While huge turkeys have traditionally been the main centrepiece of the family Christmas dinner, many are now opting for smaller, more convenient versions.
And some are even ditching the turkey altogether.
I spoke to Rachael Hirst at Wetherby-based butchers Sykes House Farm, which supplies meat and poultry to restaurants, cafes and homes across the Harrogate district, about what it’s like to operate during the hectic run-up to Christmas.
This year has been particularly busy for the team, with the business now offering both trade and e-commerce following a boom in online trading as a result of the pandemic.
Founder Martin Smith, with daughter Rachael Hirst and son Robert
Rachael, who runs the third generation family business with her brother Robert Smith, said:
“It has been really hard work this year, as we have got trade and e-commerce, together with a lack of staff.”
The team also has to adapt to the changing needs of customers at Christmas time.
Rachael said:
“Our turkeys are herb-fed poultry and we have loads of different sizes lots to choose from.
“A lot of people are choosing not to get whole birds this year, as people are finding the bones a bit of a faff.
“People’s needs and trends keep changing and we therefore don’t always know what to buy.
“We have to buy it in July in order to raise those birds to have in December. So it’s a bit of a punt every year.”
In November Sykes House Farm, which supplies to the likes of William & Victoria, Betty’s, Three’s a Crowd and Gianni’s Brio, in Harrogate, had already sold 50% of its turkey stock of 300. This was despite them only going on sale at the end of October.
Rachael said:
“Everyone was ringing up non-stop thinking there is going to be a turkey shortage.”
However, she added that many people this year had moved on to ribs of beef and stuffed pork.
She said:
“The tradition of turkey has gone away a bit. The turkey famers do all wonder why turkey is just for Christmas. Eating turkey at Christmas has come from America.
“We do individual portions, like the little turkey parcels, which are like what is sold in restaurants. They are wrapped in bacon and stuffed with cranberry and sage. So if you only have four people coming, you could get four of those rather than having to buy a big turkey, which is what quite a few people have done this year.
“People’s shopping habits have totally changed. However, beef is always really popular at Christmas. We sell more at Christmas than any other time of the year.”
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Rachael puts the change in shopping habits down to people cooking more in lockdown and therefore wanting more variety in their dishes.
She said:
“A lot of chefs were born at home due to lockdown, so I just think people have got more inventive. As a result we have found that people who come in the shop are asking for totally different things.
“For example ox cheeks have become a thing. All the offal – pigs cheeks things like that – are very popular on menus now.”
When it comes to Christmas people are still ordering turkeys alongside beef and pork, however many are now opting for an easier option to save time in the kitchen.
Rachael said:
“People have been ordering the most of stuffed lattice turkey breasts for sure.
“They still want the turkey, but without the hassle of the bird in the oven. And it visually looks really nice because of the lattice on top.
“They don’t have to do stuffing as well, because it’s inside it. It’s a shortcut but it still gives you the Christmas dinner and it’s easy to carve.
“Everybody also loves pigs in blankets and people seem to order more and more every year. We sell them on trays of 20, which is quite a large number, and if you’re a family of six we would expect you to just have a tray – but people ask for two.”
Another alternative that is popular, according to Rachael, is a turkey ballotine, a boneless turkey breast, which has a partridge or pheasant inside it and then a duck or pigeon inside that.
She said:
“It’s a gamey three bird roast. They are really popular. People don’t want the faff of doing those at home. It’s quite time consuming making them. It takes 20 minutes per one. We do everything onsite. All the prep.”
Turkey ballotine
