The turkey is the centrepiece of the Christmas dinner table so you want to make sure it is as tasty to look at as it is to eat.

If you're worried about overcooking it, or worse under cooking it don't worry as we're here to help with some handy tips from Michelin-starred chef Marco Pierre White.

He advises the size of turkey you choose matters as a massive one won’t cook evenly - he says buy one that weighs about 4.5kg, which will feed six with plenty to spare.

Don’t stuff the bird – make the stuffing separately as it slows down the cooking, so by the time the inner meat is cooked, the white meat on the outside will be overcooked and dry.

Follow the rest of Marco's guidelines below for the best turkey you'll ever make.

Christmas morning

Remove the turkey from the fridge as it will need several hours to reach room temperature – a cold bird takes longer to cook.

11.30am

Set the oven to 190°C/Gas Mark 5 and give it half an hour to reach the temperature perfectly.

Noon

Place the turkey in the oven, uncovered.

Baste it every so often - throughout the cooking process - with butter or oil and the juices from the meat.

12.45pm

When the turkey is golden brown, remove it from the oven and cover it in tinfoil to prevent it from browning further.

Return it to the oven and continue to cook at 170°C/Gas Mark 3.

In total the turkey should take between 90 minutes to two hours to cook.

1pm

Chop three onions in half, remove the outer layer of skin and place the halved onions into the roasting tin with the turkey. The onions will caramelise, adding sweetness and colour into the roasting juices.

1.30pm

Check the turkey. Remove it from the oven and insert a skewer into the thickest part of the bird – the breast behind the thigh.

The temperature of the skewer represents the temperature inside the turkey; if it’s only slightly warm, it obviously needs longer.

Do not be concerned if the juices are a little pink because the bird will continue cooking when it’s wrapped in foil. Return it to the oven.

2pm

By now your turkey should be ready. Lift it from the oven and quickly wrap it in tinfoil.

During this rest period, the temperature remains high and will continue to cook. Don’t worry about it going cold, once wrapped in tinfoil, it will easily stay warm for up to two hours.

Finish off your trimmings, then carve, and lastly, enjoy.

Find your nearest Marco Pierre here.