Where are you buying your turkey (or other meat) and how much is it?

[PeppermintLatte]

I do an asda savings card all year, but i've looked on the website & can only find frozen turkeys for about £10.

I'm after a boneless crown that's pre stuffed, i've found one in the sainsbury's brochure. It's £30. I resent paying it as i've saved with asda, but never mind.

Where are you buying yours & how much is it?

[Whatnowffs]

My mum is buying ours (she always does because i woudlnt bother otherwise) Its from a local butcher, free-range. Now for the shocking bit - its an 8lb turkey - enough for 5 apparently, £42! i nearly cried - last year was even worse, she spent £81 on it. FFS!!!!! . I would only ever buy a free-range turkey and i was buying myself i would go for as cheap a free-range bird as i could possibly buy and certainly would be upset if i had to spend over £20. Its madness but to be fair, last years turkey was gorgeous.

[DewDr0p]

Free range turkeys just don't come cheap.

I'm not cooking last year but last time I did, got the turkey (free range) from local butchers and it cost about £50. Had goose one year and that was more like £60.

Can you get to an actual Asda? They may not have fresh turkeys available just yet but I'd be amazed if they don't have some nearer the time.

[ObiWan]

I fully anticipate bringing the derision of MN down upon my head, but we are getting a big frozen turkey from Tesco.

A turkey of the size we require would be £100+ from the butcher, so Tesco it is. By the time it's been subjected to my cooking, it all tastes the same.

We don't exactly buy meat with ethics in mind throughout the year (because we can't afford to), so that doesn't really come into play at Christmas either.

Asda will have loads of stuff in the shop closer to Christmas, that isn't always shown online.

[Taffeta]

DH buys ours in London on Christmas Eve. Sometimes they reduce them, one year Waitrose had all of theirs half price.

We usually pay around £45-50 for an 8-10lb free range Norfolk summat or other turkey ( full price ).

Our local butcher, whilst a lovely chap, and a place I frequent often outside the festive season, take the piss at Christmas.

[kiwigirl42]

I always get a frozen turkey from Sainsburys about this time of yr when they are half price. We're happy with them. Make home made stuffing though - grated apple and dried apricots are the secret ingredients in this house.

The worst part of my whole yr is putting my hand up its arse to remove the giblets though, even though i wear marigolds. I did forget one year due to migraine and it was fine.

[Whatnowffs]

Obi- no derision from me, there is no way on this earth i could pay £100 for a turkey, my mother insists on buying one each year after i bought a giant chicken by mistake one year after buying one, last minute at tesco - she was less than impressed but i have to say it was far nicer! I don't really like turkey that much so to spend double my weekly shopping budget on one meal would make me start twitching i think. My mother pays for it, and then buys herself one - which is mental because she lives alone and always comes to us for dinner

[PeppermintLatte]

Thanks everyone, will call into asda & ask if they are getting any fresh, prestuffed crowns.

Some of the prices of turkeys

[noisytoys]

We can't afford a turkey so I'm hoping to buy a really big turkey sized chicken. We prefer chicken to turkey anyway and Aunt Bessie will sort out the stuffing, mash, roast, parsnips etc

[ObiWan]

My mother, who for years scrimped, and saved, and did the best she could, has discovered the M&S turkey crown.

Apparently it's major plus point is that there is a lot of turkey for your money, and it has a little flag that pops up when it's properly cooked!

My mother seems to be experiencing her second childhood in the most unexpected ways .

[DewDr0p]

The year dh was out of work we couldn't afford a turkey so I bought a large organic chicken from the farmer's market, cost about a tenner and with all the trimmings it was delicious.

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

DH and I are vegetarian so we have a Quorn roast (I used to make a really nice nut roast/cheese choux ring with mushrooms/ filo spinach tart but that was in the Pre DC days )

Now we just want something that I know will work, cooks with everything else and go overboard with the accompaniments.

The DC eat chicken, so I peruse the reduced price chicken for a couple of Free Range chicken breasts and freeze them.

[germyrabbit]

i'm going to win it at the local meat raffle

[neddle]

The last three years I've managed to get a half price turkey crown at coop on christmas eve.
I'm kind of playing a game really, I don't want to pay full price and I've managed to win so far

[bedmonster]

We don't like turkey so usually have a goose. One that is big enough for about 8 costs us around £80 from a farm about 10 miles away. There are no leftovers, but that's fine because the next day we go to MIL who does a huge rib of beef.

[girlywhirly]

We have a 5lb free range chicken from the butcher, which does 8-10 portions, and costs around 20 quid. DH prefers it and as it's just for us we get lots to do imaginative recipes for the leftovers.

[Northernlurker]

I'm getting one from the local farm shop. It will be about £50-55. Worth it.

[Shodan]

I get a frozen, free-range one from Sainsbury's. It's very good.

I did do the fresh Bronze whatever whatever turkey one year, but discovered that I'm bizarrely squeamish when it comes to removing the last of the bits of feathers. Plus it cost, like, a gazillion quid.

So frozen from now on for me.

[PenisColada]

I usually play turkey roulette and hang about Waitrose to get a half price one.

Last year I had to pay full price but the the turkey was lovely.

I have never lost turkey roulette yet.

[BlameItOnTheCuervHoHoHo]

We get ours from the butcher in the market, is gorgeous (and I don't really like turkey) we get the whole bird (I like the leg) about 10lb, for £40-45. Its worth it though.

[DilysPrice]

I pay £££££ from poncy butcher because a) I can afford it b) it tastes much better c) if you break it down to cost per person per meal it's a bit less (ours feeds 6 people for 3 meals).

But the first year I wasn't prepared for the bill and spent the whole of Xmas eve in a state of "HOW MUCH?"

[ceeveebee]

Smithfield meat market do a boneless crown that would feed about 15 adults (9lb all meat) for £20 and that's what we'll be having

[ApplesinmyPocket]

I've done every kind of turkey going over the years, from a hand-reared monster from a friend's farm (ridiculously over-priced) to local butcher ordered in advance (ditto) through the (very nice I must say) M&S crown - right down to where we now are - a £20 Tesco Bronze frozen. I don't have it delivered with my online order order but choose in person at the store so I can get the largest available in the weight range.

We've had it a few years running now and it's fine. It's only one meal and turkey is pretty dull.

[ArbitraryUsername]

We'll be having chicken because turkey is horrible. I'll buy a free-range one in sainsbos, or maybe the local butcher if I remember.

I had to emergency cater Christmas for me and DS1 one year (supposed to be going to family but an outbreak of scarlet fever in one of my nieces meant that I had to make excuses. I was pregnant but not planning to tell anyone til 13 weeks). They had loads of turkey crowns etc going cheap in M&S but I didn't bother. Instead I bought some pigs in blankets, stuffing and veg/potatoes to go with it. DS loved it.