Christmas is almost upon us, so it's time to start talking turkey. A classic Christmas food with real wow factor, a roast bird is the ideal centrepiece for a festive celebration. Learn how to cook yours to perfection with these simple tips, from whether to brine the bird to timings and stuffing.

It pays to purchase free-range poultry, and not just for welfare reasons. The meat tastes better because the birds are grown slowly to maturity, eat a natural diet, aren’t injected with water or antibiotics to bulk up, and are often hung up for a time for the flavour to develop. You'll find a great-quality turkey also gives better juices after roasting, therefore a superior gravy. Given we don't buy a whole turkey that often, it's worth buying the best you can afford.

The easiest way to calculate the size of turkey you need is to allow 450g (1lb) per person. If you love to have leftovers – and who doesn't? – work on 625g (1.5lb) a head.

Good-quality frozen turkeys are generally more economical than fresh, which is handy if you're feeding a big household (or love the leftovers). The most important aspect is to thaw it out thoroughly. Calculate 24 hours in the fridge for each 2.25kg (5lb) of weight of frozen turkey to be absolutely safe. Dry it thoroughly with kitchen towel before preparing and roasting.

A turkey crown, which is the breast joint only, is a great alternative to a whole bird if you prefer the breast meat to the leg, or you're serving fewer guests than usual. It will be quicker to cook and you can still use rubs and brines as you would with a whole bird. It's also easier to carve.

Be aware of cross-contamination when you're preparing the feast. This simply means you must avoid using the same utensils and chopping board for raw and cooked meat, without washing them thoroughly in between. Plenty of hot, soapy water will do the job, and ensure you thoroughly wash your hands too. Remember to put any leftovers, covered, in the fridge as soon as they are cool.

Using a dry salt brine will ensure your turkey is tender and moist, and definitely not salty! Use 1tbsp sea salt per 1.8kg (4lb) of turkey. Mix it with dried herbs, such as sage, thyme or oregano, and rub all over the skin and in the cavity. Leave it lightly covered in the fridge for 24 hours, then uncover for 24 hours, to dry out the skin and to ensure it will be crisp and golden. Then just wipe away any moisture before roasting.

If you prefer to stuff the bird, stuff the neck only and secure it with a toothpick. Weigh the stuffing beforehand so you can calculate the cooking time of the whole bird. Be aware that the neck stuffing will be rather soggy and it makes carving more tricky. Cooking stuffing separately from the turkey will give a lovely, crisp topping.

To prepare the turkey, stuff the body cavity with fresh herbs and thick slices of lemon. If you're stuffing the neck cavity, fold the skin over once filled and secure with a toothpick. Tuck the wing tips under the bird and dry the skin with paper towels before applying fat or oil, and season well. You may want to add butter under the skin as well as on top. Cross and tie the legs together loosely with kitchen twine for a neat look.

It's worth rubbing a flavoured or herbed butter under the skin of the turkey before roasting, to keep the meat moist and to give added flavour. It's a bit of a messy job, but not difficult. With a rubber spatula, or your hand, gently release the skin from the breast meat, trying not to tear it, to make a narrow pocket. With very soft butter, push it all over the breast, as far as you can go. Any remaining butter can be spread all over the bird and used for vegetables.

Whether you use butter, oil, goose fat or lard to spread over the turkey is entirely up to you. There's no wrong or right way, but each fat will give its own flavour to the turkey and to your gravy. You want to give a good covering of fat, especially over the breast, and to keep basting the turkey at regular intervals. But don't go too mad or you'll end up with too much fat in the roasting tin, which the bird sits in, and it could end up a little too greasy.

There's any number of combinations of herbs and spices you can use to rub over the turkey to add more flavour. Sea salt and black pepper are the base, but you could add heat with chilli, smoked paprika or cayenne. Make it aromatic with ground coriander, cinnamon and allspice. Or, keep it simple and fragrant with dried herbs such as sage, thyme, rosemary or oregano, or a mixture of them all. Add in some lemon or orange zest too.

This method of soaking a turkey in a salt and sugar brine for 48 hours is very popular. It ensures the meat is super-tender and moist, if you have the fridge space to do it. You can add any herbs and spices you like, and perhaps white wine and slices of orange. It's worth the little effort it takes to transform a bland turkey into something flavoursome and aromatic.

Find more inspiration for sauces, glazes and rubs for holiday meats

A wet rub, which you rub under the skin and all over the turkey, adds more flavour. Try an olive oil base, say 150ml (5fl oz) oil. Then add 3btsp of something acidic, such as lemon juice, white wine or balsamic vinegar, or a mixture of all three. Add 3tbsp finely chopped fresh herbs, crushed garlic and a grated or minced onion. Season well. Make the mixture the day before you need it so all the flavours infuse into the oil.

If your turkey comes with its giblets, don't discard them. And do check – there's many a cook who has roasted the turkey only to find a plastic bag of giblets in the cavity! You can use them to make a turkey stock for gravy, but don't add the liver which will make the stock bitter and cloudy.

Soggy skin is not what you're looking for on a roast turkey and it may just be the result of the skin not being dry enough before roasting. Take the turkey out of any packaging the night before, pat it dry and leave it uncovered in the fridge. Pat it dry with kitchen paper again before roasting. If it needs to brown further when cooked, take off any foil and turn your oven up to very hot, basting the turkey with fat beforehand.

