British Turkey has partnered with renowned chef and television presenter Matt Tebbutt as part of their Winner! Winner! Turkey Dinner! campaign. Celebrating 500 years of British turkey, the campaign aims to inspire families to put a whole roast turkey back on their Christmas table.
Marking a significant milestone in British food history, 2026 commemorates 500 years since explorer William Strickland first brought turkeys to England in 1526, selling six birds in Bristol before the turkey found favour in the court of King Henry VIII. Centuries later, Charles Dickens immortalised the festive bird in A Christmas Carol, firmly cementing the whole roast turkey as the centrepiece of the traditional British Christmas dinner.
Now, half a millennium later, British turkey farmers are coming together to celebrate this rich heritage and encourage a new generation of home cooks to rediscover the joy of cooking a whole turkey, and the great value and versatility of the whole bird.
As part of the campaign, Matt Tebutt has created a collection of delicious, family-friendly recipes that showcase just how simple, versatile, and rewarding cooking a whole turkey can be. Alongside his foolproof roast turkey and rich homemade gravy, Matt has also developed an Asian-style pulled turkey noodle salad with peanut dressing, demonstrating how festive leftovers can be transformed into vibrant meals long after Christmas Day.
The recipes form part of the wider Winner! Winner! Turkey Dinner! campaign, which aims to dispel common misconceptions around cooking a whole turkey. From practical cooking advice and carving demonstrations to cost-saving tips and inspiring leftover recipes, the campaign is designed to give consumers the confidence to choose the whole bird this Christmas.
The campaign brings together a collective of British turkey farmers and producers, including Bernard Matthews, 2 Sisters Agriculture, Avara Foods, Hockenhull Turkeys, Kelly Turkeys, Gressingham Foods, Capestone Poultry, Traditional Norfolk Poultry, the Traditional Farm Fresh Turkey Association, Anglian Turkey Association, Usk Vale Poultry, and Farm Hatcheries, united in their mission to restore the whole roast turkey to its rightful place at the centre of the Christmas table and highlight the value of a whole bird this festive season.
Whether it’s creating memories around a perfectly roasted turkey on Christmas Day or making the most of delicious leftovers in the days that follow, British Turkey alongside Matt Tebutt are hoping more households embrace a tradition that has shaped British Christmases for centuries.
