The Review - FOOD & DRINK- The Market Place for the local shopper with DON & JOHN Published: 13 Decemeber 2007
Tradional farm fresh turkeys enjoying their free-range lifestyle
It’s time to talk turkey
Don Ryan shops for the Dickens of a traditional turkey dinner
THESE days the family food provider, looking to serve a traditional Christmas roast turkey dinner has an increasingly bewildering choice.
As well as frozen and fresh, there’s organic or free range, or even organic and free range. There’s also a choice of colours – white, black or bronze.
Some consideration needs to be given to the way the turkey is raised – slow and natural is best. A cereal-based diet suits the bird and enhances the succulence of the meat. Lastly, it should be dry-plucked, hand-finished and left to hang for at least seven days.
The frozen supermarket turkey meets none of these criteria. Nurtured on animal proteins and shot full of growth enhancers, the supermarket bird develops an unnaturally big breast and is lacking in flavour.
Forced to reach maturity in a relatively short time, it finds movement difficult. The poor bird, having lead a miserable, and even by turkey standards short, unnatural existence, is then summarily dispatched – ironically ending up as the centrepiece in a celebration of the season of peace and good will to all.
Christmas dinner is supposed to be traditional and special. A frozen supermarket turkey is neither of these things.
So, where can you find the perfect bird that will make your Christmas dinner not only traditional but also exceptional?
I took to the streets looking for “family” butchers with historical roots in their local area and direct and long-established personal relationships with the farmers who supply their meat.
The turkeys listed here are all traditional farm fresh birds, are naturally fed and tick all the boxes pertaining to animal welfare, natural maturation and local sourcing.
They provide a direct and personal line to your table via the butcher to the farmer and the land that produced them, making for a truly traditional Christmas dinner that Charles Dickens could happily have eaten.
As for which bird is best, black, white or bronze, free range or organic, this depends on your taste. If you usually buy frozen turkey, then a change to the traditional farm fresh, free range English white, is probably the best choice. If you want a stronger flavour go for the gamier bronze or black variety.
Frank Godfrey Family Butcher, 7 Highbury Park, N5 Tel: 020 7226 2425.
Founded in 1905 and currently run by Chris, Jeremy and Phillip Godfrey, great grandchildren of the original founder.
Their meat is sourced direct from farms with whom they have a personal relationship.
Many are located within a 50-mile radius of London.
The turkeys come from Temple Farm near Harlow, Essex, owned by the Fredrick family, who bought the farm back in 1937.
Temple Farm is part of The Traditional Farm Fresh Turkey Association, an alliance of independent farms dedicated to developing turkeys from the slow growing breeds once common on the Christmas table.
Godfrey stocks the bronze variety, costing between £7.76 and £10.60 per kg, depending on bird size, which varies between 4 and 12 kg.
They can also be purchased from, McKenna Meats, 21 Theobalds Road, WC1 (020 7242 7740) at £8.80 per kg for English white and £9.30 for the bronze variety and at Highgate Butchers, 76 Highgate High Street, N6 (020 8340 9817).
Barretts Traditional Butchers 40 England’s Lane, NW3
Tel: 020 7722 1131
Barretts is another
long- established local business stretching back generations, and highly regarded by the New Journal’s cooking columnist, Claire Latimer, who is a regular customer.
White and bronze turkeys are available. All are free range and fed a natural diet. £8 per kg for white and £8.60 for bronze.
Sheepdrove Organic Farm Shop 5 Clifton Road, W9
Tel: 020 7266 3838
Sheepdrove represents a new phenomenon – a farm shop in the heart of London. The farm, situated near Newberry, was founded by Peter and Juliet Kindersley in 1997, and the shop was launched to sell the farm’s meat.
Bronze turkeys are the star attraction. Raised on the farm, they roam freely and have access to natural organic food sources. Slaughtered on site, the birds are hung for two weeks to enhance the flavour. They range in size from 5 to 9kg and sell for £11.50 per kg.
The Pure Meat Company 258 Kentish Town Road, NW5. Tel: 020 7485 0346
The Pure Meat Company has free range organic turkeys available at £10 per kg from various suppliers.
James Elliott 96 Essex Road N1
Tel: 020 7226 3658.
Free range bronze turkeys from Marks Hall turkey farm near Dunmow Essex – a member of The Farm Fresh Turkey Association. The shop has dealt with the farm for 30 years.
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