It’s not simply right down to your cooking expertise; turkey actually is a naturally drier chook as its each giant and comparatively lean, which makes even cooking tough.

The standard options to this drawback ― spatchcocking the chook or cooking solely its fattier components, like legs ― are smart, however really feel patently un-festive.

In spite of everything, what’s extra Christmassy than lifting a plump golden turkey crown from the oven, filled with citrus and slathered in butter?

So it’s a superb factor former Nice British Bake-Off choose Mary Berry has a 15-minute trick that means that you can hold your turkey crown intact whereas including some much-needed moisture and flavour.

Mary Berry makes use of a multi-pronged method; not solely does she persist with a crown reasonably than an entire chook so it cooks extra evenly, however she additionally stuffs the chook with citrus fruits, locations butter below the pores and skin, and bastes the meat now and again.

She recommends inserting tinfoil on the highest of the crown in case you discover it browning too shortly, too. This traps the moisture in and prevents a dry prime layer.

However the true secret to tasty, juicy, completely crisp success occurs quarter-hour earlier than she removes the poultry from the oven.

She suggests we “squeeze the juice from the remaining half-orange over the turkey” 1 / 4 of an hour earlier than its prepare dinner time ends.

Then we must always “Return the turkey to the oven, uncovered, to permit the pores and skin to crisp up.”

That’ll present an additional last-minute increase of flavourful moisture, and the sugar in orange juice will caramelise into a skinny, crisp layer that provides an additional crunch to the chook’s delicate pores and skin.

Sure ― you completely must relaxation your turkey, even when it’s only a crown or legs, for no less than half-hour.

Mary Berry covers her turkey crown in tinfoil whereas it rests, trapping much more steam and moisture.

That helps the turkey to re-absorb its juices, guaranteeing it’s mouthwateringly juicy.

Gordon Ramsay additionally provides butter on prime of his turkey breast earlier than drizzling it with olive oil ― the extra fats, the juicier the chook will likely be.

And for what it’s price, I’m with Nigella Lawson on the meat’s prep ― “For me the one turkey is a brined one,” she shared on her website.

“Not solely does it tenderize and add delicate spiciness, nevertheless it makes carving the turkey extremely a lot simpler.