Warwickshire farmer who’s putting turkeys on the Christmas table
WHILE the rest of us are winding down for the festive holidays, Richard Baldwyn is at his busiest.
Each year, the fourth-generation farmer raises 2,500 turkeys for Christmas – so by now, orders are flooding in.
Lower Clopton Farm in Upper Quinton is one of just 30 UK farms awarded prestigious ‘Golden Turkey’ status by the Traditional Farm Fresh Turkey Association.
Richard rears only traditional, slow-growing breeds of turkey and they’re never given additives to speed up their growth.
Because they take twice as long to reach maturity – usually 4.5kg-12kg – the meat tends to have more flavour and tenderness.
The birds arrive on the farm as day-old chicks and after being kept under warm lights in the brooding shed for about a month, are moved to bigger barns.
From eight weeks, they are free-range and have full run of the paddocks.
The birds are dry-plucked on the farm and hung to increase flavour, in a similar way to pheasants, then sold from Lower Clopton Farm’s own farm shop and online.
Quite a few customers like to go in to the farm shop to discuss what size bird to order for the festive feast, while some even bring the oven tin with them.
The turkeys are also stocked by a few independent shops including Beadles Butchers in Chipping Norton and Sara Righton’s Old Farm Door, famous for being featured several times on BBC TV’s Countryfile.
Richard’s father John Baldwyn also reared turkeys on the farm at Hidcote Boyce, so it’s in the blood.
During the countdown to Christmas, it’s all hands on deck with Richard’s wife Suzie and their teenagers Tom, 17, Ben, 15 and Abi, 13, roped in to make sure everything’s prepped and ready.
But at least by Christmas Day itself, the family are off duty.
Richard added: “We can all sit back, relax and enjoy the turkey – that’s our reward.”
TIPS for cooking the perfect Christmas turkey from the Traditional Farm Fresh Turkey Association:
Take the turkey out of the fridge two hours before cooking as it’ll cook more evenly and be juicier.
If the turkey’s trussed, remove the string to allow air to circulate while cooking.
Full-on stuffing can stop the bird cooking evenly so to add flavour, pop an apple or peeled onion into the cavity instead.
Cook the turkey breast side down to start with, as white meat cooks quicker than dark leg meat and wings. This keeps the juices in the breast and stops it becoming dry.
After cooking, allow the turkey to rest for 30-60 minutes but don’t cover it, as it carries on cooking once out of the oven. By covering it, you could end up with dry and overdone meat and soggy skin.
