Simple turkey brine recipe

Method

For a 5kg free-range turkey, fill a large clean plastic container with 8 litres of water.

1. To create the brine, add 200g of table salt, some black peppercorns, a cinnamon stick, a nob of thinly sliced fresh ginger, 250g of light Muscovado sugar, one whole orange (halved and squeezed) and 8 tablespoons of maple syrup to the container.
2. Stir the mixture until all the salt has dissolved.
3. Carefully lower your turkey into the brining solution. It should be fully submerged, so do add more water if you have to.
4. Cover the container with foil or a lid and leave overnight in a cool place.
5. Lift the turkey from the brine and dry with a paper towel an hour or two before it’s due to go in the oven.