What size turkey do you need this Christmas? A guide on what to get depending on how many people you’re feeding

Working out which turkey size to buy, and how many people your bird will need to feed, can be stressful, particularly when you've already got plenty of things on your plate in the run-up to the holiday season.

The turkey is the ultimate centrepiece at Christmas, so it’s important to get the right one to avoid any disappointment on the big day. Working out how big a bird you will need to cater for your gathering can be challenging. To remove any guess work and avoid any unnecessary stress, we’ve put together a handy guide with the help of a few turkey experts so you can calculate exactly what size turkey you will need to feed all your guests (with some leftovers for Boxing Day), and cook it to perfection.

How to work out how many people your turkey will feed

Turkey sizes can vary wildly, with whole birds ranging from 2-3kg / 4.4-6.6lb at the smaller end, going all the way up to a hefty 11kg / 24lb for the largest turkeys on the market. We spoke to three purveyors of award-winning turkeys to ask their advice on choosing the right size turkey this Christmas.

All of our experts recommended allowing about 500g / 1lb of raw turkey weight per person when calculating for a whole bird. While this may seem like a lot, it takes into account the moisture and fat lost when the bird is roasted, the carcass weight, and, of course, some tasty leftovers for Boxing Day.

Paul Kelly of famed Kelly Turkeys - winner of Best Turkey in this year’s woman and home Christmas Food Awards - strongly recommends always buying a whole bird as it will offer the best value for weight, and provide you with far superior gravy.

Abby Allen of award-winning online butcher Pipers Farm, added the brown meat from the legs and thighs makes the best leftovers and is far better than breast meat for turkey curry, pies, and any other leftover traditions you might have. Tony Hindhaugh, Co-founder of London-based artisan butchers Parsons Nose is also a fan of leftovers and suggests a more generous 680g / 1.5lb if, like us, you look forward to the leftovers just as much as the main meal.

If you're celebrating Christmas with a smaller group, or you know your loved ones always reach for the white meat, Abby Allen suggests a crown or boneless turkey breast might make more sense, taking up less space in the oven, while still offering a suitably festive centrepiece. While you should allow about 400g / 0.9lb uncooked turkey weight per person for a crown, for a boneless breast, Abby suggests about 250g / 0.5lb per person when calculating how much meat you will need.

If you do choose to go with a crown or breast instead of a whole bird, consider ordering some turkey wings from your butcher too, or even roasting off a few chicken wings alongside the joint to give your gravy an extra flavour boost.

What turkey size will I need?

Putting the topic of leftovers aside for a moment, there's a rough formula for calculating what bird size you need depending on how many adults you're feeding:

If you're feeding up to 9 people, then you want to allow about 40g (1lb) of turkey per person. If you're hosting 10 or more guests then you want to allow about 350g / 0.8lb. Listed below is the right turkey size to buy, depending on the number of people at your gathering.

• Turkey size for 3-4 people: A 1.5-1.75kg / 3-4lb bird
• Turkey size for 5-6 people: A 2-3kg / 5-6lb bird
• Turkey size for 7-9 people: A 3-3.5kg / 7-8lb bird
• Turkey size for 10-12 people: A 4-4.5kg / 9-10lb bird
• Turkey size for 13-15 people: A 4.5-5kg / 10-11lb bird
• Turkey size for 16-18 people: A 5.5-6.5kg / 12-14lb bird
• Turkey size for 20-24 people: A 6.75-7.75kg / 15-17lb

For a big gathering, Tony Hindhaugh from Parsons Nose suggests cooking two smaller birds rather than a single large one. While a big turkey makes a spectacular centrepiece, smaller birds will cook more evenly – avoiding the common issue of dry breast meat and undercooked legs – and are also easier to store and handle.

If you do choose to go for a large bird, check your oven size first to make sure it will fit. Turkeys between 4-7kg / 8-15lb will sit 15-20cm high, and those over 7kg / 15lb will be closer to 25cm high.

Also factor in the size of your roasting tray. While the width and length of turkeys will vary, most 7kg birds will fit comfortably in a 42x32cm roasting dish.

How to calculate cooking times for a turkey

Your turkey will almost always come with suggested cooking times from the supplier. While these timings are useful, many factors can alter the cooking time including the temperature of the turkey and oven, air circulation in the oven, the fat content of the bird, and preparation techniques like brining or added stuffing.

For this reason, we suggest always using cooking times as a rough guide. If your turkey doesn’t come with cooking times, use our handy formula to calculate them for yourself.

• <4kg turkey: Cook for 20 mins per kg, plus 35 mins
• >4kg turkey: Cook for 20 mins per kg, plus 45 mins

Tony Hindhaugh suggests the following rough timings based on the size of your turkey:

• 4-5kg – cook 2¼ to 2½ hours
• 5-6kg – cook 2½ to 3 hours
• 6-7kg – cook 3 hours to 3½ hours
• 7-8kg – cook 3½ to 4 hours
• 8-9kg – cook 4 to 4¼ hours
• 9-10kg – cook 4¼ to 4½ hours

How to cook the perfect turkey

Bring the turkey to room temperature

To make sure the turkey cooks evenly throughout, it’s important that it isn’t fridge cold. Remove from packaging and put on the bench at least 1-2 hours before you plan on cooking it, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.

Weigh your turkey

Weigh the raw turkey and use our guide above to calculate the cooking time. Remember this will only be a guide. If you are brining the turkey before cooking it, do this before weighing the turkey, but add additions to the cavity, like lemons and garlic after weighing. We don’t recommend cooking the turkey with stuffing in, as this will alter the cooking times, but if you want to do this, follow the cooking instructions in your recipe.

Preheat the oven

Oven temperature will vary according to the recipe, but for a basic roast turkey, our experts agree you want to preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan which will allow the turkey to cook evenly, with crispy, golden skin.

Use a meat thermometer

While timings are handy, always use a meat thermometer to test that your turkey is cooked through. To test, push a digital probe thermometer into the thickest part of the meat, between the breast and the thigh. You are aiming for a temperature of 65C. Any higher and the breast will be over cooked after resting. Any lower than 60 and the legs will not be cooked through. Some artisan suppliers will suggest slightly lower temperatures, but for a commercially reared bird, we think it’s best to err on the side of caution.

Rest the turkey

This step is key for tender, juicy and flavoursome meat, so don’t be tempted to rush it! Rest the turkey for at least 30 mins, but ideally 1 hr in a warm part of the kitchen. This allows the meat to relax and the juices to redistribute. During the resting time, the internal temperature will continue to rise. Paul Kelly of Kelly Turkeys says not to cover the turkey while it rests, as this will lead to overcooked meat. Instead, keep the turkey uncovered in a warm part of the kitchen. A large turkey will stay warm for a good 2-3 hrs after cooking.

How to choose the best turkey

As a general rule, our experts always advise buying the best quality turkey you can afford, but with so many options on the market, it can get confusing. We spoke to Paul Kelly of Kelly Turkeys Tony Hindhaugh of Parsons Nose, and Abby Allen of Pipers Farm o get their advice on how to choose the perfect turkey for your table this Christmas: