Appledore Turkeys roam free on our farm on the Romney Marsh in Kent
What makes an Appledore Turkey special?
What makes an Appledore Turkey special?
Slow growing breeds
We select our turkeys from a handful of heritage strains.
This gives the best eating quality and means the turkeys naturally enjoy foraging and free-ranging.
Naturally reared
Our free-range turkeys are free to explore the Romney Marsh.
They enjoy plenty of exercise and foraging, along with a completely natural diet of wheat and soya.
Bred to maturity
Our turkeys are looked after on our farm for over twice the age of a supermarket turkey. The chicks arrive on our farm in May each year.
Whilst it's more expensive to keep our turkeys for this long, there is a huge improvement in flavour, and an additional fat layer develops, which locks in succulence, effectively ‘self-basting’ during roasting.
Hand plucked
We do not use wet plucking (a mechanical method which can cause scalding) or wax plucking (turkey dipped in wax causing skin tears).
This means we can dry age our birds and improves shelf life enormously.
Hung and dry aged
We dry-age and hang our turkeys for at least ten days, which results in much more tender meat, much like how traditional beef and lamb is produced.
It ensures we produce our turkeys with the best flavour and texture you would expect for such a special occasion.
Traditionally string trussed
We are one of the last traditional producers string-trussing our turkeys by hand.
This showcases our turkeys at their very best for our customers.
Our turkeys are supplied in bespoke boxes and are complete with giblets, cooking instructions, fresh herbs and a pop-up timer.
