All butchers know how important Christmas is to their business. With the average household spending £161 on food and drink, they know that they have to pull out all the stops to get their share of this money in the ever-competitive food marketplace. At Wilsons, we know that we need to look after our customers especially well at this time of the year because for most people, Christmas dinner is the pinnacle of the year’s dining schedule, and if anything goes wrong… people will remember! That’s why shopping at your trusted local butcher is the ideal way to give yourself much needed peace of mind.
Around 76% of families will eat Turkey as their main meal this Christmas, although a large proportion of this is now consumed as Boneless Turkey Breast Joints, as opposed to whole birds. There are a wide variety of Turkeys available, from cheap frozen commercial birds right through to Dry Plucked Free Range Bronze birds such as the Copas Turkeys we offer. Like all good butchers, we avoid the commercial frozen birds at all cost and instead concentrate on local Barn-reared Turkeys, offering a superior flavour, and usually a premium variety like the Free Range Bronze Birds, benefiting from being hung longer with a slightly gamey flavour. The increasingly popular option now is the Boneless Breast Joint, which should come from the local Barn-reared birds. We’ve seen the popularity of our Boneless Turkey Breast Joints snowball in the past few years; we find that they offer a few distinct advantages. They can be stored in your household refrigerator, they only take 2 to 3 hours to cook (giving you some extra time in bed), are really easy to carve, and when you have finished your meal the remaining joint will easily fit back into your fridge to use for salads or sandwiches later, rather than having a large skeleton with no where to put it!
Beef, however has continued its upward trend and has become a more popular centrepiece over the last few Christmas’, even though its price has risen slightly over the same period. Favourite Beef cuts amongst our customers are Ribs of Beef and Rolled Sirloin, for their excellent flavour, and Topside/Silverside joints for their lean, easy carving meat and lower price.
Pork has always been a popular Christmas treat and butchers will always point you in the direction of a rolled loin of pork joint, offering tender succulent meat that is easy to carve. If you are a Jack Spratt and like no fat then you would be better off with a joint from the leg. Either way, we always suggest you get the skin scored well, to give some great crackling. If the Pork is good quality outdoor-reared, this should be no problem but to help the process rub some sea salt into the skin and if possible, leave in your fridge overnight uncovered, allowing the skin to dry out.
Although a first choice for some people, Lamb is not as popular at Christmas as it is at New Year, but it is often purchased to give some variety to the menu on the days before and after Christmas. Leg Joints and Racks of Lamb are usually most popular and great when served with a pink centre.
Game is always a popular choice by our customers who are looking to do something a bit different. Local Venison makes a great roasting joint or diced up, can be made into a delicious casserole. Both of these methods can benefit from the addition of red wine/port and some winterberries.
Wild Duck and Pheasant, like those we stock, are also available at this time of the year, as it is the middle of the shooting season, and with their relative cheapness, these small birds can be served one per person for good presentation.
Large Cock Chickens, also known as Capons, are ideal for those who find Turkey a bit on the dry side and can be purchased up to 10lb plus. Chickens have more natural fat and always cook juicy, but if you are cooking one of the larger size birds, make sure your dish is deep enough to hold the excess juices.
This can also be said about Geese where the rendered fat left in the dish is also one if it’s attractions; there’s no finer way to cook roast potatoes than to use goose fat – we now sell it as one of our Christmas must-haves. They come out lovely and crispy yet fluffy in the middle. A few years ago, Goose was by far the most expensive bird you could buy at Christmas but things have now changed and Goose prices are much more in line with other poultry options these days. Do bear in mind, however that you do not get the same yield from a Goose as you would a Turkey. The breasts are not as thick and the legs are tiny, therefore a Goose will not feed as many people as the same size Turkey.
One item that needs no introduction in the Yorkshire area is the Pork Pie. This is indisputably one of the most popular product lines in Wilsons at Christmas time. Rain or snow, there’s always a queue for them on Christmas Eve morning at 6am. They come in varying shapes and sizes, but the 1lb Pork Pie is the foundation of a satisfying Christmas spread – it’s just not the same without it!
At Wilsons, we also have a wide range of extra ‘must-haves’ to make your special meal a memorable one. One of the most popular is the homemade bacon and sausage rolls, otherwise known as “Pigs in Blankets”. These are delicious, and when buying from your local butcher, you have the added assurance that they are made from good quality sausage. A Christmas spread just isn’t complete without them. We also stock homemade forcemeat stuffing, (Chestnut is the favourite) which is a 50 -50 mix of quality sausage meat and stuffing mix. It is ideal for stuffing birds but maybe even nicer made into balls and roasted off.
The Christmas holidays are not the same without some real English Breakfasts, so don’t forget your Dry Cured Bacon, Pork Sausages and Black Pudding, not forgetting your Local Free Range Eggs (Ours are Ian Taylors).
Some butchers, like us, bake their own bread and Bank holidays are notorious for causing bread to sell out – Best to buy a few packs of bread cakes early and pop them in your freezer, just in case.
Christmas Eve can be a really stressful time and believe it or not, besides the normal cuts for the Christmas meal, one of the best selling lines is Stir-fry, for that quick trouble free meal when customers get home. With gifts to wrap, parties to attend and a whole feast to prepare, who can blame them?!
