52 weeks of little helps

The Main Event

Remove the turkey from the fridge an hour before cooking to allow it to come up to room temperature. If your turkey has any giblets inside, remove and discard or use to make stock. Pat the skin dry with kitchen paper.
Place the halved shallot and 1 bay leaf inside the main cavity of the bird, then tie the turkey legs together with kitchen string (it's best to use wet string to prevent it burning in the oven).
Meanwhile, make the stuffing. Melt 25g butter in a large frying pan, add 3 shallots and cook over a low heat for 10 mins or until very soft, then tip into a bowl and leave to cool. Blitz 2 slices of bread to fine breadcrumbs in a food processor. Then add 75g of cranberries, 12 sage leaves, 50g of chestnuts, 350g of sausagemeat, breadcrumbs, half the zest of an orange and a generous grating of nutmeg to the bowl. Season and mix well to combine.
When you're ready to stuff the turkey, place it on a large clean board and preheat the oven to gas 4, 180°C, fan 160°C. Add the other half of the orange zest and another grating of nutmeg to 50g of butter in a bowl and mix well. Using your fingers, gently ease the skin away from the turkey breast, being careful not to rip the skin. Carefully spread the softened butter mixture under the skin and over the breast to thinly cover it.
Place about 300g of the stuffing mixture inside the neck cavity, then turn the turkey over so that it's breast-side down, pull the neck skin flap down over the stuffing to encase it and secure with cocktail sticks or skewers.
Weigh the stuffed turkey to calculate the cooking time based on 20 minutes per kg, plus 105 minutes. A stuffed 5kg bird should weigh about 5.3kg so should take around 3½ hrs in the oven.
Place the turkey on top of a trivet. Loosely cover with lightly buttered foil. Cook in the oven for the calculated time, basting with the juices after the first hour and thereafter, every 45 minutes. Remove the foil for the final 40-45 minutes to allow the skin to turn golden and crisp – do keep an eye on it so it doesn't darken too much.
Meanwhile, shape the remaining stuffing into 12 equal balls, wrapping each in a slice of pancetta and tucking in a sage leaf. Cover and chill until ready to cook.
To check whether the turkey is cooked through, insert a meat thermometer into the thickest parts of the leg and breast, avoiding the bone. If it reads 75°C or above, it's cooked. Alternatively, insert a metal skewer in the same way and check the juices run clear. If they're pink or the temperature is below 75°C, roast for 15 minutes more, then retest.
Transfer the bird to a carving board or warmed serving platter, cover loosely with large sheets of foil and clean tea towels. Rest for at least 30 minutes (or up to 1½ hours). While the turkey rests, cook the stuffing balls for 25-30 minutes or until cooked through.
Carve the turkey and serve with Tesco Finest chicken gravy - prepare gravy as per pack instructions, stuffing balls and your favourite festive vegetable sides.