It’s hard to believe that Christmas is around the corner. (Where has the year gone?) For most people, including me, Christmas is all about eating (and presents of course), and the meat to grace most dining tables during this time of year is the turkey.

A few weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to be invited to visit the award winning Copas Turkey Farm to see the very very special free-range and free-range organic turkeys that they breed for the Christmas dining table.

Copas Turkey Farm

It is hard to know when you are selecting a product with a free-range label, whether what you are buying is indeed free-range. But it was obvious from our walkabout of the farm that the birds roam freely. (And boy are they noisy as well as nosey!) Copas Turkeys are brought in as chicks from a hatchery when less than 24 hours old and bred for 24-26 weeks to allow them to reach full maturity. Not all turkeys on the market are bred to maturity. Instead, some are bred to a much shorter cycle as it’s more cost effective. But fully mature birds contain about 30% more meat than non-mature birds of the same weight. Furthermore, they yield more flavour.

What is also interesting about the Copas Turkeys is that they are dry hand plucked. Hand plucking is a very labour intensive and costly process. But this is done for a couple of reasons. Firstly, wet plucking poultry increases the chances of bacterial contamination. Furthermore, birds cannot be hung if wet plucked, and Copas Turkeys are hung for about 2 weeks before the Christmas distribution period for greater tenderness.

A proud turkey

Started in 1957, Copas Turkeys is a family business, and the best part of the day was getting to sit down with members of the Copas family in their lovely home for a fabulous full roast turkey dinner with all the works, not to mention Mrs Copas’s fantastic pear tarte tatin made with pears from her garden.

A beautiful roast

Nicely carved by Mr Copas

Fantastic roast potatoes by Mrs Copas

My very full plate

Pear tarte tatin

Genuinely hospitable people, the family live and breathe turkeys with a passion. From what I saw at the farm and from speaking with the family, it is evident from the Copas Turkey is a product you can believe in.

To check out where you can buy a Copas turkey, go to their website. You can also order one online.

And finally, many thanks to the Copas family for their warm and kindly hospitality.