Preparing for Christmas is a mammoth task when you’re taking on the role of hosting. Suddenly, those years of chaotic Christmas lunches-turned-dinners, burnt potatoes and soggy beans make more sense than ever.
To ease in the process, it requires the whole family banding together in a cramped kitchen to muck in with meal preparations – from delicately wrapping pigs in cosy blankets, to creating hordes of stuffing so that there’s enough left over for sandwiches on Boxing Day.
The star of the show? The Christmas turkey, of course. Whether you’re a fan of the oversized bird or not, tradition is tradition – and many families would consider it utter blasphemy not to have a perfectly glazed, roasted gobbler sitting in prized position on a bed of delicious tatties, greens, herbs and spices.
Christmas-celebrating families up and down the UK all have different means of sourcing their very own precious turkeys. Some might even have theirs sitting pretty in garage freezers from the year before, so as to avoid the supermarket frenzy throughout the month of December and the possibility of being left with no big bird at all.
However, many first-time hosts are unaware of the fact that you can actually pre-order your turkey online up to two months before the big day. Hurrah! What’s more, if you find yourself unbearably intimidated by the concept of cooking such a large bird, with such a capacity for tasting overly dry and brittle, you can also order delicious, pre-made turkeys from a variety of retailers that only need to be popped into the oven. Double hurrah!
There are actually a variety of different pre-made turkeys to choose from – from turkey wellingtons and stuffed turkey crowns to three-bird roasts. We’ve rounded up a selection of the best Christmas turkeys to shop for 2023, giblets included, as well as some beautifully pre-catered options. Keep scrolling for a merry, merry Christmas.
What’s the difference between white and bronze-feathered turkeys?
White turkeys are the most common turkeys traditionally cooked over Christmas and Thanksgiving. They have larger breasts and cater to lovers of both light and dark meat. Bronze turkeys are reared slowly, often producing richer, gamier meat beloved by many.
How big of a turkey should I purchase?
That depends on how many people you’re planning on feeding, how wedded you are to having leftovers for Boxing Day, and what your budget is. A generalised breakdown of turkey weight and how much it feeds is as follows:
- A small turkey (3.4-5kg) will feed 6-8
- A medium turkey (4-5.5kg) will feed 8-10
- A large turkey (6-6.5kg) will feed 12-15
When it comes to budgeting, bear in mind that white turkeys are generally cheaper than bronze turkeys.
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Medium Free Range Bronze Feathered Whole Turkey with Giblets
Part of Waitrose’s entertaining range, this medium free-range bronze whole turkey will provide ample sustenance for Christmas day guests and home-dwellers the morning after. Packed with gamey flavour and with giblets included, this turkey is suitable for freezing. Simply pop it in the freezer until the day before Christmas for ultimate freshness.
Buy now £60.00, Waitrose
Norfolk Black British Whole Turkey 4-4.49kg
One of the rarer turkeys on the market, the Norfolk Black was the most favoured bird in the UK throughout the 18th century. Naturally moist and capable of being carved wafer-thin, this gamey turkey is a fan-favourite for many households, if they can get a hold of one.
Sainsbury’s has got you covered this year with a medium-sized Norfolk Black turkey weighing in at between 4-4.49kg.
Buy now £68.00, Sainsbury’s
M&S Turkey Crown
Turkey crowns are a brilliant, boneless option for hosts of smaller parties who don’t want to spend all day in the kitchen, since they take far less time to cook. You can’t go wrong with Oakham turkeys from M&S, which are sourced from farms in Norfolk and Cambridgeshire.
Buy now £40.00, M&S
Turkey Breast Joint, Organic, KellyBronze, 1.2kg
A wonderful, succulent option fit for a Christmas dinner for two, this turkey breast joint comes from award-winning, organic KellyBronze turkeys– named after Paul Kelly, an Essex-based farmer who has been raising bronze turkeys since the late 1970s.
Buy now £49.00, Abel & Cole
Tesco Turkey Crown Medium 2.3kg-3.19kg (Serves 8 to 11)
This lovely Irish turkey crown from Tesco comes with a backbone and prime wings, making catering for lovers of all parts of the bird easier than ever. To ensure you get your turkey in time for Christmas, check out online by 11.45pm on December 14.
Buy now £28.71, Tesco
ASDA Small British Basted Turkey (3.65kg)
Pre-basted and brilliant for smaller families, ASDA’s small British turkey typically weighs approximately 3.65kg and comes with giblets.
Buy now £18.25, ASDA
Thomas Joseph Butchery Herb Fed, Free Range, Bronze Turkey
This award-winning bird is on the pricier side for good reason. Herb-fed and free-range, you’re not likely to come across a Christmas turkey that’s had a happier life than those sourced by Thomas Joseph.
Just like herb-fed chickens, these turkeys have a unique, distinctive herby taste. Each turkey has been plucked to perfection and game hung for 10 days to ensure the utmost flavour.
Buy now £98.00, Thomas Joseph Butchery
Christmas Meat Box
Sort your entire Christmas meat spread in one fell swoop with the help of The Newt in Somerset’s incredible Christmas Meat Box. It includes a carefully curated selection of the following: free-range bronze turkey, Sandridge Farmhouse gammon joint, pigs in blankets, sausage meat for stuffing, diced pancetta and Sandridge streaky bacon. Christmas lunch has never been so delicious.
Buy now £145.00, The Newt in Somerset
Pre-made turkeys
Christmas Turkey Wellington
Take a slight break from tradition this year with a scrumptious Christmas Turkey Wellington from Fortnum’s. An enviable centrepiece, we’re sure F&M won’t be angry if you claim this creation as your own. After all, you did put it in the oven all by yourself.
This Wellington is made up of turkey roulade filled with sage and onion stuffing, wrapped in a light chicken mousse and spinach crepe and encased in puff pastry.
Buy now £80.00, Fortnum & Mason
Piper’s Farm Sage & Onion Simplest Turkey
This incredibly value-for-money festive box from Piper’s Farm is set to be your Christmas saviour. Filled to the brim with all the Christmas essentials, including an award-winning free-range rolled turkey breast stuffed with sage and onion sausage meat, pigs in blankets, and a packet of pure turkey stock to make your best gravy yet. All of this, according to Piper’s Farm, can be cooked in under one hour. Winner winner, turkey dinner.
Buy now £42.60, Piper’s Farm
Morrisons The Best Three Bird Roast 1.2kg
While three bird roast can be quite a controversial dish, this delicious pre-made option from Morrisons might just change your mind. Featuring turkey, chicken and duck with a classic pork, sage and onion stuffing and topped with bacon - this Christmas centrepiece is ideal for any meat-loving family. Serves 5-8.
Buy now £29.99, Morrisons
