Glasgow butchers have claimed that festive business is still booming despite the current cost of living crisis.
Lupton Butchers, based in the Southside of the city, and Chapman Butchers in the East End, have said loyal Glaswegians are keeping local turkey on a pedestal this Christmas.
Lynne Struthers, who owns Chapmans Butchers after taking over from her father in 2016, said: “People are buying more local this year. We’ve been really successful.
“We’ve had more turkey sales this year than before despite the rise in cost of living.”
Lynne also said that steak pies have grown in popularity this year.
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Daniel McMahon, owner of Lupton Butchers, added: “The sale of turkeys has been about the same this year as last year.
“We’ve been kept busy as the Christmas season and New Years are always busier than usual for us in the store.
“I think I’ve noticed that people are more concerned about the price of turkey this year than previous years. I think that’s just cause the cost of food in general is making people be more careful about what they spend their money on.
“But despite all this - customers are still coming in and saying Christmas is the one day they don’t mind spending money especially as they have the whole family around and such.”
For both Luptons and Chapmans, the key to their continued popularity, according to them, comes from supermarkets being unable to compete with the quality and taste of the independent butcher.
Daniel said: “I feel the supermarkets are only competition in terms of prices.
“They try to sell cheap and the quality of supermarket turkey is nothing like what we sell.”
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Lynne added: “We offer a Christmas dinner box rather than just a turkey on its own.
“The box includes a timer, a piece of luxury smoked ham, streaky bacon, and 500 grams of sage and onion stuffing mix, which all comes in a Chapmans printed bag.
“What we give is something which is a bit different from the supermarkets and people seem to love that.”
And speaking of Christmas dinner, what are Lynne and Daniel’s top tips for the perfect turkey?
Daniel said: “My best advice for cooking turkey is slow and low.
“I would suggest a low heat of 160 degrees or gas mark four for about 20 minutes per pound of turkey and an extra 20 mins at the end.
“I would also say to smear butter on the turkey before going into the oven and base the turkey occasionally over the cooking period.
“I would also wrap the Turkey in some streaky bacon for about 20 minutes. Just for more flavour.”
For Lynne - the best turkey is all in the meat juices.
She explained: “I’d recommend keeping the meat nice and moist.
“We offer special oven bags which leaves the meat cooking its own juices.”
You can purchase free-range Scottish turkeys from Lupton Butchers at 1105 Cathcart Road in Mount Florida and from Chapman Butchers at 53 Main Street in Baillieston.
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