As millions of turkeys, geese and chickens are fattened for Christmas tables across the UK, here’s some food for thought on why small-scale producers are changing the way we eat.
It’s thought that somewhere in the region of 10 million turkeys are eaten in this country every year, throw in the Christmas goose and chicken alternatives, and that’s a whopping amount of poultry.
But there’s been a shift. The trend has grown for eating less but far better meat in recent years, and just last year a shortage of mass-produced turkeys in France led to many people having to look for alternative Christmas dinner centrepieces.
At Farm2Fork, we’ve got both the “better meat” and the “alternative meat” covered for Christmas.
We rear our bronze turkeys quite unlike the big producers. Our feathered friends enjoy their nights roosting up high in our homemade Gobblygo, and can range during the day on fresh pasture, scratching for grubs and enjoying their life like the tree-birds they are.
This method of rearing turkeys, just as they’d live in their native Americas, means that you’ll experience both a tastier bird and an ethically reared one – top of the agenda for more and more people.
It’s a similar story for our geese, a decadent and increasingly more popular choice for the Christmas table.
From the time they have enough feathers to keep them warm, our geese live an outdoor life. We give them time and all the nutrient-rich food they need to grow in size and flavour so that you can experience a Christmas meal to rival the traditional turkey.
And let’s not forget our chickens. Much like the turkeys’ Gobblygo, the chickens have mobile pens which we move daily, ensuring their access to fresh pasture.
As a small, independent producer, we can give our birds the time and care they need to thrive. This ensures more flavourful meat, happier and healthier animals, and also takes into account our environmental responsibilities – for which we are passionate about.
By carefully managing the grazing of our livestock we encourage the diversity of pastures and developing species. This is all key to soil health, and providing the nutrients that the animals need to live a healthy life. In turn, this provides us with natural and vital nutrients so we can also benefit from this.
Ensuring the welfare and safety of all our poultry, our resident Maremma Livestock Guardian Dogs, Nala and Lula, live with the birds and keep watch as they range happily in the pastures.
When you buy from us, know you’re buying from a farm that believes in regenerative systems, organic processes, and that the health of our planet, and of our animals and customers, are all top of our agenda.
So whether you stick with turkey, or fancy a goose or chicken alternative this Christmas, choose Farm2Fork, and don’t forget the cranberry sauce!
