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Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

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Original poster

can i just ask how much your turkey is costing you this year please?

68 replies

mrsmplus3 · 04/12/2011 12:22

im feeding 11 people (9 adults, 2 kids) and have ordered a 6-7kilo turkey which is costing me between £60-£70. i told my mum this yesterday and she couldnt believe the price and told me to cancel the order.
what are others doing? should i cancel and go for something cheaper but still nice? if so what? or is this the norm these days?
thanks in advance.

OP posts:

roguepixie · 04/12/2011 18:42

£100+ for a kelly. Had one for the first time many years ago and was hooked. It's the one indulgence, for me, at Christmas. I buy a huge one and it does us for many many turkey filled days ... mmmmmmm

CherrysOnTheNaughtyList · 04/12/2011 18:46

we are having 2 free range ducks for christmas this year. might have a beef joint too, if i can get one for a bargain. ducks are costing me £26. (2 years ago, the same 2 ducks cost me £18)

Original poster

mrsmplus3 · 04/12/2011 19:27

my goodness, im feeling better about my £60-£70 bird now! £100+ ???

and dont be like that IFGU, im not a snob at all. if god forbid one of us lost our jobs this year, like so many other people, i would have no qualms about buying cheaper food. but it is christmas and i shouldnt have to apologise for wanting to buy a good bird. its just as i have never cooked for 11 before i had no idea what it should/would cost.

cherrys - thats exactly what i meant about the price of food these days! unbelievable.

OP posts:

Northernlurker · 04/12/2011 19:27

I would pay around that for a good quality turkey. Mil tried the 'it doesn't matter how much you pay' line on me last year we were there. The turkey was a frozen cheapo and it tasted like dust. That bird really did die in vain. If we ever go again for CHristmas I will taking our own! (As a lovely gesture of gift thing)

TheBolter · 04/12/2011 19:29

Dunno, but I've ordered a bronze free-range from an excellent local farm. Probably be about £70.

usualsuspect · 04/12/2011 19:32

People pay a hundred quid for a turkey? [faints]

ChablisLover · 04/12/2011 20:12

Think I paid £70 quid last year. God knows what it will cost this year! But that included a good lump of ham too. Had long given up on frozen turkeys. I can really notice the difference taste wise. Also, think you need a full bird to get the succulence plus dh loves the brown meat.

dreamingofsun · 05/12/2011 08:51

mrs - i wasn't suggesting your mum is a cheapskate - i just said she was thinking of that type of bird maybe. and no offence meant to anyone who's broke - i've been there myself

PollyMorfic · 05/12/2011 09:08

Okay, since everyone else has come out of the closet (as it were) with their turkey secrets, I will divulge my secret plan and you can all tell me if I'll go straight to Christmas hell.

For actual Christmas Day there will be only 5 of us, but the kids want turkey. Frankly I'd have to spend a feck of a lot to get a decent turkey, and it'll still be far more meat than we need. For the price of a very mediocre turkey I could get a fantastic Truin chicken/capon from the butcher which will taste much nicer and be much less wasteful. They are enormous, and could easily pass for a small turkey, size-wise, but cost no more than £25-30. I'll get 4-5 meals out of that, and the meat will be much better quality than any turkey I could get for the same money.

The question is:

Will anyone notice if I get a lovely big capon and tell them it's turkey?
Am I bad and will I go to hell?
Or should I just go for it and hope no-one notices?

And there's no point doing turkey on eg boxing day when I will have loads of people to feed, as they'll all have had turkey on Christmas day and really really won't want any more. [fairynuff]

AKMD · 05/12/2011 09:22

I wouldn't notice.

girlywhirly · 05/12/2011 10:00

We get a free range chicken, around 5lb weight and it would easily do 8 portions. As there will only be DH and I, and he doesn't fancy turkey anyway it will cost less than £25 from the local butcher and we know it will be gorgeous as always. Plus less risk of being dry. I think with all the sausages and bacon, sausagemeat stuffing etc you don't need much per portion, especially with all the accompanying veg and so on.

Why do the kids want turkey, Polly, is it because they actually like it or because they think it's something they ought to have because its traditional? I spent many childhood Christmas lunches having chicken, and as mum was cooking that's what we had. I say the cook has the final word!

dreamingofsun · 05/12/2011 10:02

my IL's always had chicken when we used to go there. supermarkets sell turkey steaks couldn't you just fry up a couple of those for the kids and have chicken too?

lots of people have what they like best at christmas. seems a very sound argument to me.

