These Are The Five Things Mary Berry Recommends Serving Your Christmas Turkey With

Christmas dinner can be a massively divisive subject. Cranberry sauce or apple sauce? Roasties or mash? In fact, the only thing we do all agree on is that brussels sprouts are STINK. (But we’ll still go mad if we don’t get them – they’re tradition.) 

When it comes to serving the piece de resistance, the turkey, everyone’s the expert. 

So we decided we’d cut through the noise and go directly to the real ‘spert… Queen of Christmas, Mary Berry. 

She has shared her top tips for serving up the perfect Christmas dinner on her website, and goes into a bit of detail around the turkey. 

So how does the former Great British Bake Off star serve her turkey? Well for Mary, it’s meat on meat on meat. 

She recommends serving the bird with ‘sausages wrapped in bacon, giblet gravy, bread sauce, scarlet confit and apricot and chestnut stuffing.’ 

Sounds absolutely spectacular. 

If you’re interested, here are Mary’s instructions to cook the perfect turkey. 

INSTRUCTIONS

SERVES 12-15 PORTIONS

Preheat the oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7.

1. Loosen the skin over the breast of the turkey by slipping your fingers between the breast and the skin at the neck end, leaving the skin attached at the cavity end. Holding the skin up, spread softened butter over the top of the breast under the skin. Slip the lemon slices and thyme sprigs in under the skin. The latter is a nice addition but if time is short you can leave it out.
2. Stuff the neck end of the turkey up to the breast with the stuffing. Secure the loose skin with fine skewers, or just tuck the skin underneath. Fill the body cavity with any lemon trimmings, the herbs and the onion. Tie the legs with string to give a neat shape. Lightly butter the skin of the bird.
3. Arrange two sheets of foil across a large roasting tin: they must be large enough to go generously up and over the turkey breast. Place the turkey on top and, if using a meat thermometer, insert it into the thickest part of the thigh. (When cooked it will register 75C-80C). Fold the sheets of foil loosely over the turkey, leaving a large air gap between the turkey and the foil.
4. Cook the turkey in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3.Continue to roast for 3½ hours, basting from time to time. Increase the oven temperature to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7 again.
5. Take the turkey out of the oven, turn back the foil and drain off any surplus juices from the tin into a jug or bowl. Baste the bird, and return it to the hot oven for about 30 minutes for the skin to brown and become crisp. Meanwhile, leave the fat to rise to the top of the jug or bowl in a cold place. When the liquid is cold, take off the fat with a spoon and save the juices for the gravy.
6. Take the turkey out of the oven and check if cooked. If not using a thermometer, pierce the thickest part of the thigh with a small sharp knife. If the juices are clear, then the turkey is done; if they are still tinged with pink, then roast for a little longer. If the turkey is already brown enough, though, cover again with the foil. Once cooked, cover the turkey and leave to stand for 30 minutes before carving.