To think that roast turkey is the poor relation of the roast dinner family?

[squoosh]

There's a reason most people only consider eating it once a year. Personally I'm happy to snub turkey on Christmas day too.

Turkey is so bland and unexciting, chicken, pork, beef, duck all make a superior roast. I know it's good for feeding large mobs of relatives on Christmas Day and has that nifty effect of inducing drowsiness thus limiting post dinner rows between Aunty Mabel and Uncle Howard's second wife but surely this is the only positive that can be said for it? Is everyone with me on this?

Gobble on ungainly turkey, you're not welcome here.

Pigs in blankets, the food of the Gods!

There really should be a lip licking emoticon.

Turkey from our local farm is yummy. The dried up bird my mother served up is rank.

I don't like pork. Smells too piggy for me.

YANBU. The only way to make turkey palatable is to smother it in truffle butter.

DH can eat two dozen pigs in blankets by himself. Fatty

And while we are at it, Christmas pudding is horrible.

It depends on the turkey. Supermarket turkey is dreadful but an organic slow reared turkey is tremendous!

Agree. Turkey is bleugh. I'd rather have nut roast

Not if you get a good one it isn't - Good Turkey COSTS MONEY!! People are cheap bastards and spend a tenner on a Tesco one.

Every year I order my Kelly Bronze and it's soft but holds together, really flavoursome, and frankly to die for. It costs £70 and feeds us for a week.

Turkey isn't at all bland. If you get it from the right places. And that isn't the supermarket.

I really like turkey - I always shove half a pound of butter underneath the breast skin, thouigh, and never cook it for as long as they say.

I can't stand roast pork - it is revolting imo. And crackling - YUK.

I like turkey - but I don't honestly think I'd miss it if I had a plate of sausages, stuffing, bacon rolls (don't much like pigs in blankets, the sausages tend to stay anaemic under the bacon), more stuffing, roast potatoes, nice veg and lovely gravy. Roast-wise, I'd pick beef over it any day - better gravy, legitimate Yorkshire puds and FANTASTIC roasties (if my mum cooks them round the meat, and doesn't waste prime position on the accursed parsnips like she did last time we went to them for a roast).

I was the only person who liked goose :(

I don't rate turkey much either tbh. i wouldn't mind one of those 9 bird roast things though but they are so expensive!

I always do chicken. Much cheaper and tastes nicer. With sausages wrapped in bacon too, obviously.

lol at accursed parsnips

I love turkey & we had it for 15yrs on CD.

Until husband finally got around to admitting that he didn´t really like it

We´ve had goose since then & I prefer it tbh.

I think it depends on the turkey. I always thought turkey was tasteless and dry and didn't get at all excited about it.

This year we ordered a free-range bronze turkey that was reared on a local farm (it might have had a special diet of some sort as well, I can't remember exactly!). We had to order in advance and it seemed stupidly expensive but I just wanted to give it a try for once.

I used a simple Jamie Oliver recipe that involves pushing a butter/herb mix under the turkey skin before cooking. It was stress free to cook. When it came to the taste... the turkey was amazing. There was nothing dry about it and the meat had a distinctive taste. Up there with one of the best meals I've had and everyone in the family agreed. I still think about it now when I'm feeling hungry and am already looking forward to next Christmas as we will be buying out turkey from the same place.

There's no such thing as a 'poor relation' in the roast dinner family. I love ANY roast dinner, whatever the meat.

People are right though about the choice of meat. A good quality turkey (like anything else) is delicious.

We never have turkey, it's goosey gander all the way...although they are very expensive...not bothered mind our ILs buy us one every year

Turkey is nice at Carvery's, mmmm......

Pork however, well, it stinks.

Turkey is fairly bland compared to other meats. We still have it for Christmas, I keep wanting to get a goose but chickening out at the last minute.

if you think turkey is dry and tasteless it's because you can't cook it properly

runs for cover

I love turkey

Turkey is my favourite roast meat but only cold, with loads of salt and pepper on it and preferably in a sandwich. I agree that as a roast dinner it's pretty bland, but you have to think leftovers in the overall appraisal.

if you think turkey is dry and tasteless it's because you can't cook it properly

No, it's because MIL can't cook it properly.

Christmas roast has to come from an actual butcher. If I wanted roast water-and-added-soya-protein I'd get a fucking Bernard Matthews turkey roll roast.

Nope. mince roast is.

And it's fucking delicious. Especially with SMASH.

YABU

I usually get a free range turkey that costs nearly as much as a small car.

Not anymore!!

DM was tasked with turkey procurement last year and due to a fuck up on her part wound up buying a fresh Asda bird.

Cooked as per Delia is was DELISH!!