PollyMorfic · 05/12/2011 10:16

I think they like the idea of turkey, iyswim, rather than a specific taste for turkey meat per se. Along the lines of, 'if it's Christmas, it must be turkey, otherwise it's just WRONG'. But my guess is that if I get a really big, good-quality chicken they won't notice the difference.

But if they do, I will be in the Christmas doghouse. [wibble]

LissTheSeasonLouBeJollie · 05/12/2011 10:18

Turkey here, costing £35 for a 6lber from a local farmer.

LissTheSeasonLouBeJollie · 05/12/2011 10:18

Turkey here, costing £35 for a 6lber from a local farmer.

wordfactory · 05/12/2011 10:27

£90
7 kilo Kelly Bronze ordered online.

reckoner · 05/12/2011 10:29

Makes me glad we're vegetarian. That's a lot of money. I had no idea.

wordfactory · 05/12/2011 10:36

To be fair it is the very highest quality that I wouldn't usually push for and it will feed quite a few of us for several days (together with left over ham and cheeses, salads, breads etc)

wfrances · 05/12/2011 10:37

i do 2 xmas dinners and i get my fresh turkeys crowns from asda (£22 each )and they taste the same as the one i had from butchers -£45 and the one from the local farm -£65.

Xmasbaby11 · 05/12/2011 10:43

It sounds like a normal price for a good quality well looked after turkey of that size. It's the biggest food expense at Xmas so I would go for it! Also you will have tons of delicious leftovers.

Original poster

mrsmplus3 · 05/12/2011 14:27

thanks folks. im just going ahead with the order as is. we''ll enjoy it for a couple of days im sure.

sorry dreaming, touchy amnt i? and i did ask! silly me.

polly - well seen as youre being so honest, my next question regarding the turkey is - do you think i could cook it on christmas eve? let it cool, make a good gravy from the juices, slice it up, cover in tin foil and refridgerate for reheating in the oven the next day? i would love it if this was a good idea. cause i find the slicing bit and making the gravy bit the most stressful in terms of serving it hot and making it ready in time with the roast potat and veg etc.

plus, if ive cooked it well on xmas eve (ie not dry) and plus the fact its a good bird, then surely it would still tast great on xmas day?? and it would make the day much less "busy". i could enjoy myself too then?

how obvious is it im dying for you all to say "yeah thats a great idea, go ahead, i do it every year bla bla bla"

however, if its a very bad idea then please say. thanks again in advance.
and thats my last turkey question.

OP posts:

joymaker · 05/12/2011 14:53

mrsmplus3 my DP usually does the turkey and on christmas day itself. I think I might be a bit if I found him doing it the day before. Reheated meat tends to taste reheated don't you think?

Maybe someone will be along who has actually tried it before and with some success.

If it were me though I would probably try to prepare as much of everything else (say the veg and stuffing or anything else that I may find time consuming/stressful) so that come christmas day I could concentrate on the turkey.

dreamingofsun · 05/12/2011 15:08

Mrs - turkey recipe i use is below - its supposed to keep it moist...but thing i like best is you don't have to do anything till the last 40 mins.....

6-10lb/2.7-4.5kg bird allow 20 min per lb and 20 min over. for birds 10-18lb /4.5-8.1kg allow 15 min per lb and 15 min over. preheat oven to 220c gas 7 for first 40 mins and then turn down to 170c gas 3 for remainder. remove foil for last 40 mins and turn heat to 200c or mark 6 and baste frequently.

key thing is that you don't have any gaps in foil - you can smell it if you do. i normally smear bird in marg and put an onion or lemon in its cavity.

ChablisLover · 05/12/2011 20:31

I always cook mine on Xmas eve and reheat slices for Xmas day lunch.

Personally i think it adds to flavour and I add a little water in my tin foil parcels and it keeps it moist also.

I wouldn't have time nor room in my oven to do it on Xmas morn.

Soups · 05/12/2011 20:37

£17

www.waitrose.com/shop/ProductView-10317--79704-Mushroom+duxelle%2525252Dtopped+turkey+breast

I can't be bothered to work this year, I've booked a delivery slot and all food is prepared [hgrin]

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