Roast Turkey

The night before
1) Pre heat the oven to 180°C.
2) Always go for a free-range bird and preferably one that has lived in the woods.
3) The night before cooking, remove the wings and parsons nose from the turkey and place in a roasting tray along with the giblets and roast for half an hour.
4) Once roasted place the wings, parsons nose and giblets into a saucepan along with 1.5 litres of water, cover and simmer for several hours (this is the base stock for your final gravy).
5) Place the rest of the turkey into a bucket of brine. (salted water - 30g salt per litre of water)
6) Mix the sausage meat in a bowl with the onion, sage and garlic and season well with salt and pepper, add in the chopped chestnuts and mix, cover and place in the fridge.

The next day
1) Preheat the oven to 180°C and take the butter out of the fridge.
2) Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse off, stuff the neck of the bird with the sausage meat stuffing mix keeping any excess for roasting separately.
3) Lightly butter the turkey and season. Place on a roasting tray and put into the oven and roast for the time given on the instructions, you can also use a meat thermometer to check of the bird is nearly ready (follow the instructions that come with it).
4) Remove the turkey when ready and set aside on a large plate to rest, covered loosely with tin foil. Keep all the juices in the roasting tray.

For the gravy
1) Take the roasting tray and place on the hob over a medium heat, add three tablespoons of flour and whisk into the juices and any fat, next add the pre-made turkey stock and keep whisking until thickened.
2) Now pour the gravy into a big enough saucepan and simmer gently for 10 minutes or so and then season to taste, your gravy is now ready and can be reheated when needed.

To Serve
Carve the turkey, not forgetting the stuffing in the turkey and pour the gravy over. Serve with traditional accompaniments.