12 Dec Alternative to Turkey
Go cold turkey this Christmas and try something different for your festive feast
Christmas Day usually revolves around the turkey and all its festive trimmings – crisp roast potatoes, heaps of vegetables, pigs in blankets, and lashings of gravy.
But our local butchers also have plenty of alternatives if you’d like to try something a little bit different for the main event this year.
Our local traders have opened their books for Christmas orders, offering great classic alternatives to turkey that are worthy of a spot on your dining table. They’re always happy to talk you through your choices, with top recipe tips and suggestions for the best accompaniments.
Here are our choices for great turkey alternatives – but if you eventually decide you really can’t do without a classic Christmas bird, they’ve got that covered, too.
Hadlows Butchers
Top pick: the goose
Hadlows in Titchfield offers a fabulous selection of meats to tickle your festive tastebuds. Top pick for this Christmas lunch: the goose.
As one of the fattier birds, goose bastes itself as it cooks, making it nearly impossible to dry it out.
As an added bonus, goose fat is unbeatable for cooking the best crispy, golden roast potatoes, and with all those succulent juices, you’ll get a wonderfully rich gravy to pour over your Yorkshire puds!
Bringing out a roasted goose on Christmas Day will elevate your festive feast to the next level and is sure to impress your guests. Go on, give it a go!
And if you want turkey? Orders are now being taken for Farm Fresh Bronze and Blonde turkeys.
Grover Butchers
Top pick: pork loin
Grover Butchers in Locks Heath has a great selection of meats to take you through December. Top pick for Christmas lunch: the pork loin.
Perfect for roasting, pork loin is a juicy, tender cut that marries well with herbs and stuffing. Classic flavours include sage, onion, and apple – but to get that festive feeling, why not pair your pork with cinnamon, orange, and bay?
Grover’s also stocks wonderful pairings to go with your meat, from mint and apple sauces to stocks and gravy – they even have gluten-free stuffing mixes everyone can enjoy.
It’s the perfect combination to make your Christmas dinner a tasty one.
And if you want turkey? Delicious turkeys and turkey crowns are available now – order one before they’re all gobbled up!
Sheppard’s Family Butchers
Top pick: duck
Sheppard’s family butchers in Stubbington offers a great selection of free-range meat. Top pick this Christmas: duck.
Gressingham duck breasts are full of flavour and will remain tender and moist after roasting. Another bird with a good layer of fat, this can also be drained off to make fantastic roast potatoes.
The dark, juicy meat has an intense flavour that works well with festive spices like cinnamon, clementine, and cloves.
And if you want turkey? Sheppard’s is known for its Copas Free Range Bronze turkeys, bought directly from the farm in Berkshire. As a testament to the excellent quality, these have been Sheppard’s turkey of choice for more than ten years.
The Twells Tradition Family Butchers
Top pick: beef
At The Twells Tradition in Portchester, you’ll be spoilt for choice with their popular Christmas hampers. Top pick this Christmas: beef
Family hampers from Twells Tradition are available for four or eight people and include Hampshire topside of beef, gammon, or pork, turkey crown covered in bacon, and cocktail sausages. Both hampers are enough for Christmas Day, Boxing Day – and a nice warm stew afterwards.
Beef makes a delicious alternative to turkey for Christmas.
For a beautiful Beef Wellington, wrap it in a mushroom duxelle, parma ham, and pastry and serve with roasties, veg, and a rich red wine gravy for a stunning Christmas showstopper.
And if you want turkey? Turkey crowns covered in bacon are included in the Christmas hampers, but full-size birds are also available. Just pay a £10 deposit to secure yours.
