Turkeys

The snow returned to Ilkeston today but there was only a relatively light covering although the vertical snow topped "Turkeys" sign in this butcher's shop in South Street didn't look out of place. Turkeys have become the meat of choice of many people for Christmas Day but this has not always been the case. In medieval times the gentry enjoyed whole carcasses of meat cooked on spits and boar and deer were on the menu. Later the pig became popular but it was James 1 who originally introduced turkey. Peacock and swan also found favour in Royal households but the meat was quite tough.

More recently turkey has come to the fore but I think refrigeration has had a lot to do with this. When I was a boy, our Sunday dinner usually consisted of beef, lamb or pork but at Christmas it was time for a treat and chicken was served. I remember chickens being delivered to the back door just before Christmas Day and I was often entrusted with the job of plucking it before mother removed the guts and prepared the bird for cooking. It didn't take many years before frozen chickens became more readily available and turkeys became accessible for working class people. Nowadays of course frozen turkeys are readily available in our supermarkets but traditional butchers like the one shown in the picture are still proud to supply fresh turkeys.