Christmas dinner is not hard cooking — it is hard scheduling. One oven, six components, one serving time. Professional kitchens solve it backwards; so should you.
Start With the Turkey Maths
Roast at 180°C fan for ~35–40 minutes per kg. A 6kg bird: about 3¾–4 hours. It must reach 70°C+ in the thickest thigh — a £10 meat thermometer replaces all guesswork and prevents both salmonella and sawdust.
The Secret: The Turkey Finishes an HOUR Early
Resting 45–60 minutes under loose foil makes the meat juicier (fibres reabsorb moisture), makes carving cleaner — and hands you a completely free oven for the final hour. This one move dissolves the entire oven-traffic problem.
A 2pm Serving Backwards Plan (6kg Bird)
- 8:45 — turkey in
- 12:45 — turkey out, rest under foil; oven to max for potatoes
- 13:00 — roast potatoes in (par-boiled, rough-shaken, hot fat)
- 13:20 — pigs in blankets and stuffing in
- 13:40 — veg on the hob; gravy from resting juices
- 14:00 — carve and serve, implausibly calm
Delegate the Maths
Different weight, different time? Run your bird and serving time through the roast timer below — then pin the backwards plan to the fridge, because on the day nobody remembers anything.