You don't have to truss – that is, crossing the legs over and tying with kitchen twine, before roasting the turkey. But it serves to keep the bird balanced in the roasting tin. If the legs aren't trussed, it can tip to one side during cooking, so you'll end up with one side cooked more than the other.

The easiest way to calculate the roasting time is to allow 40 minutes per kg or 20 minutes per lb of the total weight of the bird, including any stuffing. Do ensure you take the turkey out of the fridge an hour before roasting, to allow it to get to room temperature. Roast at 180°C (160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4), then for the final 30 minutes of roasting, turn up the oven to 200°C (180°C fan/400°F/gas mark 6), until beautifully browned and the skin is crisp.

Some cooks like to add chicken or turkey stock to the tin when roasting the turkey. You want to it to come up around 1cm (0.5inch) in the tin. The stock makes steam as it evaporates (you can top it up during cooking if you need to), which keeps the bird moist. You also use it as a baste during roasting, then it makes the base of your gravy once the turkey is ready.

If you've experienced dry breast meat when you've roasted a turkey, it's usually because the breast cooks much faster than the legs and you've cooked it for too long. So why not remove the legs and cook them separately? They are very tasty if slow-roasted the day before, until very tender. Then, allow them to cool and place them in the fridge. Put them back in the oven when you've increased the heat during the last half hour of roasting the breast, until the skin is browned and crisp.

The key to having a moist, tender turkey is to baste it throughout the cooking process. It keeps moisture in the bird and helps to create steam, which prevents the breast from drying out. A baster is a handy and inexpensive piece of kit. But you can also use a large spoon, remembering to keep your hands and lower arm protected from the heat with a cloth or oven gloves. Just use the juices from the roasting tin and baste every 30 minutes if you can.

There's nothing worse than a last-minute panic that your turkey isn't cooked through. The best option – invest in a meat thermometer. It's a pretty inexpensive piece of kit and leaves the guesswork out of the equation. You're looking for a temperature of 75-80°C (170-180°F), checking the thickest part of the turkey first, in between the leg and the breast. Otherwise, insert a metal skewer in the same spot and check the juices are running completely clear.

Once the turkey is cooked, you should rest it for up to an hour. This also gives you time to get the roast potatoes in the oven and to cook the vegetables. Resting causes the proteins in the meat to coagulate, which makes carving much easier. You don't need to cover it either, as the skin may lose its crispness.

A strong, large knife will make carving much easier. Start by removing the wing tips and legs, before taking the breast meat off the bone. Watch our video which takes you through all the steps to carve the turkey perfectly.

Watch the video on how to carve a turkey here

Cooking the turkey on the grill will free up all your oven space and give you a beautifully browned, smoky bird. With this technique, the barbecue works more like an oven. Use a wet brine, then cook the turkey over indirect heat – you want a ring of coals around the edge, keeping the temperature at around 180°C (350°F). You don't need to baste or turn it, but keep the lid on. An average turkey weighing 5.4kg (12lb) will take around three hours to cook.

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It’s perfectly feasible to slow-cook a small turkey or turkey joint. This method ensures the meat is moist, and it's a low maintenance alternative to roasting, although the skin will need to be crisped after the turkey has rested. Brine first, then use a wet rub. You can expect a 2kg (4.4lb) bird to take around 6-7 hours on a low heat.

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While your turkey is resting, spoon off most of the fat from the roasting tin, leaving about 2tbsp. Add 1tbsp flour, and return the tin to the hob, scraping up any residue and stirring in the flour until you have a thin paste. Slowly add 600ml (1 pint) rich turkey or chicken stock, and leave it to bubble and thicken, stirring now and then. Add a few spoons of medium sherry, white or red wine, or port. Bring it to the boil, then it's ready to serve.

Cranberry sauce is a doddle to make and you can use fresh or frozen cranberries. You can even make it a month ahead and store in sterilised jars, or just keep it in the fridge for a week. It's great served with ham and cold turkey too. Our recipe uses orange, lemon and port.

Get the recipe for cranberry sauce here

Every family has their favourite Christmas sides, from roast potatoes to orange-glazed carrots. But try to do a little planning to ensure there isn't a last-minute hectic rush to get everything on the table hot and at the same time. You can roast potatoes a few hours ahead, then pop them in the oven to re-heat. Red cabbage can be made a month ahead, then frozen. Carrots can be cooked through, then re-heated in the microwave.

Up your turkey sandwich game by making a sandwich on focaccia with a turkey gravy mayonnaise and a punchy Tabasco ketchup. Add crushed crisps, salad leaves and the turkey, then top with a fried egg. Perfect post-feast food!

Get the recipe for leftover turkey sandwich with gravy mayo and Tabasco ketchup here

Try this warming winter casserole using up turkey and ham cooked in a rich, creamy leek and tarragon sauce. Topped with a crunchy crumble of breadcrumbs, chestnuts, cranberries and herbs, it takes just 30 minutes to put together.

Get the recipe for turkey and ham casserole here

Everyone loves a festive fry-up, and this one is perfect for brunch or breakfast. Leftover roast potatoes are fried with chorizo, turkey and onions, then topped with a fried egg and sliced avocado on the side. You could add any leftover Brussels sprouts to the hash too.

Get the recipe for turkey, chorizo and avocado hash here