Cooking Guide: Turkey & Rooster

Turkey & Turkey Crowns

Take your turkey out of the fridge the night before cooking so it can come up to room temperature.

Roast at 180°C / 170°C (fan) / Gas Mark 4.

Whole birds: Start with the bird breast-side down. About halfway through the cooking time, turn it onto its back to brown the breast, seasoning both sides as you go.

Crowns: Keep the bird breast-side up for the whole cooking time, and season with salt and pepper.

Your turkey is ready when the juices from deep in the thigh run clear when pierced with a skewer. If they run pink, pop it back in the oven and check again every 10 minutes.

Once cooked, let the turkey rest uncovered for at least 30 minutes before carving.

The cooking times below are a guideline only. If you're stuffing the bird, re-weigh it with the stuffing in to work out the right cooking time.

KG	lbs	Cooking Time
2	4.4	1hr 10
3	6.6	1hr 30
4	8.8	1hr 50
5	11.0	2hr 10
6	13.2	2hrs 30
7	15.4	2hrs 50
8	17.6	3hrs 10
9-11	19.8 – 24.2	3hrs 15

Cooking in an Aga

For a 2-door Aga, use the top roasting oven for the whole cooking time. For a 4-door Aga, start in the top roasting oven for the first 30 minutes, then move to the baking oven for the rest of the cooking time.

Turkey Breast Joints

Take the joint out of the fridge the night before cooking so it can reach room temperature.

Roast at 180°C / 170°C (fan) / Gas Mark 4, keeping the joint right-side up throughout. It's ready when the juices from deep within the joint run clear when skewered; if they're pink, return it to the oven and check every 10 minutes.

Rest uncovered for at least 30 minutes before carving.

Guideline cooking times:

KG	lbs	Cooking Time
1	2.2	50 mins
2	4.4	1hr 30 mins
3	6.6	2hrs 15 mins

Rooster & Rooster Crown

Take the bird out of the fridge in good time to let it reach room temperature before cooking.

If you're stuffing your rooster, fill the neck cavity with stuffing and pop a large peeled onion into the body cavity for extra flavour (we don't recommend stuffing the body cavity itself). Re-weigh the bird with stuffing to get an accurate cooking time.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (170°C fan), Gas Mark 4, and cook for 14 minutes per lb (454g).

Whole birds: Place breast-side down in a roasting tin and season with salt and pepper. About halfway through cooking, turn the bird onto its back to brown the breast and season again.

Crowns: Keep breast-side up throughout. Baste with the pan juices 30 minutes before the end of cooking.

To check it's done, insert a skewer deep into the thigh or meat; the juices should run clear. If they're pink, return to the oven and check every 10 minutes. Rest uncovered for at least 30 minutes before carving.

Guideline cooking time – Whole Rooster:

KG	lbs	Cooking Time
3	6.6	1hr 30 mins
4	8.8	2hrs
5	11.0	2hrs 30 mins

Guideline cooking time – Rooster Crown:

KG	lbs	Cooking Time
2 - 2.5	4.4 - 5.5	1hr 10 mins
2.5 - 3	5.5 - 6.6	1hr 20 mins
3 - 3.5	6.6 - 7.7	1hr 40 mins