Year after year I’ve bought our turkey from M&S

[MyTrivia]

But they are never amazing…nice, of course. So is it worth just buying one from Aldi? What are your opinions about this?

Thanks. I’ll check out capons. Are they more an M&S thing or do the supermarkets sell them? I’ve heard of them but never sought them out.

We get a Kelly Bronze from local farm every year but costs ££££. Tried to persuade our adult dc to go somewhere cheaper to buy it this year but it was a definite no! They’ve offered to contribute instead. It is a good turkey - even to me and I’m not fussed about it. I brine it and then just a simple roast but it does taste really good and isn’t dry.

I don't think M&S do them - you would need to go to a butcher or farm shop really.

I buy a 3 to 4kg cockerel from good butcher ( ordered in advance) neither me nor H like turkey

Ocado sell Packington Christmas cockerels but only in the few days before Christmas. Otherwise you need to order directly from a farm or farm shop. Technically they will be cockerels rather than capons as caponisation (castration) is illegal in the UK but the term 'capon' has persisted.

I have a local butchers. Thanks 👍

I quite regularly buy turkey breasts or turkey mince, or used diced turkey thighs to make curry etc - I prefer it to chicken for certain things! So many of us do eat it all year round (or I assume the supermarkets wouldn't sell it) - its just the whole turkey that tends to be a once a year deal, and that's mainly because it takes a lot longer to took and so is more of an 'event' meat.

We always get our turkey from a local butcher - no plastic packaging, and they don't need as long to cook as a supermarket one (something to do with their muscle/lean meat make up due to the foraging etc) so don't dry out. I definitely think they taste better than any of the supermarket ones (which I've tried when we've done big christmas meals with friends etc).

I’ve only ever bought a cheap turkey. I can’t tell the difference between them and the bronzed gold plated extra special turkeys my BIL buys. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I've just been reading about a 1kg chicken from Sainsburys that serves 5 people and you don't even need to cook it....😌

£50 for a crown? £100 for a turkey?

Bloody Hell...

It can be if you cook it properly.

I cooked one from a butcher’s a few years ago and it was honestly amazing. It’s all in the cooking process; how you prepare it before and after cooking makes a huge difference to taste and texture.

I love cooking Turkey, We usually buy farm fresh, last year we had to buy Frozen and it turned out great but always cook to internal temperature not the package instructions and never skip resting.

No delicious, like a more tasty duck. As pp said it produces lots of fat so have jars to put that in and you get superior roast potatoes for months afterwards. (Heat strain and put in jam jars. Then keep in the back of the fridge). They don’t have a lot of meat on so you need lots of extras. Bones make superb stock, we always have Pho but you could go more traditional. I just strip the meat off for a pie, and then chuck the bones in the deep freeze for when I feel more creative.

We have turkey and gammon, that’s what I had growing up.

After having M&S turkeys for a few years and trying a few different farms, we have got a Kelly Bronze for the past few years, they are local to us and they are the most delicious turkey (do follow the cooking instructions supplied) and incredibly moist https://www.kellybronze.co.uk/product-category/christmas/

Yes they are expensive but in my opinion worth it.

Last year we had a frozen Morrisons and apricot stuffed turkey crown from Waitrose.

2023 we had a fab fresh one bought from Asda at £50 on Christmas eve.
Marks are just too expensive yet I do shop there every week. I'm just not paying £100!

I've eaten Kelly Bronzes straight from the farm for years. Always nice, don't get me wrong, but one year there was an emergency and I had to buy a bog standard turkey from Tesco, half the price, and I honestly couldn't tell the difference. So now, if I'm buying, I'm happy with whatever turkey the supermarket has but maybe I don't have a very refined palate?

What I would advise against though is buying a goose instead. Tough, dried up, and hardly any meat on it.

i have chestnut and pork stuffing, my favourite, that and the bread sauce, the turkey is just tradition

Our turkey came from Aldi last year and, honestly, it was the nicest turkey we have had in years. I will definitely be going back this year.

We get a boneless turkey crown from Iceland, everyone eats it and it isn't dried out when cooked. This year I'll check the new local butcher who has opened we had a beef roast from there a few weeks ago and it was lovely.

We do Tesco finest Norfolk turkey. It normally pops up on Clubcard in October so we but it then. It’s a frozen one but we make sure we get it out in plenty of time to thoroughly defrost and it’s always a big hit

gave up on fresh after brother opened his on Christmas Day to cook and it was rotten!

Get a bronze or a black Turkey for better flavour. Never a white Turkey - they have no taste.

Without taking over your post we normally go to our local butcher after years of getting M&S and i was surprised it wasnt any dearer as it is an expensive farm shop. He does it in a roasting bag already, but was wondering should i prepare myself in butter/bacon etc as he doesnt do that. I also normally get stuffed but picky eater has decided he wont est stuffing anymore. It always tasted good though

Same it comes out perfect, if it needs crisping up it gets 15 mins in the oven

order from your local butcher. Much nicer!