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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU to feel ripped off by M&S and the Turkey "crown" I bought

246 replies

15stonelighter · 28/12/2022 14:09

Booked a "feeds 8-10" turkey crown in October, picked it up last week. weight seemed ok for feeding the 8-10.

Opened it to cook on Boxing Day, needing to feed 9 of us only to find that tucked under the "crown" and not visible through then packaging were the top joint/ bones of the legs with no meat on them. So this inedible extra added to the weight and made the whole thing look larger than it was, carefully hidden by packaging.

Family portions were small to make sure our guests ate well.

We had a turkey crown from M&S last year and there were no leg parts attached so I do feel ripped off.

If you had a turkey crown from anywhere this Christmas, did it include bits of leg ?

OP posts:

Blueskythinking123 · 29/12/2022 14:19

Mine was the same M&S crown with bones and legs. Not much meat. Certainly not worth what it cost.

LouisCatorze · 29/12/2022 15:57

I wasn't impressed by the look of any of the supermarket Christmas foodstuffs this year, or the prices! Maybe I've been cooking Christmas lunches for too many years that I've become jaded? We had pork (a compromise) with all the many Christmas trimmings. It was very nice. It did two days' lunches, with leftover scraps fed to the cats. Happy with that.

You definitely pay a premium for a turkey crown, no doubt inflated by seasonal demand. Clearly it's not paid off for some this year which is a great pity.

rainbowunicorn · 29/12/2022 18:02

Yes, we got ours from Tesco, frozen turkey crown and it came with wings and backbone. Didn't have nearly as much meat on it for the weight as a good percentage was the unusable bone.
Normally get ours at morrisons so won't be going back to tesco

LadyEloise1 · 29/12/2022 19:25

As i wrote upthread mine was a turkey crown from M&S. It was a free range Irish turkey crown ( I'm in Ireland ) it cost a fortune but was delicious.

DonnaBanana · 29/12/2022 19:56

You need to get a good look at meat you’re buying for important meals like Christmas. Leaving it to a supermarket to get right is risking it. Technically they aren’t doing anything wrong if the weight is right. You can’t eat banana skins but they are included in the weight of bananas.

TitsInAbsentia · 29/12/2022 19:57

PuppyMonkey · 28/12/2022 16:19

We had a large chicken from Morrisons and I bet it was far nicer than any turkey you lot had. Fed six and have since had sandwiches and a lovely sticky chicken rice dish last night and there’s still loads left. When will people wake up and realise that turkey is bloody horrible?

I'd rather have a chicken, our turkey that mother insisted on getting (I didn't dare look at the price label!) was lovely but it's not my favourite...plus, all those extra dinners you can get out of a mumsnet chicken :)

Teapleasebobb · 29/12/2022 21:08

I did intend to buy a chicken this year instead, but there were no chickens with a date of 25th or later on them. This was on 23rd in Aldi.

BootifulLoser · 30/12/2022 13:49

"Christmas chicken" just doesn't have the same ring somehow…

Scarfweather · 30/12/2022 14:06

I’ve had too many supermarket meat disasters over the years, so now only get meat in the butchers.

LadyEloise1 · 30/12/2022 14:09

I've had better lamb from Tesco than the butcher next door to it.
The Tesco Irish lamb is delicious.

Grantanow · 30/12/2022 14:15

I think we need a standard definition of a turkey crown. Mine from Dorset Meat was delicious but in my opinion it could be more properly described as a rolled turkey breast. What's the difference if any?

Novella4 · 30/12/2022 14:16

@15stonelighter

Not the turkey crown but the cold cooked chicken portions - it was always two breast portions each with a wing
But a recent pack had one breast piece and one leg . I just grabbed the pack without looking closely . The weight may have been the same
I get most meat from the butcher

IneedanewTV · 30/12/2022 15:02

Grantanow · 30/12/2022 14:15

That’s what we had I think. No bones extras just solid breast meat wrapped in bacon.

WiseUpJanetWeiss · 31/12/2022 09:08

rainbowunicorn · 29/12/2022 18:02

Backbone? Do you mean breastbone?

In my head a turkey crown has always been the breast meat on the the ribcage and breastbone, and sometimes the wings (this year MIL's did, mine didn't). Never the legs. Certainly no offal . Definitely no random bits hidden underneath.

MrsClatterbuck · 31/12/2022 09:35

CinnamonJellyBeans · 28/12/2022 15:27

What a con! Unless it was stated on the packaging, I'd be asking for a refund.

I agree with PP who are not impressed by M&S food this year. My frozen black forest gateaux have very few cherries in them and are nowhere near as good as the fresh ones they had last year (which I ate three of!) The sherry trifle went in the bin, but the "Best ever" trifle was as good as last year. The frozen berry cheesecake was meh.

I don't have a big oven, but we always buy a whole turkey, as there's tons of meat on it. I got a frozen free range from Tesco for 25 quid back in October. It will do two dinners and loads of sandwiches and it was lovely. We just cook it first and wrap it in a towel while everything else goes in.

The sherry trifle was definitely not as good. Could barely taste the sherry. It was cheaper as I remember paying £12 for the Christmas one.
M& S not so good this year. I'm in NI so wonder if it's to do with the protocol as there are lots of things I can't get that I used to in M & S.

Vinvertebrate · 31/12/2022 10:41

M&S has disappointed me here in England too! I threw so much away - unprecedented!

Livinginanotherworld · 31/12/2022 10:49

EcoCustard · 28/12/2022 14:49

My Turkey crown from the local butcher came with the wings, giblets, neck, and windpipe. Was bloody fuming as it wasn’t cheap and didn’t realise until 10pm Christmas Eve. Usually reliable never an issue in 8 years so will have a small whinge tomorrow.

If it was from your local butcher I would assume they had added the giblets etc as stock for making the gravy, I doubt they charged you for them.

Original poster

15stonelighter · 01/01/2023 08:18

Emboldened by some of the replies on this thread I contacted M&S and have been told they'll send me a voucher refunding the cost of the turkey crown in full.

I'll buy in person next year to see what I'm getting for the money.

Must say their pannacotta pudding was raved about by our guests. I tried to get another for New Year's day but it was all sold out.

OP posts:

DonnaBanana · 01/01/2023 14:56

Emboldened by some of the replies on this thread I contacted M&S and have been told they'll send me a voucher refunding the cost of the turkey crown in full.

well done. If everyone on this thread did this they would learn a lesson for next year!

Americano75 · 01/01/2023 15:00

15stonelighter · 01/01/2023 08:18

Emboldened by some of the replies on this thread I contacted M&S and have been told they'll send me a voucher refunding the cost of the turkey crown in full.

I'll buy in person next year to see what I'm getting for the money.

Must say their pannacotta pudding was raved about by our guests. I tried to get another for New Year's day but it was all sold out.

Good for you, I was surprised to get the full amount but delighted.

CharityShopChic · 01/01/2023 19:21

we've just had "second christmas dinner" with a turkey crown from Tesco. Hands down way better than M&S, bigger crown for half the price.

Tseco it is for next year.

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