes, or up to 2 hours.
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Lift onto a warmed platter or serving board and garnish with fresh rosemary and sage sprigs. Carve and serve with all the trimmings and plenty of gravy.
