As allways it’s good to see top chef’s such as Angela Hartnett http://www.muranolondon.com/ endorsing the benefits of choosing a free range Norfolk black or bronze turkey over an intensively reared white bird.

Also the fact that turkey is now reccomended for athletes is also a welcome boost for small producers. 

Glenys Jones, a nutritionist from Chichester University, said that 

“supplementation of ß alanine (found in turkey breasts) for athletes had produced a 13 per cent better performance for high intensity cycling and increased performances for other athletes by prolonging training.”

So that’s a good reason to eat plenty of turkey sandwiches after Christmas !

Energy for athletes

Orders are coming in thick and fast now so if your wanting to secure a Norfolk Black turkey for the Christmas table order today.

Speak soon.

Rob Morton
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0178b12/Great_British_Food_Revival_Series_Two_Plums_and_Turkey/

Our day old turkeys come onto farm in June which gives us about 24 weeks to rear our birds slowely and not push them like intensive birds that are normally finished in 16 weeks, see the difference allready !

Checking the turkeys

The young poults start off in a small area under a brooder (a large gas heater) with plenty of food and water, as the birds feather up they are weaned off the heat and at about 3-4 weeks old the heater is turned off and they are given more space to roam.

From 8 weeks old they are moved into there rearing sheds and given full access (24hours) to grass paddocks where they happily hunt for worms and insects during the day and top up on a cereal based feed ration (more on the food next time) when they need to.

 They are bedded down on fresh straw when needed to make there stay with us a happy one. 

Happy to roam

 Next time, “What’s in our food”

Ok so here we are, a brief history of Morton’s.

My grandfather first came down from Scotland back in 1941 to establish a dairy herd in Norfolk and settled at Whitwell Hall Farm in Skeyton near Norwich. The cows are no longer with us but in there place is a thriving farming business with 1000 acres growing wheat,barley,sugar beet, oilseed rape and potatoes.

Being one of four brothers meant that the farm had to diversify in order to provide for all and with this in mind I started Mortons Traditonal Taste Ltd back in 1998 to specialise in the production of free range and organic poultry.

Initially we started rearing geese on some of the redundant meadows (once used by the dairy cows) this then naturally led onto Christmas turkeys, all free range. We then moved onto producing free range organic chickens in small mobile arks for tesco until our contract ended with them in 2008 due to the lack of demand.

We now rear between 1000 and 1500 bronze free range turkeys for the Christmas market all sold direct to the final consumer through farmgate sales and online mail order.

Look out for our next blog on how we produce our award winning turkeys. http://www.greattasteawards.co.uk/2011/results/results.asp?AwardYear=2011&AutoAward=&SQLClassID=49266&SearchWord=&submitted=1&3Star=Y&2Star=Y&1Star=Y

Rob Morton