How to carve a turkey like a pro: great turkey carving tips

Aside from watching The Italian Job in a post-lunch haze, carving the turkey is one of the most important Christmas Day duties.

With that in mind, a few years ago we spoke to Peter Greig, owner of Pipers Farm in Devon, to ensure that we don’t make a total and utter hash of it and ruin the big day. here's what he told us...

How to carve a turkey

“To help with lifting the turkey out of the oven dish,” Greig says, “you should insert a long carving fork inside the cavity. Then place the bird on a carving board to catch all of the juices that will seep out while it rests.”

“To carve, firstly ease away the whole leg and thigh from the main carcass. You might need to cut a small sinew which is attaching the thigh bone to the carcass. Lay it skin down on the carving board, then cut through the joint between the drumstick and the thigh.”

“Carefully carve the meat away from each side of the thigh bone,” advises Greig. “You should now have two decent-sized lumps of brown meat that you can cut slices from for each portion.”

“Carve in a line along one side of the breast bone, which is in the centre on top of the bird and runs from the front to the back. Let the knife follow the bone of the ribcage.

"Once the knife reaches the bottom, where the thigh had been attached, you can release the whole breast. You will then be left with an easy-to-carve lump of white meat.”

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(Image: Raw Pixel)