Brining a turkey has long been the best way to prepare a turkey. You can do a dry brine (for the cheat), a regular water-based brine (for the connoisseur), and now I bring you the milk brine. Brining a turkey in milk helps tenderise the meat and permeates the flesh with some of the milk’s sweetness that we love. Combined with some aromatics, this is the new ultimate way to brine your turkey. The skin does brown a little quicker when cooking, but the meat will remain tender and flavourful. Ingredients 3L milk (whole milk, not skim or low fat) 2/3 cup caster sugar 2/3 cup salt flakes 4 bay leaves 1 tbs whole peppercorns, toasted 1 tbs coriander seeds, toasted 1 cinnamon stick 1 star anise 4kg whole turkey 2 tsp oil (we used olive oil) 1 XL oven bag or other non-reactive bag 2 onions, quartered 1 lemon, quartered 1 head garlic, halved 2 cups chicken stock 1 tbs plain flour mixed with 2 tbs water

Place 1 cup water, 1 cup milk, sugar, salt, bay, peppercorns, coriander seeds, cinnamon and star anise in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer then remove from heat and stir until dissolved. Cool slightly then add the remaining milk and stir to combine. Rub the turkey with oil (this will make it easier to get into the oven bag) then place the turkey, neck first, into an XL oven bag. Place in a bucket or dish to support it standing up. Add the onions, lemon and garlic to the bag then pour in the milk mixture. If needed, add a little more milk or water until the turkey is completely covered. Carefully use an elastic band to close the bag. Chill for 24 hours in the bucket or dish so the turkey is sturdy.

Preheat oven to 200°C. Remove the turkey from the oven bag and discard the milk, reserving the garlic, onion and lemon. Rinse the turkey well under cold water. Pat dry then place on a rack in a roasting dish. Stuff the cavity with half the garlic, onion and lemon. Place the remaining onion, garlic, lemon and chicken stock into the roasting dish. Truss the turkey legs together and tuck the wings under the turkey. Roast for 30 minutes then reduce the temperature to 150°C. Continue to cook for a further 1½ hours or until the internal temperature reaches 70°C. If the turkey is browning too much, cover lightly with foil.

Remove from the oven and drain juices from turkey cavity into the roasting dish. Place turkey on a platter and rest, lightly covered with foil for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, make the gravy. Strain the juices from the roasting dish into a saucepan. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Add the flour/water mixture then stir until smooth. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes until thickened, then remove from the heat. Season to taste. (Remember it probably won’t need much salt as the turkey was brined.) Serve gravy with the turkey.