Is 2014 your first year to host Christmas dinner? Or have you been cooking it for decades and want to top last year’s efforts? No matter if it’s year one or year 20 to cook the turkey, everybody wants to do a good job and get the best bird you can buy, for the best price. This week, SmartShopper talks to Tom O’Driscoll from Grove Farm and Dave Lang from the Craft Butchers Association of Ireland, to give you better guidance on your turkey.
What’s the difference
between a white and bronze turkey?
This all comes down to the breed of the bird. The bronze turkey is a slower-growing bird. This means it costs more to produce and as a result you as the consumer will be paying more.
For example, an Irish free-range bronze turkey from Tesco costs €10/kg, compared with €9/kg for an Irish free-range white turkey. Similarly, in Marks & Spencer, the 4kg free-range turkeys start at €47, versus a starting price of €59.96 for a similar bronze bird. So what are you getting for the extra money? Well, when it’s fully mature, the bronze has a richer, more meaty taste, while the white turkey has a more delicate flavour.
Obviously, the bronze turkey is a darker shade in terms of appearance, so it is simply a matter of personal taste.
Should I opt for a fresh, free-range or an organic turkey?
This comes down to your budget and the taste you are looking for at your Christmas dinner. Free-range and organic turkeys are slower-growing birds and have access to roam in grass paddocks. Also, the organic turkeys are reared on specially approved organic sites.
This helps to achieve a better-tasting bird, with a more mature and succulent taste than a fresh turkey. Again though, as they are slower-growing and have a specialised diet, they are more expensive to produce and as a result will cost you more at the checkout.
While you could pick up a 5kg fresh turkey for about €19, expect to pay over €50 for a free-range turkey and up to €70 for a 5kg organic turkey.
Despite the price though, people are out to impress when it comes to their Christmas dinner and consumer demand continues to grow for both the free-range and organic bird.
What’s the difference
between a fresh and
frozen turkey?
Again, it all comes down to taste and what you’re paying for that taste. For a 5kg fresh turkey, which serves about six to nine people, you’ll be looking at a price of about €19. That same turkey frozen will be coming in as low as €12.99 in Aldi.
The reason being that because of the nature of the process, the frozen turkey does not taste as succulent. If opting for a frozen turkey, it’s also important to be aware that many of them are not Irish.
In Aldi, frozen turkeys range from €9.99 to €16.99, but they are sourced from France.
You will find Irish frozen turkeys from Grove Farm in Tesco though.
Should I opt for buying at the butchers or the supermarket?
Many are tempted towards turkeys in their supermarket, especially as they often come in at a cheaper price. For example, some SuperValus will have free-range turkey on special offer for loyalty customers. So that €50 we mentioned earlier for a free-range 5kg turkey could be as cheap as €25.
However, you may not have that personal relationship that you have with your local butcher.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions about where the turkeys are bought from and how long the shop has been dealing with that supplier.
It really is a matter of trust and your own relationship with either the supermarket or butcher, but if in any doubt, look out for the Bord Bia logo to ensure that it is born, reared and processed in Ireland and it supports the local industry.
Should I go for a whole turkey or a turkey crown?
That all depends on how many people are sitting at the Christmas table. Many smaller families are now opting for the turkey crown or the boned and rolled option.
It means you’re not looking at turkey curries and turkey quiches from Stephen’s Day to the New Year and, best of all, the turkey crown is much easier to carve, if you’re not too fond of the job.
They do work out cheaper, as you are often buying a smaller amount of turkey. However, they are more expensive when it comes to price per kilo. They work out at about €2 more per kilo compared with a fresh turkey.
Average prices for Christmas 2014
• Fresh turkey: €6.99/kg to €8.20/kg.• Ham fillet: €10.99/kg.• Full ham: €5.99/kg to €7.25/kg• For a family of six, the ideal-sized turkey would be about 11 or 12 pounds (4kg or 5kg) for Christmas Day. If you’re looking to get your Stephen’s Day dinner out of it as well, a 16-pound (7kg) bird is advised.Don’t forget the perfect ham
• Look for a nice pinkish meat.• Avoid a very pale ham, it indicates that there was a lot of salt added for preservation. You want a salty taste, but not too salty.• Make sure that it’s that nice pink colour throughout as that indicates it was cured the whole way through. CLThe perfect turkey
• Look for a bird with a good bit of fat as it helps produce juices and naturally bastes it. • Your turkey shouldn’t be too blue. A blue-ish tinge indicates that it doesn’t have much fat.• Look at the breast bone to make sure it is not too pronounced. A breast bone with two patches of fat on either side will indicate that you’ve found a bird with a bit of meat on its bones.• Make sure it’s not bruised.• Stick to buying your turkey from the butchers and shops that you know and trust. You don’t want to take a chance on the day.
