If there's a shortage of turkeys at Christmas, what will you have instead?

[Inextremis]

I was just reading on the BBC news site that - due to qualified workers from abroad having to quarantine for 14 days on arrival - there may not be enough skilled people to process the usual number of turkeys for Christmas. If there does turn out to be a shortage - what would you have instead?

I'm not in the UK (am in Ireland), and we're planning on goose and a small turkey crown - but if we can't get those, I think pork would go best with the traditional turkey trimmings like stuffing and bread sauce. I'd love to do venison but no idea where to get it from, plus I'm not sure it lends itself to leftovers in the same way that lighter meat and poultry does.

So - would you try to stay as close to the traditional meal as possible, or do something entirely different?

Neither I nor my husband like turkey. We usually have a fillet of beef, which I roast and have with all the trimmings, i.e. roast potatoes, yorkshire puds, gravy and veg.

Goose is my favourite, so most years we have that.

Pork roast with very crispy skin/crackling would be my next best option (I’m Danish and this is very traditional; it’s what we had every year).

Duck would be perfectly acceptable, as would rib of beef.

Failing that maybe a whole baked salmon.

Last year it was just the two of us so we had guinea fowl.

Really we’d just make a huge feast of whatever we could find/whatever we fancied on the day.

Probably beef here, as most likely it will just be the two of us. TBH neither of is that fond of turkey. I have suggested to the DC they spend it together so that the grandchildren can play together and have a proper family Christmas. We will FaceTime on the day and see each family a few days before or after.

I’ve already decided to do seafood this year

Last year did rare roast beef but even best type from butcher wasn’t as good as I remembered

Chicken or Duck here

Goose and beef rib as usual. Already ordered from my local butcher so I’m prepared!

We’re having pork with crackling as it’s DS favourite.

Only do turkey if dd is visiting as neither of us really like it. Guinea fowl or beef is preferable imo.

I'm slipping into vegetarianism so this may be a first for me this Christmas not having Turkey.

Duck. But idoubt there will be a shortage of Turkeys. Or Goose is an option.

We’ve not had turkey for years, none of us like it so what’s the point?

We usually have a nice piece of beef from our local butcher.

We often have guinea fowl anyhow

If poultry shortage, then just oodles of sausages, bacon scrolls and pigs in blankets

Chicken. Turkey meat is not nice.

We are already planning to have chicken, only one of us really likes turkey, so without extended family too, there doesn't seem much point in spending so much on a meat that isn't well loved.

Will have loads of pigs in blankets though!!

We have decided that if it's just going to be the 4 of us this Christmas we are going to have a CURRY!

I've never been one for a traditional Christmas dinner but I normally give in to the older family members for the sake of harmony. This year I might just be able to cook what I want.

Curry

I love goose but I tend to eat so much of it that I’m ill, so maybe best avoided

Pheasant.
But the local farm has a gobble of turkeys fattening up at the moment so I might order one of those.

Baked ham with a coca-cola and pineapple glaze.

Interesting - we had curry one year (a takeaway collected on Christmas Eve and reheated) and it was lovely, but I did miss my traditional Christmas dinner. I actually like turkey - but not hot - usually have goose on the day and then a cold turkey crown and cold ham with salad and (hot) mashed potato and stuffing on Boxing/St Stephen's day.

Whatever we end up having, it'll have to go with pigs in blankets, sage, onion and sausagemeat stuffing, bread sauce, cranberry sauce and - of course! - sprouts, because those are my essentials!

We’re having slow cooked lamb and then my sons favourite food is gammon so I’ll do that aswell (plus It’s great for Boxing Day leftovers)

I've never had a turkey but we will be having Beef Wellington for Christmas.

The only good thing about this being a very small and quiet Christmas is the fact that I won't have to have turkey!

Baked ham or roast chicken with all the turkey trimmings.

The point of a turkey is that it is big enough to feed 10. Chances are there won't be mixing and no need for that much meat.

We'll probably have duck or pheasant.