Ethical Eating: How to raise and, perhaps, even kill your own Christmas turkey

Christmas is a time of celebration and giving thanks. In the old days we did this by feasting on meat. Whether it was a goose or a turkey at the centre of the table, it was a treat. The whole family would understand where the animal came from and perhaps have contributed to feeding, killing and preparing it. Every morsel would be appreciated. Nothing would be wasted.

Somewhere along the way, we have forgotten this. We eat meat all year round, including turkey. We have little idea of how the bird was raised, slaughtered or even cooked. We just gobble it up without a thought and the bones go in the bin.

Call it middle-class angst, but I’ve been worrying about this. If I’m going to eat meat, I want to be an ‘ethical carnivore’. I want to know exactly where it comes from. Also, I want it to taste good. So I decided to visit some of the most free-range turkeys in Britain to discover how to rear, kill and pluck your own Christmas dinner.