Turkeys in North Wales have been raised to the sound of classical music and fed home-grown grain mix in preparation for Christmas.
The pampered free-range turkeys are raised at Lord Newborough’s organic Rhug Estate near Corwen, and have been given a “stress-free” life, according to poultry manager Gareth Williams.
The birds are a mix of Norfolk Brown and Hucknall Black, and are fed on barley, oats and supplements. Once slaughtered and dressed, they are marketed as Dee Valley turkeys alongside the estate’s geese.
The turkeys are available from Bayley & Sage, Planet Organic and As Nature Intended with an rsp of £15.50/kg, and more than 1,000 of the birds will be delivered by Welsh logistics operator Delsol to selected restaurants in the UK and abroad, including the Four Seasons in Park Lane, Shangri La at the Shard and Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir Cookery School at Oxford.
“These birds are the Rolls-Royce of Christmas turkeys,” said Lord Newborough. “We get them at a day old in summer and raise them very carefully.”
“Raising the birds organically ensures they have months to grow and develop. That means the meat has a richer, stronger flavour, unlike many Christmas turkeys which are just fattened up indoors for a few weeks.”
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