Normally I try not to start thinking about Christmas until at least the first of December. Yes, I know the decorations are already up in our shopping centres and our social media timelines are chock full of festive cheer, but it just seems wrong to be talking about Christmas until the first door of the Advent calendar has been peeled open.
Which is why it felt very strange to be roasting a turkey in November for this review. But at the end of the day, it’s really only a rather large relative of the chicken, so why consign it to just a couple of days in December? Our friends in the States will be consuming vast amounts of turkey this week after all to celebrate Thanksgiving.
Copas Traditional Turkeys is a small family business that has been producing free range, hand-plucked and game-hung turkeys just for Christmas for the last half a century. Based in the beautiful Berkshire countryside, Copas has a reputation for combining centuries old production methods with state-of-the-art facilities, as well as taking their time for a superior taste.
All too often turkeys are deemed ‘ready’ when they reach the popular weight categories, rather than on their age. The industry standard is around two months old, whereas Copas turkeys are five to seven months old when their countryside rambles come to an end. According to Tom and Brenda Copas this is why their turkeys have denser meat and superior fat cover. It also means Copas turkeys don’t need to be basted, buttered or covered with bacon to retain their succulence.
As the turkeys are dry plucked (apparently a very time-consuming and labour intensive affair), they are kept dry and can therefore be hung like other game birds. Copas turkeys are hung for two weeks, which is said to give them a more intense depth of flavour.
Having read all this, you can see why I was up for putting a Copas turkey to the test, even if it is still November! And I can confirm that all the Copas family claims about their turkeys are spot on. Very often I avoid turkey as it can be such a bland, uninteresting meat, but this turkey was absolutely packed full of flavour, quite gamey in taste in fact. I slow-roasted our bird in the Aga overnight, which meant it was beautifully moist and made preparing the rest of the meal the next day nice and easy. Tips on slow-roasting in the Aga are below, along with my recipes for spiced bread sauce, Marsala and redcurrant gravy and Brenda Copas’ turkey stock.
Check out the Copas Turkeys online shop at www.copasturkeys.co.uk – as well as whole turkeys, you’ll also find crowns, stuffed breast rolls and crowns, as well as luxury hampers, cheeses, cooked meats and accompaniments.
Copas’ smallest sized bronze turkey (4kg) kept our family of four in meals for a few days, and at £89 it might sound on the pricey side but I’d say it was worth every penny.
Enter the giveaway
If you’d like to win yourself a delicious 6kg free range bronze turkey from Copas (worth £110) as the centrepiece for a Christmas lunch to remember, simply click on the link below to enter via Rafflecopter and leave a comment below say why you’d like to try a Copas turkey. This giveaway is open to people with a UK postal address only and runs until Tuesday 15 December 2015. The lucky winner’s turkey will be delivered on Tuesday 22 December.
And now time for some recipes…
Aga slow roast turkey
Season the turkey, before lifting into a large roasting pan. (As Copas turkeys have a higher fat content than most other turkeys, they don’t need to be buttered.) Leave untrussed and cover loosely with foil.
Place the turkey in the Roasting Oven for 20 minutes, then transfer to the Simmering Oven – on the grid shelf on the floor.
Timings
3.6-4.5kg (8-10lb) about 8-10 hours
5-7.25kg (11-16lb) about 9-12 hours
7.5-10kg (17-22lb) about 10-14 hours
To check whether the turkey is cooked, pierce the thickest part of the thigh with a skewer and if the juices run clear, then the turkey is done. If they are tinged with pink, then cook for a little longer. For piece of mind, use a meat thermometer.
You can cook your turkey a little ahead of time; keep it covered in a cool place. Uncover and return to the Roasting Oven for 30 minutes before serving to reheat and crisp up.
Spiced bread sauce
a knob of butter
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
½ tsp ground allspice
1 star anise
¾ pint milk
splash of double cream
100g white breadcrumbs
salt and pepper
Melt the butter in a saucepan and fry the onion gently for about 10 minutes until soft and golden.
Add the spices and cook for another minute before stirring in the milk and cream. When the milk starts to boil, remove from the heat and stir in the breadcrumbs. Season to taste.
