Edenmoor (www.edenmoor.com), the award-winning online butcher and farm shop formerly known as Pipers Farm, has shared its guide to the Christmas turkey, including how to choose the right size, when to order, how long to cook it, and why resting matters.Edenmoor’s Bronze turkeys are properly free range and slow-grown for seven months on small family farms in Devon and Somerset, then hand-plucked and hung for 12 days.
Choosing the right turkey
Edenmoor’s range is designed to suit every table, from a small gathering to a full family Christmas.
- Free Range Bronze Turkey, from £110.95, available to serve 6-8 up to 18-20 people
- Free Range Turkey Crown, from £107.95, the breast on the bone with the legs removed, serving 6-8 up to 10-12 people
- Simplest Turkey, from £49.99, a stuffed turkey breast in sage and onion, apricot and hazelnut, or cranberry and hazelnut, available in 4, 8 or 12 portions
- Sage and Onion Stuffed Free Range Bronze Turkey, from £179.05
- Apricot and Hazelnut Stuffed Free Range Bronze Turkey, from £196.95
- Three Bird Roast, £235
As a guide, Edenmoor recommends allowing around two portions per kg for a whole bird.
When to order
Christmas delivery slots run from 20th to 27th November and 18th to 23rd December, with turkeys delivered fresh and keeping in the fridge for up to five days. Fresh birds are available while stocks last and delivery slots fill quickly, so ordering early is the best way to secure the size and delivery day you want. Last year, orders closed on 16th December.
Top tips from the Edenmoor team
- Cook a whole turkey at 180°C (Gas Mark 4) for 20 to 25 minutes per kg
- Check the juices from the thickest part of the thigh run clear and a probe reads 75°C before taking the bird out
- The best indication that your bird is cooked is when it’s easy to shake hands with it. Grab a tea towel or an oven glove and gently twist the drumstick to the side. As soon as it ‘gives’ this is the best indication the bird is cooked.
- Rest a whole turkey for 30 to 40 minutes, loosely covered at room temperature, before carving. This keeps the juices in the meat. Catch any that escape and add them to your gravy.
- For an easier Christmas, cook a Simplest Turkey at 180°C for 60 minutes whatever the size, then rest for 15 minutes
- For a stuffed turkey, allow roughly 30 minutes per kg, keep it covered in foil and open the foil for the last 20 minutes
- Work backwards from the time you want to eat, and use the resting time to free up the oven for the trimmings
- Cool leftovers quickly, refrigerate or freeze within one to two hours, and reheat until steaming hot
How to choose and prepare
- Check the bird fits your oven and roasting dish before you order. Allow about two portions per kg, and add around half a kilo for hungry guests. The smallest whole bird, at 4-5kg, serves 6 to 8 people.
- Take the turkey out of the fridge the night before so it reaches room temperature and the skin dries out. A dry bird is key to crisp skin.
- No brining is needed. Season the legs and breast with sea salt and a light twist of black pepper, and season the cavity before filling it loosely.
- Roast on a rack in the tin so the fat renders and the bird does not stew. Add the roast potatoes to the rendered fat halfway through cooking.
- If the legs overhang the tin, wrap them in foil to form a trench that channels juices back into the pan.
Stuffing
Rich fruit, herbs and a little acidity work well, such as lemon or orange zest, apricots, prunes, sharp apple or quince. Bacon, breadcrumbs, or oats help bind it. Sage and onion is the classic.
If you stuff the cavity, add the weight of the stuffing to the bird’s weight to work out the cooking time, and stuff loosely.
Checking it is done and resting
Gently twist a drumstick with a towel or oven glove. When the leg “gives”, the bird is ready.
Use a probe in the thickest part of the thigh to confirm it is cooked through, and check the juices run clear.
Rest for 30 to 40 minutes and add any juices that escape to the gravy.
Gravy
Make a quick gravy in the roasting tin by adding a pot or two of turkey stock and a good glug of wine and stirring over the heat.
Harry Radford, Managing Director at Edenmoor, said: “Our turkeys are slow-grown outdoors and hung for 12 days, so there are only so many to go round.
“Ordering early is the best way to get the size and delivery day you want. On the day, give the bird a proper rest of 30 to 40 minutes once it comes out of the oven. It keeps the meat juicy and frees up the oven for the potatoes and pigs in blankets.”
Carving like a butcher
Ian Souster, Head Butcher at Edenmoor, has more than 33 years in the trade. His tips for carving the Christmas turkey:
- Rest first. Give a whole bird 30 to 40 minutes, loosely covered. It will still be warm when it reaches the table.
- Legs off first. Pull each leg away from the body, cut through the skin and bend it out until the joint shows, then cut through the joint. Separate the thigh from the drumstick, as the thigh is the most overlooked meat on the bird.
- Lift the breast off whole. Run the knife down one side of the breastbone, staying close to the bone, then slice the breast on the board, across the grain.
- Only carve what you need. Meat left on the carcass stays moist for Boxing Day, and the bones make the next day’s stock.
Ian Souster said: “Most people carve the breast on the bird and end up with ragged slices. We take the whole breast off first and slice it on the board, and that’s the trick I’d pass on.”
From good ground to great tables
Edenmoor works with a network of British farmers using rotational, pasture-led systems that rebuild soil health and biodiversity. The range includes 100% grass-fed beef and lamb, native breed pork and properly free-range poultry, alongside wild venison in season, all available from www.edenmoor.com.
