The KellyBronze Story...
It all began back in 1981 when Derek Kelly supplied a local Essex butcher with a few Bronze and Black Christmas turkeys from the farm’s rare breeding collection.
Customers raved over the delicious flavour and the following year the family collected together the few remaining flocks of traditional Bronze turkeys.
These small flocks were all slow growing strains that had retained the original flavour of turkey.
Today’s KellyBronze is a mixture of all these bloodlines blended to give the ultimate in eating quality. The exact combination is a closely kept secret.
The best traditional farming methods are key to the KellyBronze story and, again, the pursuit of excellence is continual.
Milestones have included using no hormones, antibiotics, additives or animal protein. Care for the environment and care for the welfare of the birds. It goes without saying that KellyBronze turkeys are free range.
Now at the helm, Paul Kelly says:“Everyone who works for us gets huge satisfaction from our turkey breeding and farming programme and it shows in the turkeys we produce.”
Turkeys in trees?
Paul has re-introduced his famous turkeys to the wild. The birds spend their days foraging in bluebell woods and sunning themselves in open pasture. They shelter from the rain under bushes and fly into trees to roost at night.
They are free to wander where they want, when they want. But to make sure the young turkeys are safe from predators - both the two legged and four legged kind - Paul has invested in Herbie and Freddie, two collie pups which are being brought up alongside the turkeys to ensure they bond, and who are in the woods to protect them.
Paul said: “Our philosophy is always: What can we do to make it better? Not: What can we do to make it cheaper? It’s all because we are passionate about our turkeys - and we believe it really makes a difference in the birds we give our customers.”
An award-winning family business deep in the heart of Warwickshire
Award-winning Adlington turkeys are reared in the heart of Warwickshire by a family business which is now in its third generation.
They use a mix of six traditional, slow-growing breeds housed in deep litter straw barns. There's plenty of natural light, 24-hour access to food and water and lots of space to roam.
Birds are fed on a grain-based feed without the use of hormones or growth promoters. They are reared to maturity (22 to 25 weeks), hand-finished and matured for up to 14 days after slaughter, at an expertly controlled 2 degrees.
Rod Adlington, whose grandfather started the business back in the 1950s, says it’s that attention to detail and a commitment to welfare that results in such a highly flavoured, richly textured meat.
He said: “We mostly use common sense - the birds, like us humans, need plenty of room, lots of food and water, no draughts and a comfortable bed. If this is maintained we have very happy turkeys!”
Adlington’s also has the distinction of providing an English classic with an ancient heritage – the three bird roast, complete with handmade stuffing around each layer. The stuffing this year is being produced locally, using rare breed pigs to enhance the flavour of the apple and apricot or sage and caramalised onion.
For the love of food and the Welsh landscape...
Chris and Diane Jones of Bryn Derw Farm in Wales, have a genuine love of their environment and a passion for producing good quality food.
They manage a traditional free range mixed farm with chickens, pigs, lambs and around 200 outdoor reared bronze turkeys at Christmas.
Bryn Derw Farm follows a traditional approach to farming. All the animals are kept in small herds or flocks and are sold through local butchers and direct via the website.
The quality of the produce has led the farm to supply Le Bécasse, a Michelin Star restaurant based in Ludlow.
Use our postcode Turkey Finder for details of your nearest producer.