NEWS: Talking Turkey

My efforts to be vegetarian have been ticking along nicely. Have not kicked the habit entirely and am still a meat eater but I am eating less meat than ever so that is a good thing. (For anyone that thinks vegetarianism is unnatural or even bad for you - read this.) I will kick the habit eventually. Hopefully.

On the subject of Cold Turkey I have decided to buy an Organic Free range Turkey for Christmas this year. Tis the season of goodwill so I figure that the least I can do if I am going to slaughter an animal for food is to give it as much respect as possible. Mrs Hippy baulked at the cost a bit...but toys flew out of my pram and she relented. I am sure when she reads this post she will agree with my thinking.

So off I went searching for the perfect bird to grace our table.

I ended up at the website of Clevely Park Organics, which has only been going since Jan 2005.

Richard, the chap who runs the company, essentially finds the good stuff (various meats, fish and other foods) and brings it all under one website for your convenience. Am sure there are others out there but do not have hours to spend on the virtual hunt.

David & Goliath
We all know it is hard for small suppliers and shops to compete with supermarkets for a convenient cheap bargain but I get the sense, and I suspect Richard does too, that when it comes to quality small suppliers win hands-down. And customers are realising it in their droves.

If you want your chicken etc to have burns (aka hock burns) on their knees from sitting in their own urine because they are given growth hormones that forces their bodies to grow disproportionately to their legs which then buckle under their increasing weight then by all means get your poultry at a supermarket.

The sad truth is that most consumers don't care much about the quality of their food and prefer to save money than fuel themselves with quality. The grim truth is hidden from them to maintain this status quo.

We worry more about the quality of fuel we put in our cars than we put in our bodies.

Perhaps a less healthy diet is connected to the rise in obesity and poor health in Western Society? Hmmmm...

We prefer convenience and a bargain - indeed that is how we judge value. But surely value is about the quality of the product and it's effects both in the short and long-term. Even cheapness has a lower limit right?

Personally:

I do not want a bird that suffered whilst alive.
I do not want a bird pumped full of chemicals.
I do not want a bird that has been frozen for months.

If you feel the same then I strongly recommend reconsidering where you get your Christmas bird from.

Richard also gave me a great tip: Order early (an extra week or so, so now I guess) and do not be afraid to freeze the turkey. Some even think it does the flavour good. Pros and cons are minimal to be honest it seems. Plus it means less nightmare for all concerned in the last few days before Christmas and you have less chance of your turkey getting lost in transit.

Sure this turkey (all 6kg of it) will set me back a whopping £70 instead of about £25 but I know what I am getting: 2 meals for 6 people of a freshly slain & cleaned, non-frozen, organic free range turkey from Wales. Incidentally I have asked Richard how I can be sure it comes from Wales and that it is indeed organic and free range. Am waiting for a reply.

My turkey will have lived the life of a free turkey and not the life of a prisoner in some Turkey Camp X-ray. Sure my turkey will have died so I & others may eat...the guilt is terrrible but I have a meat addiction that is harder to overcome than the guilt (although overcome I eventually will).

Tune in on Boxing Day for a review of my hopefully extra delicious organic and free range turkey.

Gobble Gobble!

Namaste

CH

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