Why do we eat Turkey at Christmas?
It seems hard to believe, but turkey is a relative new-comer to the Yuletide table.
It was made popular at Christmas by King Eward VII, but up until the 1950’s turkey was seen as a luxury to be enjoyed only by the wealthy.
It’s only as refrigerators and freezers became more widely available that roast turkey grew in popularity.
This Christmas 90% of families around the UK are expected to serve up a succulent roast turkey as the centre piece of their festive dinner.
What is the difference between a Bronze Turkey and a White Turkey?
The bronze turkey is the original and traditional turkey.
They are distinctive by their black feathers.
The Bronze turkey being an older breed, is naturally slower growing and the meat has an intense flavour.
As the popularity of turkeys grew, white breeds were introduced to present as ‘oven ready’.
They have a more subtle yet still delicious flavour.
Why is a Bailey turkey such good value?
There are many things that make our turkeys good value- here are just a few;
What size turkey should I order?
All our turkeys are weighed and graded in kilos. Each range is split into high and low e.g. L5, H5, L6, H6. We can convert into lbs if needed. If you are wanting a turkey of a higher weight let us know and we will try our best to meet the requirement. The general rule of thumb is 230g per person. However a turkey which is oven ready contains bones meaning that it may be better to go for 500g per person. That way you are guaranteed a special left over feast the next day! See our ordering guide below.
Turkey Size Guide
3.5kg (7lb 11oz) 7-8 people
4kg (8lb 13oz) 8-9 people
4.5kg (9lb 15oz) 9-10 people
5kg (11lb 0oz) 10-11 people
5.5kg (12lb 2oz) 11-12 people
6kg (13lb 4oz) 12-13 people
6.5kg (14lb 5oz) 14-15 people
7kg (15lb 7oz) 15-16 people
7.5kg (16lb 9oz) 16-17 people
Where do I order a Bailey's Turkeys?
You can order our turkeys at selected butchers, farm shops and specialist food retailers.
You won't find our turkeys on any supermarket shelf. We deliver them fresh to our stockists so they are fresh to you.
See our 'Stockist' page to find your local retailer. If you're not sure please call us and we'll point you in the right direction!
When should I order?
We recommend ordering your Christmas turkey in November or early December. However we fully understand that people can be very last minute, so we aim to be as flexible as possible. Subject to availability, we still deliver to our stockists up to a few days before Christmas.
How will my turkey arrive?
You can order your turkey to arrive in an oven ready retail box with a pop up timer and cooking instructions, ready to be carried away.
How do I cook the perfect Christmas Turkey?
Check out our 'recipe' page and follow our tried and tested cooking instructions - you can't go wrong! There's even some great family recipes for any left overs.
Why are food miles now so important?
Unnecessary food miles -
We believe that local is best and that is why we are a member of the British Turkey scheme to encourage people to buy their turkeys locally
It seems hard to believe, but turkey is a relative new-comer to the Yuletide table.
It was made popular at Christmas by King Eward VII, but up until the 1950’s turkey was seen as a luxury to be enjoyed only by the wealthy.
It’s only as refrigerators and freezers became more widely available that roast turkey grew in popularity.
This Christmas 90% of families around the UK are expected to serve up a succulent roast turkey as the centre piece of their festive dinner.
What is the difference between a Bronze Turkey and a White Turkey?
The bronze turkey is the original and traditional turkey.
They are distinctive by their black feathers.
The Bronze turkey being an older breed, is naturally slower growing and the meat has an intense flavour.
As the popularity of turkeys grew, white breeds were introduced to present as ‘oven ready’.
They have a more subtle yet still delicious flavour.
Why is a Bailey turkey such good value?
There are many things that make our turkeys good value- here are just a few;
- They are bred and fed in Cheshire resulting in a truly local turkey with fantastic flavour.
- We ensure exceptional welfare on our farms with a clear policy to safeguard the turkey’s health and wellness.
- We can provide full traceability from egg to fork.
- Our birds are all slow grown to full maturity ensuring a fabulous tasting turkey.
- We have strict quality control procedures to ensure our turkeys are delivered to our stockists in peak condition.
- At Christmas time we only sell hens. Hen turkey’s have a finer grain in the meat making them tender. Hens also carry more meat on the breast which means you get more meat for the price you pay.
What size turkey should I order?
All our turkeys are weighed and graded in kilos. Each range is split into high and low e.g. L5, H5, L6, H6. We can convert into lbs if needed. If you are wanting a turkey of a higher weight let us know and we will try our best to meet the requirement. The general rule of thumb is 230g per person. However a turkey which is oven ready contains bones meaning that it may be better to go for 500g per person. That way you are guaranteed a special left over feast the next day! See our ordering guide below.
Turkey Size Guide
3.5kg (7lb 11oz) 7-8 people
4kg (8lb 13oz) 8-9 people
4.5kg (9lb 15oz) 9-10 people
5kg (11lb 0oz) 10-11 people
5.5kg (12lb 2oz) 11-12 people
6kg (13lb 4oz) 12-13 people
6.5kg (14lb 5oz) 14-15 people
7kg (15lb 7oz) 15-16 people
7.5kg (16lb 9oz) 16-17 people
Where do I order a Bailey's Turkeys?
You can order our turkeys at selected butchers, farm shops and specialist food retailers.
You won't find our turkeys on any supermarket shelf. We deliver them fresh to our stockists so they are fresh to you.
See our 'Stockist' page to find your local retailer. If you're not sure please call us and we'll point you in the right direction!
When should I order?
We recommend ordering your Christmas turkey in November or early December. However we fully understand that people can be very last minute, so we aim to be as flexible as possible. Subject to availability, we still deliver to our stockists up to a few days before Christmas.
How will my turkey arrive?
You can order your turkey to arrive in an oven ready retail box with a pop up timer and cooking instructions, ready to be carried away.
How do I cook the perfect Christmas Turkey?
Check out our 'recipe' page and follow our tried and tested cooking instructions - you can't go wrong! There's even some great family recipes for any left overs.
Why are food miles now so important?
Unnecessary food miles -
- Harm the environment through emissions
- Reduce freshness of the product
- Put the product at higher risk
- Reduce awareness of seasonality and thus lose the pleasure of anticipation of a carefully grown product
- Make it hard to measure welfare and production standards
- Increase costs
We believe that local is best and that is why we are a member of the British Turkey scheme to encourage people to buy their turkeys locally