• Preheat the Oven: Preheat the oven to 210°C/gas mark 7. 20 minutes before cooking, bring the stuffing out of the fridge to come up to room temperature.
• Prepare the Turkey: Season the turkey well inside and out. Fill the cavity with the prepared stuffing and place the stuffed turkey into a roasting tray. Spread the softened butter over the entire bird and cover with pancetta.
• Add Vegetables and Aromatics: Arrange the onions, leeks, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, and bay leaves around the turkey. Pour 1 litre of water into the roasting tray.
• Cover with Foil: Wrap the entire tray with foil, making sure the foil is tightly covering the turkey and roasting tray. This will allow the turkey to gently steam in the oven.
• Initial Cooking: Place the turkey in the oven and cook for 45 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 170°C/gas mark 3 and continue cooking for another 2 hours.
• Final Roasting: For the last 30 minutes of cooking time, remove the foil from the turkey and peel off the pancetta. Increase the temperature to 200°C/gas mark 6 and roast until the skin of the turkey is golden brown and crisp.
• Rest the Turkey: Remove the turkey from the oven, cover it with foil again, and let it rest for at least 1 hour, preferably up to 2 hours for larger birds.

For the Stuffing

• Fry 2 sliced onions in 25g butter for 5 minutes, then add 1 small diced Bramley apple and cook briefly.
• Allow the mixture to cool, then combine with 800g Cumberland sausages (skins removed), a handful of chopped sage, 140g granary breadcrumbs, and seasoning.
• Use this mixture to stuff the neck end of the turkey. Roll any leftovers into balls, or pack the entire mixture into a 1kg loaf tin, topping with extra sage leaves.
• Bake stuffed in the turkey or otherwise bake as a side for 30-40 minutes. Drain any excess fat and serve sliced