The secret to a good Christmas Turkey relies on three crucial elements.

1. You choose a good bird - we recommend our 100% Free range, organic, New Zealand raised happy turkeys for the job (which you can learn all about here)

2. Basting, Basting Basting! and If you didn't already get the picture BASTING!!!

3. Butter is your friend!

10 secrets to the perfect Christmas turkey:

1. Be sure to thaw your turkey in the fridge a few days before cooking. a 4.5kg turkey will take around 2 days to thaw. So make sure you allow ample time for your bird to thaw.
2. Figure out your cook time based on the size of your bird. Allow 35 minutes per kilo in a preheated conventional oven.
3. On Turkey Day - Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius.
4. Stuff your turkey in the front and rear cavities with your favourite stuffing.
5. Pat the turkey’s skin dry with kitchen paper. Then rub the bird with the softened butter.
6. Place the bird in a roasting dish, add 2 cups of water to the pan, cover with foil and pop in the preheated oven. Free-range birds have little fat, so the moisture helps give you a succulent end result.
7. Cook based on the size of your bird
8. Remove the foil 30 minutes before the end of cooking time to brown up the skin.
9.  The best way to check if your turkey is cooked is to cut into the thigh meat, between the breast and the leg to check that the juices run clear.
10. Always rest the cooked turkey for 15 minutes before carving. It allows time for the flesh to relax and for juices to be reabsorbed into the meat before carving.

BONUS: Our small and medium-sized birds (up to 6.5kg) come with COOKING TIMERS inserted. Your turkey should be cooked when the red section of the timer ‘pops’ up. These timers are a guide only. Do not exceed the recommended cooking time.

Need a recipe? We love these top 4 recipes from Celebrity Chefs