The wrong turkey!

[Newnameobviously]

Later today my big Christmas grocery shop is being delivered. Central to it are two organic free range turkey crowns (we are expecting a crowd). I've just got an email confirming my shopping has been picked and paid for and was very pleased to see that there were only 2 very minor substitutions...until I looked more closely and discovered that instead of the turkeys I ordered Waitrose are apparently sending me 2 turkey crowns stuffed with gingerbread.

Quite apart from the fact that they sound absolutely revolting I am annoyed that they are presumably battery farmed but cost the same price as the hugely expensive free range birds I so carefully preordered weeks ago.

I've double checked my original order in case I had gone mad and actually ordered these travesties but no, I definitely ordered the nice turkeys so it's definitely Waitrose mistake. Either they have sent me the right turkeys and put the wrong details on the receipt or 2 ginger bread flavoured birds are on their way. I won't know either way until the shopping arrives early this afternoon.

Obviously if it turns out they've sent the wrong thing I'll send them back and get a refund but that means I'll have to venture out to the shops in the pre Christmas hubbub to get a new main event - just what I was trying to avoid. I will be on tenterhooks between now and then!

I realise this is a first world problem. One way or another we will have a lovely dinner even if it ends up being meatfree. It's just annoying that despite being so smug organised and ordering everything weeks in advance the supermarket have thrown such an unexpected spanner in my plans.

YABU - eat the gingerbread flavoured turkeys and stop moaning

YANBU -turkeys should taste of turkey and gravy, with a soupçon of traditional stuffing. Gingerbread is for making little men that run very fast.

I think it will be lovely actually. But agree with declining. It's very expensive!! In future I would order from a butcher as our local butcher is very reliable. They all are I'm sure.

www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/free-range-bronze-turkey-crown/860979-605254-605255 It sounds rather lovely to me.

You cant blame the young pickers as the computer tells them what alternative to pick. Well they do at tescos where my niece works part time picking shopping.

@Gretaburley

It’s young pickers with no idea. I ordered a lamb braised in red wine in summer and they tried to substitute it with curried lamb. On the same order was Yorkshire puds and potatoes. Unfortunately they have different pickers for different sections.

That's really ageist.

The computer will suggest alternatives for them anyway.

From the link it actually sounds really good. I’d stick with it.

When it's a very specific item I need, I put a note to the pickers. So against my organic skimmed milk I have a note to say that if its not available, I'll have regular skimmed milk. That's because their algorithm says that, for most people, organic trumps skimmed, so we once ended up with organic full fat rather than non-organic skimmed.

Obviously that's too late now. I would accept the subs, then removed gingerbread stuffing and replace it with regular. I love ginger but really don't fancy it in stuffing.

I would just scoop out the stuffing and replace with my own.

Either reject it or accept it and have a potentially amazing turkey you would never have picked yourself. Sometimes it's nice to try something new so you don't get stuck in a rut.

Next year go to the shop yourself if you can't handle having a substitution in your online order

Looking at the link that got posted it sounds nice and reasonable substitute.

During lockdown I got an array of substitutes I wouldn’t have picked but some of them I now buy regularly instead of my original choices.

I ordered a king prawn paella ready meal the other week …. got a tub of mash instead.

I just can't imagine gingerbread stuffing in Turkey

Gingerbread stuffing [vomit] send that back OP (who comes up with this stuff)

I think the OP isn't saying that the turkeys are subbed. She said 2 minor subs but then noticed the turkey was wrong on the order. She ordered different ones but there's no sub it's just wrong.

If nothing else definitely ask for your money back OP even if you keep the turkeys!

@Berthatydfil

Gingerbread stuffing sounds vile

So does the ' sticky maple and clementine glaze' you pour over it at the end

@RockallMalinHebrides

I would just scoop out the stuffing and replace with my own.

This. Easy. I wouldn't risk getting my turkey order this way for Christmas - because of issues like this. If you send it back will you definitely be able to get something better?

Having seen the link to one and seeing it’s flavoured stuffing and not actually gingerbread I don’t think it’s too bad.

I would never rely on shopping being delivered correctly this near to Christmas with no substitutes.

Out of interest how much were the ones your ordered / have paid for?

Remove the stuffing?

One of the reasons I stopped pre-booking a Christmas delivery, because the stuff you think you are carefully ordering well in advance ever turns up.

That nice joint of ham, is the fatty rag end, the Turkey isn’t the one you wanted, your favourite wine is all sold out so you get some vinegar in the same colour.

I think you have a couple of choices, call and reserve the Turkey you want from the shop so you can just buy it at customer services instead of hunting around and queuing. If you do this you can refuse the order knowing you have one - the trip out is a pain through. Two accept the order, cook it and hope for the best. You can always carve the centre meat and ask for a full refund if it's not good as it's not what you wanted. Or maybe it will be okay. All the clementine and maple syrup as well as gingerbread stuffing and ginger butter looks too much to doctor, I was going to suggest changing the stuffing but this looks rather 'complete'. Good luck.

A gingerbread stuffed turkey couldnt be more christmassy, unless it donned a Santa hat and sang Jingle Bells!

Sorry OP, I had to laugh.

It’s fine - there’s still loads available. Send back the gingerbread turkeys and go to your nearest large supermarket and pick two crowns up from there; they’ll almost certainly have free range ones.

I would accept the turkeys. Remove that little bit of butter from both. It is neither use nor ornament. Take out the stuffing from one and either replace with other stuffing or just lob in a pack of butter and some herbs. I would take a chance and cook the other one as is but baste with decent butter.

I think if they had omitted the word gingerbread and used ginger you would not be so bothered.
I would avoid going to the shops at all costs now.

Good luck.

@Gretaburley

It’s young pickers with no idea. I ordered a lamb braised in red wine in summer and they tried to substitute it with curried lamb. On the same order was Yorkshire puds and potatoes. Unfortunately they have different pickers for different sections.

How can you possible know it's "young pickers"? And why would young people have less idea? Ageist nonsense.

Call them.

Waitrose did this to me one year except they substituted for a smaller turkey that wouldn't actually feed my guests. The delivery guy was like and he basically came back later with the right turkey. It's Waitrose! They will sort it out for you if they can.

Oh dear. I think gingerbread evokes the idea it will be sweet, and that isn’t nice. I would return it and go out shopping.