Andrew Wadge, the chief scientist at the U.K. Food Standards Agency wrote in summing up the year – even though it’s early October – that the Agency remains committed “to using the best available science to develop our policies, delivery and advice. This will always be a core principle of the Agency.”

But the Agency, in all its Orwellian glory, still insists that to make sure your turkey is cooked properly:
* check it’s piping hot all the way through;
* cut into the thickest part to check that none of the meat is pink; and,
* if juices run out, they should be clear.

Color is a lousy indicator of anything. Telling Brits to cook their turkey until it is “piping hot” is not science; it may be a line from Mary Poppins. Use a tip-sensitive digital thermometer and stick it in.