Visiting Richard and his Turkeys

Words by Rebecca Wilson | Founder and managing director of Jolly Nice | previous life as an organic farmer in the Cotswolds

 

A few years back...

One sunny winter afternoon, my son and I visited one of our local farming friends, Richard Baldwyn at Lower Clopton Farm, who kindly supplies us with Christmas Turkeys every year for Jolly Nice.

With a camera in hand, we were grateful to see a field full of very happy turkeys, climbing bales of hay and foraging through the pasture. It was a joy to witness and a reminder of what small-scale free-range farming really means. 

As a small-scale farmer myself, in the days before Jolly Nice began, it was always centred around putting nature first. Allowing our animals the space and dignity to roam around as they wish, with trees to shelter under and the freedom to meld with the land.

Watch our little film about Richard and his turkeys below...

 

Richard is one of 40 members of the ‘Golden Turkey’ Quality Assurance Association, which sets the standard for the very finest quality Christmas turkeys.

The association was formed in 1984 by like-minded farmers who are passionate about producing the ultimate in Christmas Turkeys in terms of eating quality, welfare standards and environmental responsibility.

Richard's turkeys are truly free-range and naturally reared to the highest welfare standards. They are then traditionally prepared, dry plucked by human hand (avoiding mass production processes, like wet plucking and gas-flushing). By dry plucking, the birds can then be ‘game hung’ for between seven and fourteen days, which ensures their unique flavour.

For over a decade, I have aimed to make regenerative farming financially sustainable for a network of local suppliers. We source from an incredible group of local micro-producers, small family farms, and artisan-producers who share our values of food quality, sustainable production and animal welfare. 

There's still a little time left to pre-order yours and help support local farming this Christmas.

Thank you,

Rebecca x