All butchers know how important Christmas is to their business. With the average household spending £161 on food and drink, they know that they have to pull out all the stops to get their share of this money in the ever-competitive food marketplace. At Wilsons, we know that we need to look after our customers especially well at this time of the year because for most people, Christmas dinner is the pinnacle of the year’s dining schedule, and if anything goes wrong… people will remember! That’s why shopping at your trusted local butcher is the ideal way to give yourself much needed peace of mind.
Around 76% of families will eat Turkey as their main meal this Christmas, although a large proportion of this is now consumed as Boneless Turkey Breast Joints, as opposed to whole birds. There are a wide variety of Turkeys available, from cheap frozen commercial birds right through to Dry Plucked Free Range Bronze birds such as the Copas Turkeys we offer. Like all good butchers, we avoid the commercial frozen birds at all cost and instead concentrate on local Barn-reared Turkeys, offering a superior flavour, and usually a premium variety like the Free Range Bronze Birds, benefiting from being hung longer with a slightly gamey flavour. The increasingly popular option now is the Boneless Breast Joint, which should come from the local Barn-reared birds. We’ve seen the popularity of our Boneless Turkey Breast Joints snowball in the past few years; we find that they offer a few distinct advantages. They can be stored in your household refrigerator, they only take 2 to 3 hours to cook (giving you some extra time in bed), are really easy to carve, and when you have finished your meal the remaining joint will easily fit back into your fridge to use for salads or sandwiches later, rather than having a large skeleton with no where to put it!
Beef, however has continued its upward trend and has become a more popular centrepiece over the last few Christmas’, even though its price has risen slightly over the same period. Favourite Beef cuts amongst our customers are Ribs of Beef and Rolled Sirloin, for their excellent flavour, and Topside/Silverside joints for their lean, easy carving meat and lower price.
Pork has always been a popular Christmas treat and butchers will always point you in the direction of a rolled loin of pork joint, offering tender succulent meat that is easy to carve. If you are a Jack Spratt and like no fat then you would be better off with a joint from the leg. Either way, we always suggest you get the skin scored well, to give some great crackling. If the Pork is good quality outdoor-reared, this should be no problem but to help the process rub some sea salt into the skin and if possible, leave in your fridge overnight uncovered, allowing the skin to dry out.
Although a first choice for some people, Lamb is not as popular at Christmas as it is at New Year, but it is often purchased to give some variety to the menu on the days before and after Christmas. Leg Joints and Racks of Lamb are usually most popular and great when served with a pink centre.
Game is always a popular choice by our customers who are looking to do something a bit different. Local Venison makes a great roasting joint or diced up, can be made into a delicious casserole. Both of these methods can benefit from the addition of red wine/port and some winterberries.
Wild Duck and Pheasant, like those we stock, are also available at this time of the year, as it is the middle of the shooting season, and with their relative cheapness, these small birds can be served one per person for good presentation.
Large Cock Chickens, also known as Capons, are ideal for those who find Turkey a bit on the dry side and can be purchased up to 10lb plus. Chickens have more natural fat and always cook juicy, but if you are cooking one of the larger size birds, make sure your dish is deep enough to hold the excess juices.
This can also be said about Geese where the rendered fat left in the dish is also one if it’s attractions; there’s no finer way to cook roast potatoes than to use goose fat – we now sell it as one of our Christmas must-haves. They come out lovely and crispy yet fluffy in the middle. A few years ago, Goose was by far the most expensive bird you could buy at Christmas but things have now changed and Goose prices are much more in line with other poultry options these days. Do bear in mind, however that you do not get the same yield from a Goose as you would a Turkey. The breasts are not as thick and the legs are tiny, therefore a Goose will not feed as many people as the same size Turkey.
One item that needs no introduction in the Yorkshire area is the Pork Pie. This is indisputably one of the most popular product lines in Wilsons at Christmas time. Rain or snow, there’s always a queue for them on Christmas Eve morning at 6am. They come in varying shapes and sizes, but the 1lb Pork Pie is the foundation of a satisfying Christmas spread – it’s just not the same without it!
At Wilsons, we also have a wide range of extra ‘must-haves’ to make your special meal a memorable one. One of the most popular is the homemade bacon and sausage rolls, otherwise known as “Pigs in Blankets”. These are delicious, and when buying from your local butcher, you have the added assurance that they are made from good quality sausage. A Christmas spread just isn’t complete without them. We also stock homemade forcemeat stuffing, (Chestnut is the favourite) which is a 50 -50 mix of quality sausage meat and stuffing mix. It is ideal for stuffing birds but maybe even nicer made into balls and roasted off.
The Christmas holidays are not the same without some real English Breakfasts, so don’t forget your Dry Cured Bacon, Pork Sausages and Black Pudding, not forgetting your Local Free Range Eggs (Ours are Ian Taylors).
Some butchers, like us, bake their own bread and Bank holidays are notorious for causing bread to sell out – Best to buy a few packs of bread cakes early and pop them in your freezer, just in case.
Christmas Eve can be a really stressful time and believe it or not, besides the normal cuts for the Christmas meal, one of the best selling lines is Stir-fry, for that quick trouble free meal when customers get home. With gifts to wrap, parties to attend and a whole feast to prepare, who can blame them?!