Keep warm until required.
Brenda Copas’ turkey stock
turkey giblets
1 stick of celery, roughly chopped
1 onion, peeled and quartered
1 carrot, peeled and halved
1 bay leaf
a sprig of rosemary
6 peppercorns
salt
Remove the giblets from the bag supplied with your turkey and wash thoroughly under running cold water.
Place all the ingredients in a large pan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 2 hours, then strain.
Cool and store in the fridge overnight or use straightaway to make gravy or soup.
Marsala and redcurrant gravy
1 tbsp cornflour
a decent glug of Marsala wine (port or red wine are also good)
500ml turkey stock
1 tbsp redcurrant jelly (or cranberry sauce)
Once the turkey is cooked and resting, scoop off the fat from the liquid in the roasting pan and stir the cornflour into the remaining meat juices.
Place the roasting pan on the hob over a medium heat and pour in the Marsala. Stir well to deglaze the pan, then pour in the stock. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes to thicken, then stir in the redcurrant jelly.
Strain into a gravy boat and keep warm until required.
Disclosure: we were supplied with a complimentary Copas turkey for review purposes. As always all views expressed are mine – and my family’s.
Bangers & Mash 
I’m just starting my own food blog (about to go live soon) but have worked in print for many years and for that I have to think about Christmas by July at the latest and have done it as early as Easter. Can also vouch for Coppas turkeys fabulous quality.
I have heard of Coppas turkeys before but never been fortunate enough to cook one, This Christmas would be the perfect time to do this as we have family visiting for the first time from Canada and would love to serve the best to them
I would love to try a Coppas Turkey because I know it was well cared for
ive heard very good things about them and they look really good
Christmas is a time of traditions, and that means a traditional quality tukey served in the old fashioned way.
I’d love to try a Copas turkey as I believe it would taste as fantastic as the ones my Mum used to cook many years ago when turkeys would all be farmed in the way Copas farm.
Your photos make it look absolutely delicious!
I would love to try a Copas turkey
we always have Turkey at christmas but never had anything like yours fingers crossed
I love turkey, and would really love to try a Copas one please.
I would love to try a copas Turkey, They are very popular! This is a very handy christmas prize
We always have a bronze turkey but normally from Waitrose so would love to compare the flavour from a Coppas turkey 🙂
Always like to try turkey and this looks lush
I have always had a turkey from Tesco but would like to try this to see if I can tell the difference 🙂
I have heard Copas Turkeys are rather tasty so would love to try one
I would like to try one because they sound like they would be really tasty.
I would love to win this and I would donate it to the local Salvation Army so they could feed a lot of homeless people on Christmas day
I would donate it to the local Salvation Army so they can help feed the homeless a nice hot meal on Christmas day 🙂 This turkey would help many and be a tasty treat
I love quality
Looks great …
They look delicious and are free range and hand-plucked too!
every christmas I have 15 or more people for lunch it would be fabulous to serve such a great turkey to them all
I have heard of Coppas turkeys before but never been fortunate enough to cook one
Your turkey sounds delicious! I can magine that, cooked upside down with an onion inside – delicious!
Sounds delicious
I would love to try a Copas turkey because they are older birds and retain their succulence.
heard great things about copas and would really really love to try a turkey
I’ve never heard of them tbh but would love to ry one this year x
Much as I would love to try a Copas turkey and imagine it would be delicious, this would be a bit big for my family so if I won I would like to donate it to a local project offering Christmas meals for those in need.
I envy those many people who walk out of my local high-class butcher every Xmas Eve, carrying their smart Copas Turkey box looking content and happy.
my mum’s always raving about Copas Turkey’s so i’d love to try it,and cook one myself x
I would love to try because I’ve never tried a Copas!
because I am pretty sure it tastes better than my usual supermarket one…
I’d love to try because Asda just isn’t cutting it for me anymore!
I’ve never tried one and we always try to buy free-range, but that’s not always easy on a budget!
I’d love to try one as they look absolutely delicious!! I’d love to treat the family!
