Hard-pressed households opting for alternative to full turkey to cut down on Christmas costs

Almost a third of households in Ireland are opting for a turkey crown rather than a full turkey this Christmas in an attempt to cut down on costs, a recent survey has found.  

The cost of living crisis is causing shoppers to look for cheaper options this year and change their more traditional habits. 

More than four in ten (42%) home cooks say the cost of food is their top concern when cooking Christmas dinner this year, as one in three (33%) say they will cook a turkey crown, new research from Safefood has revealed.

While more than half (52%) are cooking a full turkey for Christmas dinner this year, 1 in 3 (33%) are opting for a turkey crown, a significant increase on last year’s research where one in ten (10%) opted for a crown. While almost six in ten (57%) home cooks admit to finding cooking Christmas dinner a little stressful, they say they still enjoy the end result.

The research was commissioned by Safefood as part of its annual Christmas food safety campaign, as it encourages home cooks to use a meat thermometer to make sure their Christmas turkey is safely cooked through to 75 degrees Celsius and ensure everyone has a safe and tasty Christmas.

Trish Twohig, Director of Food Safety with safefood said: "Our research shows more people are opting for turkey crowns this year which would suggest people are changing their choice of Christmas turkey with an eye on food costs.

"Whatever kind of turkey you cook this year, using a meat thermometer takes the guesswork out of knowing when it’s safely cooked. To check that it’s cooked, take the turkey out of the oven, and pop a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the meat between the breast and the leg - when it reads 75 degrees Celsius, it’s safely cooked. Meat thermometers are affordable, easy to use and can be used on other meats during the year like chicken, pork, burgers, and sausages to ensure they are cooked all the way through".

"If you don’t own a meat thermometer, that’s not a problem,” Trish continued. “To check your turkey is safely cooked, pierce the thickest part with a clean skewer or fork and check that it is piping hot, with no pink meat left and the juices run clear.”

"At safefood, we know that cooking Christmas dinner can be stressful for some, so we’ve created a dedicated section on our website, www.safefood.net/christmas It’s stuffed with lots of practical help like our interactive turkey cooking time calculator for all turkey types, a Christmas dinner food planner to help with meal planning and lots of delicious recipes to make the most of any leftovers".

Safefood has teamed up with Gareth Mullins, one of Ireland’s most celebrated chefs, to launch the campaign to help take the stress out of cooking Christmas dinner.

Gareth provided the following advice for home chefs: "Christmas dinner is renowned as the most important meal of the year, and I’m delighted to work with safefood to provide simple tips for safety in the kitchen. My main piece of advice this year is that cooking time on packaging is a general guide only. To ensure a turkey is fully cooked, I recommend using a meat thermometer.

"If you don’t have a meat thermometer, use a clean fork or skewer to pierce the thickest part of the breast and thigh. You’ll know it’s cooked when: it’s piping hot throughout, its juices run clear, there is no pink meat left and that any stuffing is piping hot throughout," he said.