David explains the story behind our brined and infused turkey breast joint

There is nothing more traditional than bringing a roast turkey to the dinner table on Christmas day and father carving steaming slices of white breast meat with some succulent dark leg meat on the side.

But I understand that cooking a 15lb bird can be daunting, challenging to carve, and creates leftovers which not everyone enjoys as much as I do, (such as the obligatory Turkey Curry, or Turkey and Ham Soup!)

The alternative is a turkey breast roast, pure white meat with no bone making it easy to cook and carve and leaving fewer leftovers to tackle. However, my experience is that the meat is often less juicy and tasty than the bird cooked on the bone. So this year we have developed a brined and herb infused turkey breast roast. Brining meat keeps the joint moist and seasons it, and the addition of thyme and herbs adds an extra dimension to the flavour without overpowering it.

We are pleased to offer you the Brined and Infused Turkey breast using high welfare turkeys raised by British farmers.

Because there is a little salt which seasons it in there, it can have a light rosé blush colour and a wonderful dark line of herbs running through the centre.

How to cook

Obviously every oven is different but this is how I do it…

1. Remove the turkey from the bag – leaving the netting on – and place it into a roasting tin.
2. Add about an inch of water to the tin, cover loosely with foil and place in oven at 180C fan, or the top oven in aga.
3. Cook for 1 hour then remove the foil and put back in the oven.
4. Cook until the internal temperature using a probe is 72C – it took mine 2 hours 40 minutes. You really should buy a temperature probe! We use ours on almost every meal and warmed up dishes.
5. At around the 2 hour mark, pop your pigs in blankets and stuffings in.
6. Place on a wooden cutting board, cover with foil and a towel, and finish preparing the rest of the meal. It can sit in this warm environment for 2 hours without getting cold so there’s no mad rush.
7. Slice with a SHARP carving knife, not those ridiculous electric carving knives, in 5mm thickness and serve with the pigs in blankets, stuffings and gravy.

‘Ah, but our knives are not sharp’ I hear you say. If your knives are blunt, take them to Gareth our neighbour who will make them as good as new. You will have sharp knives for Christmas, and can spend the rest of the year taking the edge off them.

When the turkey joint is cold, it’s easy to slice for sandwiches as long as you haven’t overcooked it… which you won’t if you use a probe!