Waitrose marks 500 years of turkey with all-British free-range range

Waitrose will sell only British free-range fresh turkeys this Christmas, in what the retailer says is a first for a UK supermarket.

The change will apply across its entire fresh Christmas turkey range as Waitrose marks what it says is 500 years since turkey was first introduced to Britain in 1526.

The supermarket sources its fresh Christmas turkeys through a long-standing partnership with Traditional Norfolk Poultry.

The birds are reared around the Norfolk and Suffolk border, with access to woodland and pasture where they can forage and display natural behaviours, according to Waitrose.

Jake Pickering, Head of Agriculture at Waitrose, said: “To be the first UK supermarket to guarantee that every single fresh Christmas turkey is 100% British and free-range is a proud moment for us and sets a bold new welfare benchmark for the industry.”

The range will include a new No.1 British Free Range Bourbon Red Heritage Breed Turkey, priced at £110 for a 5kg bird serving around 10 people.

Waitrose said the rare, slow-growing Bourbon Red will be exclusive to the supermarket.

A No.1 British Free Range Traditionally Prepared Bronze Turkey will also be available for £120 for a 5kg bird serving around 10.

Both are slow-growing heritage breeds, while the Bronze birds will be dry plucked and matured for at least seven days.

Waitrose said Bourbon Red turkeys carry more fat than standard birds, which can help the meat self-baste during cooking.

Joseph Langfield, Turkey Buyer at Waitrose, said: “This slow-grown, rare heritage breed matures naturally at its own pace while foraging freely outdoors.”

The supermarket said the wider sourcing change reflects growing customer interest in provenance, sustainability and animal welfare.

Its own website data shows searches for “Christmas turkey” increased by 1,351% over the past month, although Waitrose did not provide the underlying search volumes.

The retailer also cited YouGov research from last Christmas which found 57% of Britons had turkey as part of their main Christmas Day centrepiece, more than double the proportion choosing chicken.

Updated packaging will be introduced alongside the range, with “Free Range” displayed more prominently and animal welfare information made clearer.

The full fresh Christmas turkey range will be available to pre-order through Waitrose Entertaining from 30 September.

The birds will go on sale in shops from 19 December.