I’d love to try one of these as I really enjoy making Christmas Dinner and this would be the perfect way to do so xx
would love to share one with my family, so we can taste a quality roast.
They sound delicious and it’s great to know they are well looked after beforehand
It is a long time since I had turkey at Christmas soit would be great to try the best
My mum has 10 of us for lunch so I’d love to help her out by providing an amazing turkey!
I’ve got a house-full again this year, so I would love to give one of these babies a try 🙂
I would love a Copas turkey for Christmas so my family and I can feast like kings & queens.
as Copas have got a good reputation, we all love turkey in our household so it would be a great opportunity to try the taste ourselves
I would love to treat my family with the best this year 🙂
One of these bad boys would be perfect for Christmas
It sounds and looks delicious. We would love to try one this year.
It sounds like these turkeys are of very good quality and raised with high exacting standards, which is why I’d like to try one.
i would like to try a Copas turkey this year as i know it will be great quality and taste delicious
We actually haven’t had turkey for many years. There is almost so much leftover, so we usually just have chicken, gammon or duck. However this year we have a big lineup of 15 people coming for dinner, so I think a turkey would be appropriate, so I will try to win one before I buy one!
would love to try it, my friend told me g8 things about them but would like to experience it myself 🙂
I’d like to try a Copas turkey because they’re supposed to be the best tasting turkeys.
would love to try as free range and looks yummy thankyou
My friend rosemary swears by these turkeys…I have to admit I have never tried them…but would love to. Thanks for fab comp and blog
Love turkey but could never afford to buy a Copas one.
I’d love to try Copas turkey as I’ve heard it’s wonderful but had never had a chance to try it. I would feel a spoilt girl if I won one so that I can spoil my family too.
1) The review above has me drooling.
2) My son, daughter-in-law and grandsons are with us for Christmas dinner. He, having being under-chef (washing dishes and peeling veg. we reckon!) at Scruffy Murphys in Nottingham while at uni. now considers himself a master chef, and damns my efforts with faint praise. A succulent Copas turkey would shut him up.
3) I always hope my hubby can win one in his golf club’s turkey trot comp. but alas we’ve drawn a blank yet again so a Copas bird would find a loving home with us.
I have heard that Copas are the best….it’s Christmas time….it’s time for the best.
This would be amazing, every year my Mother In Law defrost a frozen turkey and tells father in law that it’s a fresh one – and he always swears by fresh turkeys as they are so good!!! Would love to try this difference and see for myself this year. Many thanks.
I would love to try a Copas turkey! Looks so yummy!
Copas have a great reputation – would love to try one!
I would love a nice fresh turkey, but alas with the price I’m afraid it’s frozen for us. Unless I’m lucky 🙂
I would love to try a beautiful fresh turkey rather than one that you buy from a supermarket, and as Copas have such a great reputation I would especially love to try one of theirs.
If I won I can assure this wonderful turkey would be gobbled up by my family
We rarely eat meat and it has to be free-range and from a farm where the standards of animal welfare are high. These Copas turkey sounds just right for us and I hope we will be lucky!
looks fantastic!!
I would love to try a Coppas Turkey because I know it was looked after.
My family and I love to eat turkey, especially for Christmas.Coppas Turkey’s look delicious! Would be nice to enjoy a good quality turkey like these for our dinners.
I have never tried Coppas before but I’d love the opportunity to try this fabulous product.
Love a nice Turkey and this looks like a very nice turkey
I have been told that a Copas turket is the best you can get so I would love to sink my teeth into one
Copas Turkeys are farmed in a responsible and ethical way. I only eat ethically produced meats, so I’d love to try one of these!
I have only ever had a frozen turkey or a turkey crown. Would love to win this as not only does it look the part but Im sure it tastes great as well
I would love to try a Copas Turkey
fabulous prize
I have never tried a Copas turkey. From what I can see it would be a fabulous prize to win and it would fit the middle of the Christmas table perfectly .
I would love to try a Copas Traditional Turkey because when I was young my parents had a friend who had a farm with turkeys – it actually sounds very similar to Copas 🙂 and every year he used to give us an amazing, free-range bird. That no longer happens, so I would love to have a Copas turkey to take me back to my youth and experience that wonderful taste that only comes from the way they produce them!
