Whether it’s turkey, goose or duck, Helen Peacocke has some advice on taking the stress out of making Christmas Day lunch

Faced with cooking Christmas turkey can be a daunting prospect, particularly if you seldom cook from scratch these days and don’t normally cater for large numbers.

Actually the whole task can turn out to be a complete nightmare if you don’t give it some thought. Christmas Day should be a relaxed, fun day and it can be... providing you plan ahead. Loads of lists and careful planning will allow the cook time to answer the phone and greet unexpected visitors in a relaxed manner without burning the lunch.

It seems that, despite the availability of goose, duck, guinea fowl, pheasants or venison, turkey is still the popular choice. Some 65 per cent of people have opted for turkey this year, with only eight per cent choosing beef or the turkey’s popular poultry cousin, the chicken.

Regardless of the menu you have chosen for your festive lunch, it is the preparation you do beforehand which will guarantee its success.

Fortunately everything you could possibly want to know about defrosting and cooking your turkey is now on www.britishturkey.co.uk

Also available this year is Turkey Text. If you are standing in the supermarket wondering what size turkey you will need, simply text the word Turkey, followed by the weight in kilos to 64446 and you will get an instant text back with the number of people it will feed and the cooking time. For information on defrosting times and top tips on how to keep the meat moist as it cooks you can call Freephone 7839994.

This year British Turkey has launched a fantastic Turkey Timer App which takes all the guesswork out of cooking your turkey, allowing users to calculate the time it will take to defrost and cook all at the click of a smartphone or tablet. This app also features a handy timer which means that, once the time has been calculated, you can simply press start and the countdown will begin, making everything simple and hassle-free.

This Turkey Timer App is free and is available to download for Apple IOS users through the app store by searching Christmas Turkey Timer, or alternatively through the following link: itunes.apple:com/gb/app/Christmas-turkey-timer/id581942038?mt=8

However, if smartphones and tablets aren’t your thing, then you can still get great advice through the British Turkey Information Service (0800 783 9991), which is even open tonight (Christmas Eve), until 5pm.

The delightful thing about choosing a turkey is that some are so massive (7.5kg/16lb 9oz) that they will feed up to 17 people.

A 2kg (4lb 7oz) bird will feed at least five people and if your turkey weights 4.5kg/9lb 15oz it will feed ten. Do double check that the oven is big enough to cook the turkey and has reached the correct temperature before placing the bird in the oven.

If loosely wrapped in tinfoil, once the turkey has been brushed with oil, leaving about an inch between the flesh and tinfoil, having crimped it round edge of pan to keep secure, it will brown evenly without burning.

Thawing your bird should be done either in a fridge (4C) or a cool room. Thawing it in cold water is not advised. Thawing at 4C, allow eight to 12 hours per kilo. Once thawed at the bottom of the fridge — to prevent juices dripping from the turkey on to other stored foods — it will keep for up to two days in the fridge. Giblets should be removed from the carcass and simmered in a saucepan of salted water, along with a couple of small onions and sprigs of fresh thyme and parsley to create a tasty stock for the gravy.

Herald Series:

Roast duck is also a popular Christmas dish. One oven-ready duck, weighing in at 2.25kg to 2.7kg, will normally serve four and is so simple to cook. Served with either a rich cherry sauce, or slices of orange, it makes for a very festive meal. Duck is best roasted at 220C/gas mark 7 for 20 minutes, then turn the heat down to 180ºC or gas mark 4 and leave it alone for 2½ hours (30 minutes longer if it is a 2.7kg bird). When it is cooked, the skin will be crisp when tapped with a knife.

Goose is cooked at 220C gas mark for 30 minutes then down to 180C, roasted for another three hours. The most important thing with these birds is to allow them to rest for at least 20 minutes once they have been removed from the oven. This enables the cooked flesh to settle and makes for easy carving. If you carve them straight from the oven they will tend to be tough.

When cooking goose, remember that it will lose a great deal of fat as it cooks, so it’s best to check and clean out the pan regularly. Use this glorious fat to roast your potatoes.

Regardless of what you have decided to cook tomorrow, my advice is keep it simple, prepare your sauces and vegetables today, and don’t be tempted to purchase more food than you need.

Happy Christmas.