John Burton Race's Christmas turkey

"Most people just stick their turkey in the oven and leave it until it's totally ruined", says John. "Here is a much better way of cooking it, one allows you to prepare it calmly in advance, and ensures the legs are not overdone."

Serves: 8
4kg turkey
1 quantity of turkey stuffing
100g butter
salt and pepper

For the turkey:

1. Remove the wings, wishbone and back from the turkey using a kinfe or a pair of poultry shears. Alternatively, ask the butcher to do this for you, but make sure he gives you the bones as they will be required for the sauce.

2. Pull the legs away from the body and cut along the natural line between the thigh and body to remove the leg joints in one piece. Put the turkey crown (both breasts on the bone) and the trimmed bones back in the refrigerator for use later.

3. Remove the bones and sinew from both legs. Using a sharp knife, but along the thigh and drumstick bone so that the bone is exposed. Slide the knife underneath the bone and cut along the underside to remove the entire bone.

4. At the drumstick end of the meat you will see sinew just under the flesh. Cut this out with a sharp knife and make sure that there is none remaining. Repeat this process for the second leg. You will be left with two rectangular pieces of meat.

5. Once the meat is clean of all sinew and bone, season the flesh side with salt and pepper. Take the stuffing from the fridge and divide it equally between the two legs. Shape the stuffing into to cylinders that will fit down the centre of each piece of leg meat.

6. With the stuffing in the middle of each piece of meat, pull the sides of the meat up and around so that they envelope the stuffing and resemble a large fat sausage.

7. Lay a large piece of foil out on the work surface and grease with a little butter. Lay the rolled-up leg across one end of the foil and sprinkle with some seasoning.

8. Roll the sausage up inside the foil so that it is tightly wrapped. Squeeze both ends together so that the foil is sealed and the parcel resembles a Christmas cracker.

9. Repeat the process with the other turkey leg, then refrigerate until required.

For cooking instructions, and how to make your turkey stuffing read on