THERE are plenty of things to look forward to on Christmas Day – the presents, the booze, the crashing out on the sofa with our nearest and dearest by 9pm.

Above all, Christmas lunch has got to be our personal highlight – but speaking from experience, it's all too easy to mess up the turkey when you've been sipping Bucks Fizz all morning.

Well if you're scared of accidentally serving up another dry-as-a-bone bird, then celebrity chef Dan Churchill is here to help.

Earlier this year, the author of The Healthy Chef revealed the three most common mistakes people make when prepping their Christmas lunch – and they're SO easy to avoid.

As tempting as it is to fill your turkey will all sorts of lovely herbs and lemons, Dan says this can prevent your turkey cooking all the way through.

Urging people not to overstuff their bird, he explained: "This prevents heat getting through to the center of the bird, meaning you often undercook the inside."

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Instead, just lightly fill the cavity with herbs such as thyme, sage and rosemary and season with salt and pepper.

What's more, Dan highlighted how important it is to have the legs tied together before putting the turkey in the oven – as this is a mistake he sees time and time again.

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He added: "This will help keep heat and juices to the centre and prevent legs from overcooking."

It should go without saying that cooking a turkey is a marathon, not a sprint – so make sure your oven isn't too hot.

Going through the third and final mistake people make, Dan explained: "Setting the oven temp too high!

"Cooking a turkey is a day event – they are big birds! Cook it slow to [get a] juicy breast and pull apart legs."

And depending on the size of your bird, Dan recommends whacking up the temperature in the final hour and then leaving it to rest.

One fan replied: "Oh man, this is so helpful! I'm always looking to improve my kitchen game!"

Another added: "Yup just made the mistake of not tying up the legs…"

Meanwhile, a third gushed: "Legend. I have an insane (very tried and tested) recipe for an 18 hour slow cooked turkey. It. Is. Life changing."

For more food stories, you’ve been making Yorkshire puddings wrong – common Christmas mistakes & what to do instead.

And here's how to make the ‘best’ chocolate orange cake WITHOUT baking & it’s really simple.

Plus here's how to tell if your chicken is cooked right – and it’s totally foolproof.

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