"Stuffed" Turkey

Drake66 · 26-12-2009 4:21pm #1

Hi all. I would just like to get some opinions on a very irritating episode our family had with this year's Christmas turkey. One of my parents booked a turkey with a well known craft butcher last week. We collected this turkey on Christmas Eve. It took a very long time for the butcher to come out from the back with the Turkey; a good 15 minutes. We were waiting for a similar amount of time as the person beside us so we weren't annoyed about this.

When he eventually arrived out with the bird he was very hesitant to put it up on the scales in front of us; for us to check the weight for ourselves. We asked him to cut the drumsticks and the legs for separate cooking ; he didn't want to cut the legs- he faffed my mother with "sure you might as well have the brown meat with it". My mother relented and she got him to leave them on.

When we prepared the bird on Christmas morning we were in for a shock. My mother was preparing to butter the inside of the skin when she noticed something odd about the breast meat. It was falling in and drooping. She put her hand in under the skin and pulled out loose breastmeat! :eek:. On both sides of the Turkey breast there was loose meat from a different bird stuffed on top of the breast :eek:. She removed a full plate of this foreign meat out from under the skin. The butcher had stuffed the bird with this loose meat to make up the weight; when we weighed it after removing all of this meat it was considerably lighter than what we had paid for.

We had no other turkey so we had to cook it- minus the "stuffing" .It was lucky we didn't have more people coming because this bird barely fed the family. Has anybody else ever seen this done to a Turkey? IMO its a very poor standard of butchery; especially for a so called "Craft Butcher".

the beer revolu · 26-12-2009 4:31pm

I would go back and demand satisfaction!!
Tell them that you are going to report the matter to the Craft Butcher Association if they don't recompence you to your satisfaction.

That was an act of complete schisterism and very disrespectful to expect you to not notice!

Please do not let this matter drop, for the sake of all consumers and for the sake of all good butchers.

Drake66 · 26-12-2009 4:34pm

Sorry mods I think this is on the wrong forum. Can you please cut it into the main one I can't figure out how to do it.

Drake66 · 26-12-2009 4:35pm

the beer revolu wrote: »

I would go back and demand satisfaction!!
Tell them that you are going to report the matter to the Craft Butcher Association if they don't recompence you to your satisfaction.

That was an act of complete schisterism and very disrespectful to expect you to not notice!

Please do not let this matter drop, for the sake of all consumers and for the sake of all good butchers.

We definitely intend to when the open after Christmas. We were annoyed as this is a butcher we use regularly

the beer revolu · 26-12-2009 4:36pm

Drake66 wrote: »

Sorry mods I think this is on the wrong forum. Can you please cut it into the main one I can't figure out how to do it.

I'm not a mod but I think it is fine here.
To be honest, I was posting here for about six months before I scrolled down and realised there was a main food and drink forum!!:o

the beer revolu · 28-12-2009 12:57pm

I'm amazed that no one else seems horrified at this kind of carry on!!:eek:

Minder · 28-12-2009 2:05pm

Never heard of that sort of behaviour before - sounds like your craft butcher improvised when he didn't have a bird of the correct weight. Why didn't he just own up and offer two lighter birds? I would complain and report the matter as advised above.

Please post the results of your confrontation - I'd love to hear the excuse.

CJhaughey · 28-12-2009 3:23pm

Thats pretty disgraceful TBH, and I would definately go back in and ask why this was done and that you want a) a refund or b) a proper turkey.
Tell them that unless this is resolved you are making a complaint about this to the ACBI ( I assume he is a member?)
No need to rip people off like this, what the hell did he think was going to happen to the breast when the bird was cooked? That it would magically combine into one homogenous lump?

brianthebard · 28-12-2009 9:03pm

the beer revolu wrote: »

I'm amazed that no one else seems horrified at this kind of carry on!!:eek:

I'm disgusted tbh, apart from the whole issue of making up the weight the op had no way of knowing what meat was added, how old it was, etc. I realise butchers are under pressure at this time of year but there's no excuse when the product has already been pre ordered. I also feel the op should name and shame the business, but perhaps we should wait for a mod to give the ok on that one....

Drake66 · 29-12-2009 12:39am

Hi guys just to let you know we went back to the butcher today and we were compensated for the turkey. Basically he said he had gotten loads of new staff in for christmas and he hadn't been happy with some of them. The guy who had served us I hadn't seen before so he must of been one of the guys he wasn't "happy" with. Although he didn't look like a chancer at the time, he evidently was. There is no way a trained butcher would of done anything like that. Cheers for your advice and comments

terenc · 29-12-2009 10:10pm

I dont know if I would let the butcher (OWNER /MANAGER) off so lightly. The person who gave you the turkey is been used has an excuse.
I believe a trained person would have to be responsible for even thinking up such a scam, just think of what the operation involed and owner/ manager didn't know this was happening on the premises.
From a heath and safety issue it should be reported to E.H.O.

terenc · 29-12-2009 10:19pm

I dont know if I would let the butcher (OWNER /MANAGER) off so lightly. The person who gave you the turkey is been used has an excuse.
I believe a trained person would have to be responsible for even thinking up such a scam, just think of what the operation involed and owner/ manager didn't know this was happening on the premises.
Its very much a health and safety issue and should be reported to the E.H.O.

Mike Litoris · 29-12-2009 10:41pm

I was a butcher for 10 years, the last 2 of those in a very well respected shop in Dublin though not a "craft" Butchers. I've never ever heard of this kind of carry on, not even in Moore's St. TBH, having a plaque on the door means nothing if it isn't put into practise.

Did the guy actually weigh it in front of you? Was it the correct weight in the end?

Quite often at this time of year the wrong Turkey or ham could be given to the wrong customer or even purposely given to a "prefered" customer if what they've ordered went missing or something. Normally if what the customer ordered isn't there when they come to collect it they're given an explaination, the next best thing and compensated ther and then.

At least you got compensated in the end but TBH I'd use another shop in future. The excuse sounds a bit iffy as it's a pretty bonkers and elaborate way to solve a common problem especially if you're a regular customer.

brianthebard · 30-12-2009 9:15pm

terenc wrote: »

I dont know if I would let the butcher (OWNER /MANAGER) off so lightly. The person who gave you the turkey is been used has an excuse.
I believe a trained person would have to be responsible for even thinking up such a scam, just think of what the operation involed and owner/ manager didn't know this was happening on the premises.
From a heath and safety issue it should be reported to E.H.O.

Agree, what does a seasonal worker have to gain by stuffing a turkey with extra meat, is he getting a cut of the profits? Unlikely. The butcher is a complete chancer.

"Stuffed" Turkey

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