Butcher reveals mix-and-match Xmas dining trends

More Shropshire families than ever before will mix and match the meats they serve at the Christmas dinner table this year, according to a local butcher.

G.N Badley & Sons family butchers, in Trench, Telford, is offering award-winning KellyBronze turkeys – grown to full maturity and hand plucked - as part of its festive menu for the first time this year.

But it has also already seen a rise in the number of people choosing an alternative main course, from goose or chicken to beef, pork, lamb, or gammon.

Managing director Simon Badley said: “Turkey may still be the most popular choice on the Christmas dinner table, but a growing number of families want to offer a wider choice of meats.

“People might order a slightly smaller turkey than they would have done in the past, and blend it with a beef, pork, or lamb joint too.

“There has also been a shift in many households towards ready-prepared meats like stuffed turkey crowns – we live in a culture these days where people expect things to be ready to cook or eat as soon as they come through the door.

“Then, of course, there are those families who are opting for a much less formal Christmas menu which doesn’t involve a sit-down three course feast.

“Butchers have to move with the times, and that’s why we also have a buffet and party meat range too from pork pies and sausage rolls to egg pork slicing pies, and quiches.

“We also recognise another shift in modern-day lifestyle which sees many people eating Christmas dinner alone. It’s important that they can still buy the same quality meats in single-sized portions.”

Mr Badley, whose father Keith founded the business in 1976, said: “Like many businesses, the run-up to Christmas is one of the most important trading times of the year.

“People are more aware than ever about the origins of the food they eat, and we’re proud to be once again supporting local suppliers.”

G.N Badley & Sons is giving customers the chance to support local farmers this Christmas. Turkeys, chickens and geese come from Shrewsbury, while beef and pork are sourced from various farms across Shropshire and Staffordshire. And all of the company’s sausage and bacon is made in-store, using only British meat.

Pictured: At the G.N Badley & Sons store in Trench are, from left, butchery manager Lee Evans, director Kay Badley, and butchery assistant Aran Pearson