Sticky citrus and spice turkey
Serves: 10
Prep time: 35 mins, plus bastingTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Catherine Frawley
Sticky citrus and spice turkey
The key to a good turkey is basting – regularly spooning the cooking juices in the tray back over the turkey, to keep it juicy
Serves: 10
Prep time: 35 mins, plus bastingTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (150g roast meat)
Calories
441Kcal
Fat
18gr
Saturates
9gr
Carbs
21gr
Sugars
18gr
Fibre
0gr
Protein
47gr
Salt
0.6gr
Tristan Welch
Tristan began his career working for Gary Rhodes, Gordon Ramsay and Michel Roux Jr, before spending three years working in the Caribbean. As Chef Director at Parker’s Tavern at The University Arms Hotel in Cambridge, Tristan sources as much seasonal, local produce as possible, and reimagines some great British classics.
See more of Tristan Welch’s recipes
Tristan Welch
Tristan began his career working for Gary Rhodes, Gordon Ramsay and Michel Roux Jr, before spending three years working in the Caribbean. As Chef Director at Parker’s Tavern at The University Arms Hotel in Cambridge, Tristan sources as much seasonal, local produce as possible, and reimagines some great British classics.
See more of Tristan Welch’s recipes
Ingredients
- 1 x 5-6kg turkey
- 2 oranges
- 2 lemons
- 10cm piece root ginger, roughly chopped
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 125g unsalted butter, melted
For the citrus glaze
- 150ml orange juice
- 250g marmalade
- 75g chopped mixed peel
- 1 cinnamon stick
For the gravy
- 3 tbsp plain flour
- 150ml white wine
- 400-500ml chicken stock
Step by step
- Take the turkey out of the fridge an hour before you plan to start cooking it, and remove any giblets. Place it in a roasting tray, pierce the oranges and lemons multiple times with a fork and put inside the turkey along with the ginger, cinnamon sticks and a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper.
- Heat the oven to 190°C, fan 170°C, gas 5. Pour the melted butter over the turkey, ensuring that it covers the entire bird (brush on as needed). Sprinkle generously with sea salt, cover loosely with foil and place in the oven. Roast for 2¼ hours initially, basting with the buttery juices as often as you can, but at least once every 30 minutes.
- Prepare the citrus glaze by placing the orange juice, marmalade, mixed peel and cinnamon stick in a pan. Bring to the boil and simmer until slightly thickened, then leave to one side.
- Remove the foil from the turkey and let the skin brown in the oven for 20 minutes. Pierce the thickest part of the thigh with a skewer or sharp knife and check that the juices are running clear; if not, test again after another 15-20 minutes (re-covering with foil if the skin is darkening).
- Once you’re confident the turkey is cooked, remove from the oven and increase the temperature to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. Carefully pour or ladle off the roasting juices to use for the gravy. Pour half the citrus glaze over the turkey and roast for 10 minutes, then pour on the rest of the glaze and cook for another 5-10 minutes until sticky and caramelised. Rest the turkey, covered, in a warm place for at least 45 minutes before carving. However, if you cover it with foil and then folded tea towels to keep the heat in, it will stay hot for at least a couple of hours.
- Skim the fat off the roasting juices. Put 3 tablespoons of the fat in a large saucepan (discard the rest) and whisk in the flour on a low heat. Gradually add the wine, stirring until thickened, then slowly whisk in the roasting juices, adding enough stock to make a light gravy. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the resting juices from the turkey to the gravy, plus a little of the citrusy glaze from the roasting tin, and serve in a warmed jug alongside the carved turkey.
