What Turkey would you buy if you could not afford a posh one?

[TheLionesss]

Just looked at the Kelly Bronze website and cannot afford that much for a Turkey.

What would you do in my position?

[Ivykaty44]

go to butchers or supermarket and get one there - it will be in the cooking anyhow...

Did you see where the chef got all organic chicken and normal supermarket and the panel couldn't say which was better - he was really disapointed that it didn't make a scrape of difference

[Morosky]

Buy a turkey crown rather than a whole one?

[fishie]

i would get a free range one and brine it.

[TheLionesss]

What does brine it mean?

IvyKaty I didn't see that but it's good to hear. Just read an article which told me my chirstmas dinner will be runined if I don't spend a small fortune on the meat.

Looked at the crown's and they are still £££

[Morosky]

We brined ours last year and it was delicious. It was free range but only from a supermarket, not overly expensive

[Tortington]

if wider family wern't involved i#d buy turkey slices.

have done in previous years.

i really don't see the point

[Uriel]

Go to a farm and order a free range goose. Yummy!

[Mybox]

Once had to do turkey for relatives staying & just got the pieces we needed rather than the whole thing.

[Morosky]

brined turkey

[Mybox]

Might be the same thing here riven as will have a newborn!

[TheLionesss]

Thanks for the link Morosky

Looks very easy. How long did you leave the turkey in the brine for? Where did you store it? If I leave it outside, the dog or next door's car will attack it. And I doubt I will have the room in the fridge

[Morosky]

I can't remember , I will have followed whatever it said in Nigella's book.

I kept it in the kitchen.

[TheLionesss]

I might buy Nigellas christmas book

[Northernlurker]

If you brine it outside you need to just put something very heavy on top of it (btw - did you mean next dooor's car or cat? Is their BMW really that vicious? )

Whatever you do don't buy a frozen one. Mil did one year - announcing that they were all the same anyway and it was the driest thing you've ever tasted! Ugh!

[TheLionesss]

oh yes NL, their motor has a real mean streak

Thanks for the advice about the frozen one, will remember to give them a miss

[MrsBadger]

am not fussed so much about the taste as about the ethics

if I couldn't afford a free-range turkey (or didn't have that many people to feed) I'd buy a free-range chicken - is actually tastier than turkey imo.

[shinybaubles]

I also can't afford the Kelly turkey but for the last few years have done the Nigella brine and my supermarket turkey has been lovely. I do it in a big bucket and cover with foil and then lays something heavy over the top and we have 2 greedy retrievers and several cats from neighbours and it has never been disturbed.

[TheLionesss]

So a supermarket free range turkey brined will be acceptable I think

[shinybaubles]

Yes I don't see why not - but not a frozen one. We do it and we're real foodies - or just plain greedy . It even converted my aunt who thinks chicken is too dry and came for xmas, I cooked her salmon and she ended up eating the turkey - it was so good.

[crokky]

Last Christmas, I just got a turkey from Tesco. It was really nice and I will do the same this year. I didn't order it, I just picked it off the shelf with the rest of my shopping.

[lisianthus]

This is making me hungry and I don't even like turkey, so DH, who does like it, hasn't had it for years. We usually get a goose, but I am liking the brining idea. And the egg and chips idea, tbh.

[moaningminniewhingesagain]

I bought an organic turkey crown from tesco Christmas before last, it was vile, and £££ to boot. Will get a free range chicken or salmon en croute from M&S this year