Perfect sage, thyme and truffle turkey

We recommend you cook an ample turkey to make the most of the leftovers – serving cold turkey on Boxing Day makes life much easier.

Serves 8, plus leftovers • Ready in 3hrs 20mins, plus resting

4.5kg free-range turkey

1 onion, cut into wedges

1 lemon, cut into wedges

6 thyme sprigs

6 sage sprigs

40g truffle butter (available from souschef.co.uk)

8 rashers smoked streaky bacon bay leaves and cooked stuffing balls, to garnish

1 Upturn the turkey onto a board, remove the giblets if inside and throw them away. Push the onion, lemon wedges, thyme and sage into the turkey cavity. Tie up legs with string to secure and push a large skewer through the wings to help the turkey keep a good shape during cooking.

2 Put the turkey in a roasting tin, rub with half of the truffle butter and cover with foil. Chill until ready to roast.

3 Heat the oven to 190C/Gas Mark 5. Place the turkey breast down in the tin (this keeps it moist) and roast for 2hrs 30mins, then take out of the oven. Upturn the turkey so the breast is uppermost, remove the foil and arrange the bacon rashers and dot the remaining truffle butter over the breast. Return to the oven and cook for a further 30mins until the turkey is golden.

4 Remove the turkey from the oven and transfer to a serving platter. Cover with foil and leave to rest for at least 30mins (up to 1hr is fine).

5 To serve, garnish with bay leaves and arrange the stuffing balls around it.

Per serving: Cals 323, Fat 13g,

Sat fat 6g, Carbs 1.5g

Tip Try to buy the best-quality free-range turkey you can afford – it will give the best flavour.