You've bought the best bird in the shop, carefully calculated the cooking time and now, basted and browned, it stands proudly before you, ready to carve and serve. Now what?

The most important thing to remember when carving a turkey (or any joint of meat, for that matter) is to let it rest after cooking. A large turkey will sit happily for 30 minutes in a warm place, covered with foil. This allows the juices to be reabsorbed into the meat, not only making it moist but easier to carve as well.

• The knife
• The carving surface
• Step-by-step carving
• A final tip

The knife

The second most important element of carving is, not surprisingly, the knife. It should be large, sharp and heavy enough to do the job; it's no good going at it with a small paring knife if you expect smooth, elegant slices. Electric knives were fashionable for a while and come in handy if you have large quantities of meat to carve but they can be noisy and somewhat clumsy, especially for carving at the table. They are better for carving cold meat as they won't give you thin, tidy slices, especially when the bird is hot. You will also need a fork to help guide the knife through the slices and for handing them on to the plates. If you have a carving fork, fine, if not a large dinner fork will do. Use the fork as a GUIDE, not as a skewering device. Don't stab the meat with the tines, rather use the backside of the fork, avoiding puncturing the meat and making it look untidy. This is especially important when carving the breast.

The carving surface

Next, the carving surface. The platter or board should be large enough to comfortably accommodate the turkey and as flat as possible. It should sit firmly on the surface; if the table or counter is slippery place a folded napkin or cloth mat underneath to keep it from moving about. And while it may look attractive to surround the bird with roasted potatoes, parsnips, sprouts, and so on, they will only get in the way, making the carving difficult and messy. Better that the vegetables have their own serving dishes which can be passed around while the carving is going on, saving time and letting people choose for themselves.

And finally, try and resist the novice approach by slicing the crown of the breast first. It may make you look like a TV chef but it's better to start with the legs and thighs, leaving the breast meat for last. Meat off the bone will cool faster than meat on the bone. If you are carving onto a serving plate to be handed round, make sure it is warm (but not too hot to touch) and that you give a good selection of both light and dark meat.

Carving the turkey step-by-step

• The serving plate should be warmed and the meat arranged attractively
• The knife should be sharp, the platter or board flat and the surface non-slip
• Cuts should go across the grain of the meat, not with it. Cutting with the grain tends to 'shred' the meat and makes it look stringy
• If you have a particularly small turkey, it can be carved like a chicken, that is, jointed into leg, thigh and breast pieces and served whole
• With turkeys over 4.5kg (10lb) start with the leg and thigh: cut through the skin and meat between the body and thigh, then cut through the connecting tissue and joint, removing the leg/thigh portion
• Carve the meat from the leg and thigh parallel to the bone. Repeat with the other side
• Try and include bits of nicely browned skin with as many pieces of meat as possible; discard any soft, flabby bits of skin, especially from the underside of the turkey
• Remove the leg and thigh bones and set aside (don't throw them away - they will be useful for stock later)
• Remove the wing by cutting through the shoulder joint, taking a small slice of the breast meat with it and place on the serving plate. Turn and repeat with the other wing joint. The wings are the only bones that should be served on the plate
• Now carve the breast: a large turkey will allow you to cut thin slices of breast meat. Keep a nice ring of browned skin around each slice
• Do not skewer the breast with the fork - use the back side and avoid puncturing the meat
• Alternatively, remove the entire breast and carve it across the grain into diagonal slices
• When the carving is done, remove the turkey from the table, no one likes to stare at a ravaged carcass

A final tip:

When the last of the turkey meat has been turned into Boxing Day sandwiches, get even more mileage out of the bird by making a stock for soups, sauces and gravies. Having kept all the bones, pile them into the largest saucepan you have (you may need to cut the carcass to fit) and fill with cold water. Cut a large onion into quarters, leaving the skin on (this gives the stock a lovely, golden colour). Add a large, peeled, roughly sliced carrot, also a sliced stalk of celery. Throw in a teaspoonful of black peppercorns, a bay leaf and some fresh parsley stalks. Add a few sliced mushrooms, if you have any. Bring the pot up to the boil, skimming away any scum or debris that comes to the surface. Let it simmer gently for as long as you can, two to four hours will give you a really well-flavoured stock. Strain off all the solids and discard. You now have the basis for a delicious soup or use it for making gravy for chicken or pork. If space is limited, reduce it by boiling it hard and pour into small containers for the freezer.