Let's Talk Turkey

Cheshire West and Chester Council is supporting the Food Standards Agency's (FSA) campaign to help residents cook their festive feast with confidence this Christmas.

With two thirds of UK households choosing to have roast turkey for their Christmas dinner1, the FSA is offering tips on how to you can safely prepare turkey at home in their 'Let's Talk Turkey' campaign, launched today.

From buying turkey, right through to storing leftovers, the FSA has produced a number of food hygiene tips for the festive period.
Top turkey tips

• When Christmas food shopping, take sufficient bags with you so that you can separate out raw and ready-to-eat foods to avoid cross-contamination.
• Check the guidance on your turkey to ensure you have enough time to fully defrost it – it could take as long as four days.
• Don't wash raw turkey; it just splashes germs onto your hands, clothes, utensils and worktops.
• To work out the cooking time for your bird, check the instructions on the packaging. -Check that: the meat is steaming hot throughout; there is no pink meat visible when you cut into the thickest part and meat juices run clear.
• Whether you cooked your turkey from frozen or fresh, your turkey leftovers can be used to make a new meal (such as a turkey curry). This new meal can then be frozen, but make sure you only reheat it once.

CLICK HERE For more food safety information this Christmas or follow @foodgov #LetsTalkTurkey on Twitter for tips and advice throughout the festive period.