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Fresh Turkey?


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So I'm back asking my crazy questions again. My husband and I have realized that in order to have a "thanksgiving" dinner with his side of the family (they came to America last year at Thanksgiving and loved it, they insist we do one here) and still go back to America to celebrate thanksgiving with my side of the family, we have to do it this weekend.

Does anyone know where I can get fresh turkey at this late notice? I called Northfield farms to see if they could bring one for me this Saturday to Borough market but they said that couldn't...

Am I going to have to roast something else?

OH! And any leads for a shop that sells canned pumpkin puree and good ready made pie crust for making pies would be helpful.

Thank you!

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You can probably get one from Lidgate on Holland Park Avenue (020 7727 8243) - they sell free-range, organic Bronze turkeys year round. It may be worth double-checking though, as I've heard a lot of American accents in there so supplies may be getting scarce.

I found canned pumpkin puree in Selfridges Food Hall after searching for it exhaustively for AGES. I've heard there's a deli in Hampstead that has it as well, but generally it's generally been hard to find.

And finally - in a pinch, I've used the ready-made shortcrust from the chilled section at Waitrose (I can't remember what brand, sadly). It has a nice texture, even though it's not made with butter so you lose out a bit on flavour.

Good luck. What are you having for sides? :smile:

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Thank you!

Charlene, the kelly bronze turkeys from the website look like they are only available for December 20th.... maybe they are stockpiling for Christmas...

Miss J. I called, they have an entire range of turkeys! So I'm going to pick up a 10 pounder and am crossing my fingers about it fitting into the oven... I'm convinced our oven is smaller than what is typical. My calphalon large roasting pan that I have always used to roast in... won't fit in it. If it doesn't fit.... I'm going to have to spatchcock the thing and hope it fit in flat... if that doesn't work... can I cut the thing in half??? Or would I need a saw for that? Maybe I'm just crazy.

Wow, those Kelly Bronzes are expensive.

Miss J, there is a risotto dish that I've been dieing to try involving pistachios and dolce latte..... so I'm going to serve small portions of that for a starter and then sides of brussel sprouts with bacon, cranbery sauce with orange and mint, mixed salad with apples, pears, some blue cheese in a mustard dressing, a bread pudding stuffing with leeks, and I might try to recreate this thing we ate at Trio's in chicago last year... The chef of Trio is Grant Aschatz who was the sous chef at French Laundry.

He did this incredible thing that sounds, a take on something that is almost "trailer trashy" type food.... sweet potato with marshmallows. It was so good that both my husband and my brother in law insisted that it was their favorite part of the meal.... better than the black truffle ravioli that burst in your mouth like a xiao lom bao (soupy dumpling!)..

It was in small ramikins... the sweet potato had been pureed with butter and some spices and then topped with marshmallows that must have been melted with butter and swirled on top, popped back into the oven to brown (kind of like a meringue top).... it was really yummy.

Do you make Thanksgiving dinner here?

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Akiko, I do in fact cook a Thanksgiving dinner. Of course it's an October thing for me, but I generally make an effort to drag a few North Americans under my roof for turkey & trimmings. I also do bread stuffing with leeks and thyme, as well as shredded brussels sprouts with pancetta, mash with butternut squash, braised sweet & smoked paprika carrots, and something green & crunchy...this year it was green beans with lemon.

I'm going to miss the American bash in November though, as I'll be sunning myself in Sihanoukville on the day. (Oh, the burden...:biggrin:)

One result of observing Thanksgiving here is it makes me keen to cook something other than turkey at Christmas. I really want to try roasting a goose, but Mr J's mum is so spooked by the prospect of all that rendered goose fat she won't hear of it. :sad:

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The Kelly Bronzes from Lidgate are appallingly expensive but definitely worth it. We had one for Christmas two years ago and it was not only the best turkey I've ever eaten but the best roast poultry of any sort. Gamey flavour and excellent texture. Lidgate are quite good at advising how to cook the turkeys and may be able to help if the tin does turn out too small.

As to canned pumpkin, the deli Miss J mentioned is, I think, the Rosslyn Deli on Haverstock Hill. Haven't checked but they almost certainly stock it. Their back room is full of American imports.

clb

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I like how they define sizes of turkeys on that Kelly Turkeys site...

Super Mini

Roly Poly

Wrolstad

Plumpie

BBB (Broad Breasted Bronze)

the last few sound like descriptors out of a newspaper personals section "hi, I'm a 24 year old Plumpie...."

Jason Perlow, Co-Founder eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters

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  • 11 months later...

Okay,

I'm back to this again, does anyone have any new ideas for where I can get a turkey? I did pick up a kelly bronze from lidgate last year and it was wonderful but it was also £66

If I must, I will pay that again but that is a lot of money to pay for me to do a "mock thanksgiving" when I will do it again in Chicago a short while later!

Akiko

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A Dove and Son

71 Northcote Road SW11

Tel 020 7223 5191

They can get very fine free range turkeys at this time of year, perhaps with a bit of advance notice. They aren't cheap; I would guess a medium sized turkey would cost at least £50. If you want to make a turkey ballotine, they will remove the bones for you.

M Moen & Sons

24 The Pavement (near Clapham Common) SW4

Tel 020 7622 1624

Also do Thanksgiving turkeys -- as well as things Dove's dont, e.g. gulls' eggs.

Jonathan Day

"La cuisine, c'est quand les choses ont le go�t de ce qu'elles sont."

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  • 2 weeks later...

Oh dear, I'll probably be drummed out of the egullet Brownies for suggesting this, but here goes.......

I was in my nearest Sainsbury's SavaCentre yesterday and I noticed that they had frozen free range Bronze turkeys. Part of their "Taste the Difference" range. I checked on www.sainsburystoyou.com, which lists them as 5.6kg to 6kg, with a unit price of £28.94.

It may not be exactly what you have in mind, as its frozen, but it would be a lot cheaper than anything else that's been suggested, and they'll even deliver (if you go throught the registration process on the website).

(I've just looked at the Kelly Turkeys site and a 6kg bird would be £60.30 including delivery)

Edited by retirement_beckons (log)
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I always had a traditional Thanksgiving when I lived in London (89-97) and never had a problem getting an excellent turkey from Porterfords in Bow Lane in the City. At most I gave 3-4 days notice and was never disappointed in quality. I can't vouch for recent quality as its been a few years.

Get your bitch ass back in the kitchen and make me some pie!!!

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Incidentally, a practice which was recommended to me years ago was to "split" the turkey, as the time it takes to cook through the solid breast meat is far longer than it takes to cook the legs, which also have bones running through them which conduct heat.So if you cut the "crown" off and roast it for the first couple of hours on its own (subject to total weight), then put the "bottom half" in to cook as well, you end up with all parts of ther bird succulent, rather than the leg meat being overcooked.

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Okay,

I'm back to this again, does anyone have any new ideas for where I can get a turkey?  I did pick up a kelly bronze from lidgate last year and it was wonderful but it was also £66

If I must, I will pay that again but that is a lot of money to pay for me to do a "mock thanksgiving" when I will do it again in Chicago a short while later!

Akiko

Whereabouts are you? If you live in or near north London may I suggest the butcher in St. John's Wood High St.

Since the American School is nearby, I would think this butcher sells turkeys in November for Thanksgiving.

Sorry, I can't remember the name of the butcher but it's the only one on St. John's Wood High Street (if it's still there).

Best of luck,

Foodie_Penguin

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