On Christmas Day, most people will be sitting down to a huge feast with a plump, golden turkey as the centrepiece. Once you've got cooking the bird covered, it's time to brush up on your carving skills. We asked Paul Kelly, managing director of free-range turkey producer KellyBronze, for his top carving advice plus some extra tips and tricks when buying and prepping that'll make everything easier.

The age and maturity of the turkey brings flavour. Paul Kelly advises that the more mature the bird, the better the flavour. In general, buy the best turkey you can afford. The best will cost at least twice the price of a standard fresh turkey, and the very best three times the price. A turkey that has reached full maturity, and has been dry-plucked and hung, is the holy grail.

To get the best value, buy a whole bird and not a crown. The price of what is cut off is simply added to the price of a crown and therefore vastly overpriced for the amount of meat you get. Also, you need bone and carcass to produce a good stock. A crown cannot produce a good stock as the bones that carry all the marrow are not in the breast but the legs and back. However, if you're not bothered about making stock or having leftovers, and cooking for a smaller number of people, a crown can be a good option.

A sharp knife is number one as you cannot carve effectively with a blunt blade. Use a sharp knife, a carving fork and a large plate that'll catch the juices.

Removing the wishbone is not necessary and, in Kelly's opinion, a lot of effort for very little gain. Unless you really know how to do it, you’ll make a real mess of the bird. The little bit of meat that becomes accessible when removing the wishbone can easily be dug out with fingers for leftovers.

The tradition behind trussing (tying the legs together) was to enable the butcher to hang the turkey from a butcher’s hook. It was not done for cooking. Keeping the bird trussed during cooking doesn't allow the heat to get into the leg meat evenly, so if you buy a trussed bird, always cut the strings before cooking. Although a trussed turkey does undoubtedly look prettier.

Stuffing is great with turkey but Kelly recommends cooking it separately to the bird. By packing the cavity, it doesn't allow the heat to get through the bird evenly (as with keeping the bird trussed). There is nothing wrong with laying a little bit of stuffing in the cavity though, and it adds a bit of theatre.

More mature birds cook quicker than normal turkeys so they’re not in the oven long enough for the skin to go golden brown. However, fan-assisted ovens will brown up the skin a little better. If you really want a golden skin, turn the oven up to 220°C/430°F on fan-assisted ovens for the last 20 minutes of cooking time. This does run the grave risk of overcooking it though!

You should leave the bird to rest for at least 30 minutes minimum and uncovered, advises Kelly. By covering the bird with tin foil it will be insulated and carry on cooking, leaving you with dry, overcooked meat.

Find our top tips for cooking turkey here

The first thing to do is break the bird down into its primals. Remove the legs and wings, then you can remove the breast.

Run the knife’s blade down the turkey’s back, as close to the bone as possible. Put your carving fork into the breast meat and leverage the meat back as you take the knife all the way down and take it off. Repeat for the other side. Now you can carve each breast into even slices. Check out this video for a visual guide to carving a turkey.

Turkeys use their legs continuously which is why thighs and drumsticks are dark meat. Muscles that are used more regularly contain more myoglobin which turns the meat dark. Flightless domestic turkeys don't use their chest muscles much so their well-rested breasts become white meat.

It might seem controversial but Kelly says, for the best turkey crackling ever, to remove all the skin as soon as you’ve broken the bird down. It’ll be very easy to peel the skin off the breast, the legs and the wings. And don’t forget the back of the bird – break the parson’s nose of the carcass (the triangular portion of flesh at the rear) pulling all the back skin with it. Lay the skin flat on a baking tray, season and put back in the oven at 180°C/360°F or above for about 20–30 minutes. Don’t forget it’s in the oven though, as it will burn quickly.

It's best to carve just before serving as reheating pre-sliced, cold meat from the fridge never really works. You could carve an hour or so before and keep the meat in a warming drawer below 55°C/130°F. Kelly says the best way of bringing the meat back up to temperature is to get the stock or gravy piping hot and pour it over the meat just before serving.

Leftover juices are great for stock and gravy but if there's any further remaining, pour into an ice cube tray and freeze for use as a stock cube. Turkey soup is always the classic choice for the carcass.

Discover more genius ice cube tray hacks here

Leftover turkey meat is incredibly versatile as it takes on flavour well. Turn extras into breakfast and fry shredded meat with chorizo and leftover roast potatoes to make a comforting hash. Alternatively stir through a sweet and sour coconut noodle soup. One of our favourite recipes is turkey and ham casserole with peas, spinach and a crunchy breadcrumb, sage and chestnut crust.

Get the recipe for turkey casserole here