roast turkey with lemon, black pepper and oregano

Serves 8
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 2 hours and 45 mins

1 x 6kg free-range turkey
125g butter, softened
2 lemons
2 tbsp flaked sea salt
Black pepper, freshly ground
1 x 20g pack fresh oregano
1 medium onion, halved, skin on

Remove the giblets and place turkey into a full-size AGA roasting tin.

Combine the softened butter with zest from the two lemons, the flaked sea salt and liberal amounts of freshly ground black pepper. Smear all over the turkey. Halve the zested lemons and place inside the turkey cavity along with the whole bunch of oregano and the halved onion.

Using turkey-sized foil, completely cover the turkey and roasting tin with foil, tucking in the edges along the length of the tin to prevent it from tearing when sliding the tin into the oven.

2, 3 and 4 oven AGA: Place the turkey in the Roasting Oven and leave to roast for 1 hour 45 minutes. Remove the turkey from the oven and remove the foil. Baste well and return to the oven for a further 45 minutes.
Conventional cooker: Remove all racks and pre-heat oven to 200°C (400°F). Cook for 2 hours then remove the foil, baste well and turn the temperature up to 220°C (425°F). For the remaining 45 minutes, baste the turkey every 10 minutes, until golden all over and the juices run clear.

Remove the turkey from the oven and allow to rest, uncovered, in a warm place for 20 minutes.

Serve with your choice of vegetables.