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10 best pre-prepared turkeys
Don't let preparing the Christmas dinner stress you out this year. Here's our selection of the most delicious birds that comes ready to cook
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Your support makes all the difference.It seemed like a good idea at the time – inviting all those relatives over on Christmas day. But now’s the time when the stress levels start rising – how big does the turkey need to be? Will it fit in the oven? What if it dries out? How will you have time to stuff it and glaze it and tie up the legs without missing out on seeing the kids open their presents? And that’s before you’ve even started thinking about peeling, chopping and boiling the veg, and roasting the potatoes.
Why not save yourself the hassle with a pre-prepared turkey? There are masses of options, including crown (no legs and wings to worry about), breast roast (great for smaller families), roast-in-the-bag turkey (yes, really) and pre-stuffed and dressed whole turkey, just to name a few. Most are easier to carve, with less potential for wastage.
Remember the cooking time for pre-prepared turkeys will usually be a lot quicker than for whole birds (although longer for whole stuffed ones) and do remember to check how long you need to allow for delivery, which can be anywhere between 24 hours and several days.
So whether you want bones or no bones, stuffing or no stuffing, other meats rolled in, or just plain and simple turkey, read on to find out which are the best ready-to-bung-in-the-oven turkeys to ensure your Christmas dinner goes down a storm.
Cook Celebration Crown of Turkey and Duck: From £75, Cook
This turkey crown, which arrives frozen and is gluten-free, has six duck breasts rolled inside. It’s also filled with homemade sausage meat, chestnut, and orange and cranberry stuffing – all of which is packed into a remarkably neat meat parcel that’s finished off with beer-cured bacon and orange slices. And yes, it’s every bit as delicious as it sounds, and very moreish too. It’s plentiful, easily stretching to 12, and if you’re feeling really lazy, you can order in all the trimmings as part of Cook’s Christmas lunch bundle (£177). As always with this top-quality frozen food specialist (which also has its own shops), we found everything highly flavoursome, so your guests need never know you cheated.
Marks & Spencer The Collection British Oakham Turkey Crown with Pork and Cranberry Stuffing: From £32.48, Marks & Spencer
This turkey crown comes oven-ready with every last detail such as the stuffing and bacon lattice done for you. You absolutely must carve it at the table, as it makes such a striking centrepiece (plus, it’s really easy to carve), while the aromas of bacon, turkey and herbs will make you want to waste no time in tucking into it. Flavour-wise, it’s salty, sweet and tender, and it generously feeds six to eight, with plenty of leftovers. It freezes well too, in case you want to buy it well in advance.
Iceland Luxury British Boneless Turkey Joint with a Pig in Blanket Stuffing: £15, Iceland
Here’s another attractive-looking joint and this one is great value too. Stuffed with delicious pigs-in-blanket-flavour stuffing (probably a bit too intense for kids) and wrapped in bacon with orange and rosemary garnish, it smells divine. The turkey, which is boneless, wasn’t quite as moist as some, but the bacon was abundant, making it a good option for those who prefer saltier food. Feeds four to six people.
Donald Russell Turkey Three Bird Roast: £99, Donald Russell
Multiple roasts, in which several birds are stuffed inside each other, were all the rage during Victorian times – and now they’re back in fashion. This deboned one, which arrives frozen, is our favourite for Christmas – a moist turkey, stuffed with rich duck and pheasant, along with some tasty stuffing. From the award-winning, royal warrant-holding online butcher, it feeds a whopping 15 people (12 if you don’t do much veg), get yourself a sharp knife if you want neat, whole slices. Probably not one for the kids, though, as it’s quite rich.
Copas Turkey Crown: From £49, Copas
As one of the longest running family turkey farms in the UK, it should come as no surprise that Copas offers such variety, selling all its options stuffed or unstuffed – and there’s even a breast roast for much smaller households. We love its pure, unadulterated crown, which comes in free range bronze or free range organic, and while the smallest serves six to eight people, the biggest serve 15 or more. Expect juicy meat and golden crispy skin.
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Bronze Turkey with Pork Sage and Onion Stuffing: £60, Sainsbury’s
A new product for this year, this is the first stuffed whole bird that Sainsbury’s has ever sold. Great for larger groups (it serves 14 to 16 comfortably), it’s a slow growing breed that’s full of flavour, while the pork, sage and onion stuffing is tasty without being overpowering. But the real stand out point is how you cook this turkey – in a bag. Yes, it arrives with an oven-friendly bag that helps it remain moist, although it does mean the bacon doesn’t get as crispy as some.
Aldi Specially Selected Stuffed Turkey Parcel: £8.99, Aldi
Aldi has some beauties this year, including whole bird and crown, but this purse-friendly, neat parcel was the one that won us over. It doesn’t take up much oven space or take long to cook, yet feeds six people (they say up to eight, but we disagree) and we found the meat juicy, while the bacon crisped up nicely. The stuffing is plentiful, with a choice of either sage and shallot stuffing or (our favourite) cranberry and thyme, finished off with an orange and prosecco glaze. But don’t go over the cooking time, as it dries out easily - try around two-and-a-half hours from frozen.
Kelly Bronze The Stuffed Breast Roast: From £23, Kelly Bronze
This breast roast is stuffed with probably our favourite stuffing yet – tangy homemade chestnut and cranberry. All you have to do is sprinkle on the Malden Sea Salt (included) and pop it in the oven for about 50 minutes (thermometer included so you can get it just right). We found the meat from this Essex farm easy to carve and tender, while the flavour of the skin and meat melts in the mouth. Feeds four to six.
Waitrose Italian-Style Turkey Parcel: £35, Waitrose
Why keep the fizz confined to your champagne glass this Christmas? This boneless turkey breast meat has been basted with prosecco to keep it extra moist and give a slight acidity to counteract the richness of the pork, veal and Italian herb stuffing. And if it sounds gimmicky, it really isn’t (although it does smell unusual while cooking). It looks fabulous, finished off with porcini mushroom butter and fresh sage, with a pancetta lattice. While it has a lot of flavours going on, the balance is delicious. Serves five.
Fortnum & Mason Medium Turkey Crown: From £95, Fortnum & Mason
Crowns are as popular, if not more, than whole turkeys because they’re quicker to cook and easier to carve. The downside is you have to miss out on the dark meat. Not so with this free-range, slow-grown turkey from Worcestershire, which comes with separate drumsticks, as well as the thighs that are boned, stuffed and rolled with pork stuffing. As you’d expect from Fortnum’s, it’s high quality with succulent sweet meat and there are two sizes available, either for six or eight people.
The Verdict: Pre-prepared turkeys
For the ultimate in laziness, we couldn’t fault Cook’s Christmas lunch bundle. For something really decadent, go for Donald Russell Three Bird Roast. And for those on a budget, our top recommendation goes to Aldi Specially Selected Stuffed Turkey Parcel.