It’s time to talk turkey
King Henry VIII was the first British monarch to enjoy eating turkey.
IT was explorer William Strickland who brought turkeys to Britain from the New World in the mid-1500s and King Henry VIII was the first monarch to enjoy eating them. Before that, the general meat of choice tended to be goose, boar and pheasant.
However, many saw turkey as a more practical meat to eat, being a much easier option for feeding large Victorian families than a goose.
Despite this, turkey wasn’t hugely popular until the last 60 years or so and was actually considered a luxury up until the 1950s.
And it’s not the Christmas dish of choice for the rest of the world either. In Norway they tend to eat cod and haddock, while in Germany they feast on wild boar or venison, Russians stick to the traditional goose and the Italians have a seven-course feast compromising antipasti, pasta, a roast, salads, pudding, cheese fruit and chocolate.
Wherever you live, it seems Christmas is certainly a time to indulge yourself!
Turkey cooking times – oven fully preheated to 200ºC
Weight of Bird : Cooking Time
2.25kg : 1½ hours; 3.5kg : 1¾ hours; 4.5kg : 2 hours; 5.5kg : 2½ hours; 6.75kg : 2 ¾ hours; 7.5kg : 3 hours; 9kg : 3½ hours; 11.5kg : 4 ½ hours
(Information from Good Housekeeping)
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