A turkey crown is the body of the bird with the legs and wings removed, leaving the white breast meat attached to the bones. As such, it's an ideal joint for smaller gatherings, for those who prefer white meat over brown meat and for those who don’t want lots of leftovers — particularly at Christmas.

A crown takes less time to cook than a whole bird and it's a little easier to carve, but essentially it can be treated in much the same way. Breast meat is not as forgiving as leg and wing meat, so it pays to keep the turkey crown as moist as possible whilst you're cooking it. Having some liquid in the bottom of your roasting tray, smearing with butter and draping over smoked bacon will all help to keep the crown moist during cooking and stop it from drying out.

You can keep an eye on the internal temperature of your bird as you're cooking if you have a temperature probe. Once your turkey hits 70ºC in the deepest part of the breast (or just before), pull it out of the oven and let it rest for at least ten minutes (although 30 minutes is better, if you have time) under some foil, to allow the meat to relax and the meat juices to redistribute themselves. Carve and serve with cranberry sauce, roast potatoes and all the usual Christmas trimmings.

Here's a simple recipe for cooking a turkey crown to perfection, resulting in the best flavour and most moist texture from the bird. The combination of orange juice, maple syrup, mustard and thyme creates a delicious glaze that infuses the meat with flavour, but feel free to swap it out for something else (or omit completely) if so desired.