Always bring meat to room temperature before cooking. Use cooking times and temperatures as a guide rather than a fact Our timings are from room temperature; if you use a fan oven remember to reduce the heat by 10C. An initial 20 to 30 minutes at 220C/Gas 7 PLUS15 minutes per 500g at 190C/Gas 5 for rare 20 minutes per 500g at 190C/Gas 5 for medium 25 minutes per 500g at 190C/Gas 5 for well-done Use a meat thermometer for complete accuracy; a method far more popular in the domestic kitchen than you may think. 50C for rare60C for medium70C for well done A joint of meat is rarely a symmetrical thing so if you aim for something between rare and medium then there will be enough on the outside to suit the well-done crowd yet plenty of still walking bits for the opposing team. If nobody likes their meat on the pink side then aim for medium to well; just please don’t incinerate it. Resting is essential. For all concerned. Left for half an hour the juices redistribute and the fibres relax; easy to carve tender to eat. Don’t worry about it going cold; it will keep itself warm and be all the better for it.