Turkey is the UK’s favourite festive dinner, seeing a rise of 284.7% in demand during peak festive season. An on-the-bone crown is the most popular variety.- Gammon is the top UK turkey-alternative, with demand rising 131.6% in December.
- When breaking down categories (turkey, pork, beef etc) into individual products, pigs in blankets see the largest increase in popularity, with demand rising 641% in December.
New research has compared changes in demand for products around the festive period, to determine the most popular meats for the festive season.
Online butchers Eat Great Meat, compared demand for their products in December against September to November of 2020, to reveal the meats that will be the centrepiece of our dinner tables come the Christmas holidays.
The stats officially crown turkey as the most popular choice for UK festivities, with demand rising by 284.7% in December.
Following this iconic choice, the top turkey-alternative for UK residents is gammon, with demand rising by 131.6% for this choice.
Noel Bramall, Spokesperson for Eat Great Meat, said: “There are so many quality options for a great centrepiece to your festive meal.
“If you’re stressed about cooking timings or space in the oven for your turkey, you can always opt for a gammon joint or a fattier beef joint that won’t mind additional time in the oven, and will take up less space.
“If you opt for turkey, the nation’s favourite, try a whole turkey or a crown on the bone. The additional darker, fattier meat and bones help to add flavour and moisture to the crown. You can also brine the bird, or put a tray in the bottom of the oven filled with some water, to capture the juices from the turkey and create a steam effect that retains more moisture in the white meat.”
The UK’s favourite gammon choice is the gammon joint. Gammon joints are a leg of pork with the bone removed, rolled to form the joint, and then cured. The curing process ensures moisture and flavour is locked into the cut, making it one of the easiest joints to cook to perfection every time.
Gammon joints are versatile, and while Eat Great Meat butchers recommend roasting the cut for maximum flavour, they can also be boiled, or cooked with a combination of these two methods – perfect for people who might not have enough oven shelves or space for a turkey.
The increases in demand for different foods in the festive period:
- Turkey +284.7%
- Gammon +131.6%
- Pork +16.2%
- Beef +16%
- Venison +14.2%
The most popular option for people ordering their Christmas turkey is a crown on the bone, followed by a boneless crown, then whole turkey.
Even though pork is the third most in-demand category around festivities, pigs in blankets far exceeded the interest of all other individual products. Demand for this mainstay of festive celebrations rises by 641% in the lead up to Christmas.
Noel added: “This year, there have been serious concerns around shortages of foods for Christmas. We recommend that you book a slot for deliveries far ahead of festivities. However, avoid purchasing a frozen turkey now and keeping it for the event – the longer a turkey is frozen, the drier it gets.
“If there’s a shortage this year, the first things to go will be turkey, gammon, and pigs in blankets – so book deliveries ahead if you want these foods for your Christmas dinner.”
About Eat Great Meat
Previous winners of Yorkshire’s Finest Taste 2014, and shortlisted for Delicious Yorkshire 2014 and Farm Shop and Deli awards 2018, Eat Great Meat are highly acclaimed butchers based in South Yorkshire. As a family-run butcher that sources traditional British meats, they deliver a top-quality local product. Because they’re an online butcher, Eat Great Meat can offer prime cuts at lower prices. You not only get the best, butcher-grade produce but are also safe in the knowledge that your meat is delivered within the UK, with the lowest environmental impact.
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