Would love to try a Copas turkey, because you know that they have been well treated and that would make all the difference with the flavours
We’ve only ever been able to afford cheap turkeys, so to be able to try a top of the range turkery would be a delicious experience.
We’d love to try one looks delish
I would love this Copas Turkey, because I have had one from them before and they are so tasty, moist and delicous
I would love to see the diffrecence from what we normally buy
It will be nice to win as we are working nights all over Christmas and i hate shopping.
Be nice to win this as we is like the crutchet family
I have at least 22 people coming to me on Christmas Day, so I’d like to serve a decent turkey!
Such an amazing turkey is out of my usual price range, so the chance to try one for free is irresistible
It’s my first christmas in my new house (that I bought this summer), I am having people over for Christmas and still recovering financially from buying a house alone (still not sure how I did it!! I have been living on beans on toast!) It would be lovely if I could cook a really nice meal for my family to show them how much I appreciate all their help with the move (and assisting me with the deposit etc) this summer. I feel like Christmas is a perfect time to say thank you and a good home cooked meal is always a great way to say thank you!
It’s my first christmas in my new house (that I bought this summer), I am having people over for Christmas and still recovering financially from buying a house alone (still not sure how I did it!! I have been living on beans on toast!) It would be lovely if I could cook a really nice meal for my family to show them how much I appreciate all their help with the move (and assisting me with the deposit etc) this summer. I feel like Christmas is a perfect time to say thank you and a good home cooked meal is always a great way to say thank you!
As a Child we lived down the road from the Copas Farm ( mum even worked there as a teenager in the 1950s – helping out at Christmas and earning pocket money ). I remember dad driving us in our cortina to pick up our turkey just before Christmas and the birds seemed so huge ! They were defiantly yummy even then and i would like to relive that experience with my own family and friends.
I’d love to try a decent turkey for a change
It’s important to me where my meat comes from this sounds great
A Coppas Turkey is the finest bird, choosing anything else is frankly absurd. x
wow these turkeys look fab
I would like to try a Copas turkey this Christmas because I usually get a supermarket one and wonder if my family would notice the difference.
I’ve never heard of a Coppas turkey before but just looking at them they look lovely and so appetising. I would love to try one.
I’ve never heard of Coppas turkey before but it looks lovely and what a proper turkey should look like (what I imagine it would anyway!!) I hope I’m lucky enough to win.
Every Year I say I want to get a turkey and every year we end up with a turkey crown – I have NEVER had a Turkey at Christmas :O Coppas Turkey’s look amazing so would love to start with the best 🙂
Never heard of Coppas before but they look wonderful and yummy, so would love to give them a try
Ive heard the turkeys are amazing! also im 23 weeks pregnant so this would be so helpful not having to go out and buy a turkey x
Would love to try – this sounds like a quality product
All the reasons you said make me want to try a Copas turkey but I particularly like ‘Copas turkeys are hung for two weeks, which is said to give them a more intense depth of flavour’ as that is what I want from y turkey at Christmas.
I like to buy good quality meat so copas sounds good.
I love supporting a small business rather than the big ‘players’. Also a smaller company usually means better quality and more attention has gone into them.
Copas are known for their fantastic quality and service, so I’m chomping at the bit to sample the wonderful produce 🙂
They are meant to be very good quality so i would like to try and see
Those pictures above looking so tasty. Would love to try a good quality bit of meat from Copas, yum!
I’ve never tried a Copas Turkey but have heard good things about them and the photos above look yummy and amazing x
Would love to try one of these turkeys,I have 10 for dinner ,so I am sure they would appreciate it
I want to impress my Mother xxx
I would like to try a Copas turkey this Christmas because I have read such great reviews of them. Also I like the idea of free range – the way they should be kept.
I would love to win a Copas turkey as that would make a delicious and different Christmas dinner for us as we normally have beef
Have heard great things about these turkeys! Would love to try them myself and see what all the fuss is about 🙂
Good luck to everybody trying to win the turkey
I would love try quality turkey for Christmas this year