To think that there can't be that much difference between a Waitrose turkey and a Lidl turkey..?

[spanishwardrobe]

I've put in my Christmas shopping order at Waitrose and picked a turkey, the cheapest one I could find on the site, which was £55!

I've since been to Lidl and seen a same sized turkey for about £17!

Can they really be that different? And if so how!?

Has anyone ever taste tested turkeys? Am I just paying for a brand?

I'm having pizza for Christmas dinner.

I've long stopped conforming to Christmas "rules".

I think if you're going to have an animal die so you can enjoy its flesh, it doesn't matter about welfare. If that bothered, don't eat it in the first place. Then it won't have to be raised for you at all, it can roam freely and enjoy its life. Double standards here methinks.

I am not veggie or vegan, so I'll eat anything and whether or not the item has been given a massage and cuddled and cossetted during its life etc. is no concern of mine. I am not a hypocrite.

However most good butchers are very much more expensive than supermarkets. It does depend on how much ppl value local produce reared locally with high welfare standards.
Or if you have very little money, how much protein can you get for minimal expense.

The worst thing people do is to put stuffing inside the turkey. It dries the meat out. Depends what you're stuffing it with. If you have a high fat stuffing. it'll help keep the bird moist.

Always buy Aldi frozen or fresh and always tastes great. It’s the the prep and cooking that makes the difference.

The biggest shock to me when I got a posh turkey one year (it was after Christmas, I lived next to Booths and picked one up really cheap as they were closing) was how little water comes out of them, it really goes to show how badly supermarket meat is injected with water to plump it up. I think the flavour was superior too but it was free range organic where I would just get a standard bird from Tesco.

Are you really that rude?!

The OP wasn’t asking about the price and profit, she was asking about taste.

Do a lot of people eat turkey for Christmas dinner?

Where did that tradition come from.

Me and my family don't eat it for Christmas dinner.

Nope never dry as we turn it upside down and baste, always uncovered always lovely and moist

I've spent £80 on the finest bronze bird and it's been less than mediocre. Similarly I've spent £12.50 on a Sainsbury's basic bird and it's been fabulous. I find Turkeys very variable and have been cooking them at Christmas/sometimes Easter for more than 30 years.

I've concluded that the turkey is the table centre piece. Taking into account the flavours of: the gravy, pigs, stuffing, cranberry, bread sauce, roasties, sprouts, Carrots, runners, red cabbage, etc., taste wise I don't think the turkey's the star of the show and I make do with a pretty standard supermarket bird or crown nowadays.

I don't believe that. Aldi hula hoops are nothing like the original.

Breakfast cereals are also not the same as the banded versions.

My husbands taken over the food shopping and he’s added in a Lidl shop in addition to a Sainsbury’s shop. I don’t think Sainsbury’s is as good as Waitrose or M&S but Lidl is way down the list as far as I’m concerned. Every time he’s used Lidl meat in a meal I’ve been able to tell… the turkey breasts we’ve had in something were tough. No way would I want a whole bird from there unless I was seriously strapped for cash.

It will not matter to us, as we are going to have beef. We're just not keen on turkey, much less all the leftovers.

Higher welfare standards mean the bird develops more normally, so its muscles (ie what we eat) are well developed. This is important for both taste an texture. And there is no need to add water, as the flesh is heavy/dense from natural movement

I absolutely agree with this. I earn min wage but I prioritise good food over everying. Waitrose & M&S for me & as many of their organic things as I can. There’s a massive taste difference to me when compared to all the other shops. I used to shop at Aldi/Tesco & the quality & freshness is not even close. Especially Aldi.

I’m a Waitrose and Lidl shopper and always buy free range chicken/turkey. I’ve never noticed a difference. I’ve bought fancy ones directly from
farms some years and haven’t noticed a difference either.

Welfare will be the big difference. They will probably taste different though too, XP thought organic meat was a waste of money, until he tried it and was converted.

Meat and fish are obviously a bad thing. But higher welfare and organic meat and dairy leave less of a footprint.

The same could be said of a MacDonalds versus an organic burger.
People like the taste of the cheaper version even though it's not really authentic. Or high welfare. Doesn't make it it better burger though.

M&S chicken and Aldi chicken are worlds apart. I had to give the Aldi chicken to the dog it was actually inedible. It is nonsense that they are the same and I wish people would stop pedalling this myth.

Really hate turkey! Always have M&S 3Bird roast as a compromise.

It came from the introduction of them in the 15th century.

So every year you've missed the shops being flooded with Turkeys and them being mentioned across all the Christmas adverts, featured in recipes etc?

You'd be amazed at the difference. Sometimes the meat in Aldi/Lidl can be decent enough, but it's a bit hit and miss. Mother-in-law bought some steaks from Aldi recently, and they were very bad. Texture was completely off, and taste wasn't right.

We buy a lot from Lidl, and for most things I can't tell the difference between them and anywhere else, except the difference in price. But for meat. It really is the exception. It's worth paying extra when you can. I prefer to pay extra or go without most of the time.

I get my food delivered by Waitrose :) and Ocado because Ocado have M&S.

It is very often the same factories producing the branded and supermarket food, but the recipe will vary. Whether the food tastes better or not is generally a matter of opinion - but I think meat can be a big difference. Although mostly I'd say the biggest difference is if you can buy from a farm shop, or a butcher who buys directly from local farms.

Of course I've seen it.

It's just an odd phenomenon.

Why specifically just eat turkey at Christmas for the last 600 years.

Like why turkey and only turkey?