Farming News - 500 Years of British Turkey Celebration

500 Years of British Turkey Celebration

UK Turkey Farmers unite to launch 'Winner! Winner! Turkey Dinner!' A Christmas Campaign aimed at restoring the tradition of a Whole Turkey at Christmas 

                 

 2026 marks 500 years of British Turkey, heralding turkey farmers across the UK  to launch 'Winner! Winner! Turkey Dinner!  - a campaign focussed on rightfully returning the tradition of a  Whole Roast Turkey to the centre of the Christmas table.

 First brought to England in 1526 by  explorer William Strickland, he sold six birds for profit in Bristol. Later feathering their nest in the Tudor Court of King Henry VIII in the 16th Century, whole roast Turkey was a meal fit for a King  (far more rare and exotic than your average peacock) . Later Immortalised by Charles Dickens in A Christmas Carol in 1843 when Scrooge buys a  turkey for the Cratchit family, this cemented the image of a traditional Christmas dinner, making whole roast Turkey forever synonymous with Christmas.  500 years later, Winner! Winner! Turkey Dinner! is aimed at reinstating the tradition of enjoying roast turkey at Christmas. 

 A collective of British turkey farmers including , Bernard Matthews, 2 Sisters Agriculture, Avara Foods, Hockenhull Turkeys, Kelly Turkeys, Gressingham Foods, Capstone Poultry, Traditional Norfolk Poultry, Traditional Farm Fresh Turkey Association and Anglian Turkey Association have joined forces to guide Brits through the joys  of eating a whole turkey at Christmas. Determined to banish the fear of cost, carving and cooking it, from now until December 25th,  Winner! Winner! Turkey Dinner!  will be working to restore the whole turkey to its rightful place; at the centre of the Christmas table. 

 Encouraging buyers with genuine cost benefits of buying the whole bird as well as combatting any carving fears courtesy of carving guides and demos, cooking tips for the main meal and leftover recipes from some of the UK's most loved chefs, cooking a whole Turkey has never been so easy.. 

 With the whole Roast Turkey having lost its place in favour of turkey crowns or joints  as the centerpiece of the Christmas table, 2026 heralds a return to tradition. Through re-educating Brits about the multiple advantages of enjoying the whole bird, Winner! Winner! Turkey Dinner! will ensure that the key to a truly Traditional Christmas is turkey.