Preparing Christmas lunch is not entirely dissimilar to orchestrating an army manoeuvre, The key, as you’d expect, is all in the timing. We’ve put together a timetable for getting the Christmas turkey on the table, which should leave you plenty of time to enjoy the day without getting too frazzled!.

NB: All timings are for a 6.5kg turkey which should feed around 6-8 people.

1x14lb (6.5 kg) turkey
6oz (175g) soft butter
8oz (225g) streaky bacon
Seasoning
Stuffing, at room temperature
Acccompaniments: Roast potatoes, roast parsnips, sprouts and gravy.

7.45am

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 7, 425ºF (220ºC). Stuff the turkey either at the neck end or in the body cavity. Fold up the skin and secure with a skewer. Rub butter all over the breast, especially the thighs and legs. Season and lay the streaky bacon across the breast and wrap the turkey in the foil. Preheat the oven while you’re doing all this.

8.15 am

Put the turkey in the oven. Start peeling the potatoes and parsnips for roasting. Once they’re peeled, cover them with cold water and leave to one side.

8.55 am

Reduce the oven’s temperature to gas mark 3, 325ºF (170ºC).

12.00 noon

Fill a saucepan three quarters full with boiling water, bring to the boil, then put a steamer on top and reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Put your Christmas pudding into the steamer, cover and leave to steam away until 2.15 pm. Don’t forget to check the water levels over the course of the day, adding if it looks too low.

12.30 pm

Increase the oven temperature to gas mark 6, 400ºF (200ºC). Take the turkey out, remove the foil and the streaky bacon. Baste the turkey with the cooking juice and put it back in the oven for 30-45 minutes. Baste as often as you can.

12.45 pm

Par-boil the potatoes for 10 minutes. While they’re cooking put a roasting tin in the oven with a generous amount of oil or, ideally, goose fat. Drain the potatoes and put the lid back on the saucepan, and shake the potatoes around in the saucepan, until they’re fluffy round the edges. Take out the roasting tin and add the potatoes. Make sure the potatoes are covered with the fat and then put them in the oven with the turkey.

1.00pm

Take another roasting tin and add generous amounts of oil and butter to it. Put in the oven for 10 minutes.

1.15 pm

Take the turkey out of the oven. Transfer the turkey to a warm plate and cover loosely with double foil. It can stay out for around 40-50 minutes without going cold.

Take the empty roasting tin out of the oven, and put the parsnips in it, rolling them around so they’re covered in fat. Increase the oven temperature to gas mark 8, 450ºF (230ºC). Place the parsnips on the middle shelf of the oven (with the potatoes on the top), and put some bacon-wrapped chipolatas on the lowest shelf or floor of the oven.

Tip the turkey’s roasting tin slightly and spoon off the excess fat. Add about 2 tbsp of flour into the remaining juice over a very low eat. Next whisk in some hot chicken stock, adding it slowly until you have a good gravy. Bubble the gravy to concentrate it, taste and season and then leave in a warm place.

1.45 pm

Boil up the sprouts and begin carving the turkey.

2.00 pm

Christmas lunch is on the table. Enjoy!!

2.15 pm

Don't forget to take the Christmas pudding off the boil.

• Christmas lunch and food allergies
• Vegetarians at Christmas
• Back to the Christmas section