Is 2014 your first year to host Christmas dinner? Or have you been cooking it for decades and want to top last year’s efforts? No matter if it’s year one or year 20 to cook the turkey, everybody wants to do a good job and get the best bird you can buy, for the best price. This week, SmartShopper talks to Tom O’Driscoll from Grove Farm and Dave Lang from the Craft Butchers Association of Ireland, to give you better guidance on your turkey.
What’s the difference
between a white and bronze turkey?
This all comes down to the breed of the bird. The bronze turkey is a slower-growing bird. This means it costs more to produce and as a result you as the consumer will be paying more.
For example, an Irish free-range bronze turkey from Tesco costs €10/kg, compared with €9/kg for an Irish free-range white turkey. Similarly, in Marks & Spencer, the 4kg free-range turkeys start at €47, versus a starting price of €59.96 for a similar bronze bird. So what are you getting for the extra money? Well, when it’s fully mature, the bronze has a richer, more meaty taste, while the white turkey has a more delicate flavour.
Obviously, the bronze turkey is a darker shade in terms of appearance, so it is simply a matter of personal taste.
Should I opt for a fresh, free-range or an organic turkey?
This comes down to your budget and the taste you are looking for at your Christmas dinner. Free-range and organic turkeys are slower-growing birds and have access to roam in grass paddocks. Also, the organic turkeys are reared on specially approved organic sites.
This helps to achieve a better-tasting bird, with a more mature and succulent taste than a fresh turkey. Again though, as they are slower-growing and have a specialised diet, they are more expensive to produce and as a result will cost you more at the checkout.
While you could pick up a 5kg fresh turkey for about €19, expect to pay over €50 for a free-range turkey and up to €70 for a 5kg organic turkey.
Despite the price though, people are out to impress when it comes to their Christmas dinner and consumer demand continues to grow for both the free-range and organic bird.
What’s the difference
between a fresh and
frozen turkey?
Again, it all comes down to taste and what you’re paying for that taste. For a 5kg fresh turkey, which serves about six to nine people, you’ll be looking at a price of about €19. That same turkey frozen will be coming in as low as €12.99 in Aldi.
The reason being that because of the nature of the process, the frozen turkey does not taste as succulent. If opting for a frozen turkey, it’s also important to be aware that many of them are not Irish.
In Aldi, frozen turkeys range from €9.99 to €16.99, but they are sourced from France.
You will find Irish frozen turkeys from Grove Farm in Tesco though.
Should I opt for buying at the butchers or the supermarket?
Many are tempted towards turkeys in their supermarket, especially as they often come in at a cheaper price. For example, some SuperValus will have free-range turkey on special offer for loyalty customers. So that €50 we mentioned earlier for a free-range 5kg turkey could be as cheap as €25.
However, you may not have that personal relationship that you have with your local butcher.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions about where the turkeys are bought from and how long the shop has been dealing with that supplier.
It really is a matter of trust and your own relationship with either the supermarket or butcher, but if in any doubt, look out for the Bord Bia logo to ensure that it is born, reared and processed in Ireland and it supports the local industry.
Should I go for a whole turkey or a turkey crown?
That all depends on how many people are sitting at the Christmas table. Many smaller families are now opting for the turkey crown or the boned and rolled option.
It means you’re not looking at turkey curries and turkey quiches from Stephen’s Day to the New Year and, best of all, the turkey crown is much easier to carve, if you’re not too fond of the job.
They do work out cheaper, as you are often buying a smaller amount of turkey. However, they are more expensive when it comes to price per kilo. They work out at about €2 more per kilo compared with a fresh turkey.
Average prices for Christmas 2014
• Fresh turkey: €6.99/kg to €8.20/kg.• Ham fillet: €10.99/kg.• Full ham: €5.99/kg to €7.25/kg• For a family of six, the ideal-sized turkey would be about 11 or 12 pounds (4kg or 5kg) for Christmas Day. If you’re looking to get your Stephen’s Day dinner out of it as well, a 16-pound (7kg) bird is advised.Don’t forget the perfect ham
• Look for a nice pinkish meat.• Avoid a very pale ham, it indicates that there was a lot of salt added for preservation. You want a salty taste, but not too salty.• Make sure that it’s that nice pink colour throughout as that indicates it was cured the whole way through. CLThe perfect turkey
• Look for a bird with a good bit of fat as it helps produce juices and naturally bastes it. • Your turkey shouldn’t be too blue. A blue-ish tinge indicates that it doesn’t have much fat.• Look at the breast bone to make sure it is not too pronounced. A breast bone with two patches of fat on either side will indicate that you’ve found a bird with a bit of meat on its bones.• Make sure it’s not bruised.• Stick to buying your turkey from the butchers and shops that you know and trust. You don’t want to take a chance on the day. 
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