I know it's a wee bit early to talk about cooking the turkey but can we, pretty please.

[shinyshoes]

I normally have beef or lamb as one year the turkey was a dry as a bone. It was horrid. I never went there again

I want to do turkey this year and I want it lovely and moist., If this is impossible then I shall go out and get my Rib of Beef like I normally do.

Is it really overcooking that makes it dry ?? I mean reeaallyy is there such a thing as getting a moist turkey ??

this method works every time. I make my own faaaaamily stuffing recipe so can't vouch for that

you need lots of buttery, sausagey stuffing betwixt the skin and flesh of the turkey. Don't forget to add the weight of the stuffing when calculating the cooking times.

It really helps if you cover the breast with bacon rashers (particularly streaky), the fat naturally bastes the turkey. Also putting half an apple or onion in the cavity generates moisture as the turkey roasts. Make sure you have lots of gravy, too.

And the 'resting time' after it is cooked is important too. A lot of people find turkey dry compared to other meats, but if you choose a free-range bird, it will naturally have a bit more fat than others, and taste better.

Cook it upside down for starters.

And the other thing I always do is half a pound of soft butter squished between the skin and the flesh - it is Christmas after all

Nigella,s turkey bat. Everytime. Delicious

like florence says. if you do nothing to it but cook it upside down, cover it with foil for all but that last half hour, then turn right way up, take foil off and bung it back in oven for 30 mins it will be lovely and moist.

Cook it fast and upside down. It's worked every time for me, nice moist meat and no having to get up at the crack of dawn either. I think it's in the Nigella domestic goddess book (it's not the one where you soak it in water though...).