How to carve a turkey

1. Working through the neck end of the bird, locate the wishbone with your fingers, run the knife up either side, work your fingers behind the bone and twist it out Photograph: guardian.co.uk

2. Working through the tail end of the bird, locate the hip joint with your fingers. It helps if you wobble the leg while you do it. Use the tip of your knife to cut into the joint and sever the tendons. Be careful not to cut through to the outside of the bird. Photograph: guardian.co.uk

3. To truss, take 150 cms of string and bring up under the legs just above the knees Photograph: guardian.co.uk

4. Cross the strings over then bring back down between the knees Photograph: guardian.co.uk

5. Pass the strings along the sides of the bird Photograph: guardian.co.uk

6. ...then flip the bird onto it's breast and bring the string together over the back at the shoulders Photograph: guardian.co.uk

7. As you tie the string it should slide down the wings to pull in the elbow joints Photograph: guardian.co.uk

8. Tuck the neck flap neatly under the tied string Photograph: guardian.co.uk

9. Flip the bird breast up and it's ready for the oven Photograph: guardian.co.uk

10. After resting, drain the fat and juices from the bird's cavity and transfer to a cutting board. Keep a teatowel or kitchen paper handy to mop up any extra which may run out as you carve Photograph: guardian.co.uk

11. Remove any bacon draped over the breast and cut the trussing string Photograph: guardian.co.uk

12. Cut straight down to remove the legs. As you've pre-cut the joint tendons this should be easy Photograph: guardian.co.uk

13. Put the legs to one side Photograph: guardian.co.uk

14. Locate the breastbone with your thumb, then cut down one side of it and out along the ribs. Because the wishbone has been removed this is a single, simple cut. Photograph: guardian.co.uk

15. This will enable you to remove the breast as a clean single piece but also leaves a substantial chunk around the wing joint Photograph: guardian.co.uk

16. Move the breast to a separate board and slice across the grain Photograph: guardian.co.uk

17. As you can see, this breast has retained an amazing degree of juiciness Photograph: guardian.co.uk

18. Cut the legs through the joint to separate thighs from drumsticks. Serve the drumsticks whole for the inveterate bone gnawers Photograph: guardian.co.uk

19. Slice the thigh meat parallel to the bone Photograph: guardian.co.uk

20. Remove the wings along with as much breast meat as is left at the joint Photograph: guardian.co.uk

21. Clockwise from top left. Wing, unsliced breast, thighbone for gnawing, wing, whole leg, second breast, sliced breast, sliced thigh and drumstick Photograph: guardian.co.uk