The Surgery - Tips to make sure the customers will gobble up your turkey

Dear Surgery: Turkey is often seen as a bit of a boring choice for Christmas. How can I market it a bit better on the menu?

The Surgery says:

Whether it's simply because it's the traditional festive favourite, or because it is so versatile and healthy, turkey remains the number-one Christmas dinner choice. But don't forget that turkey has a variety of menu applications. Not only is it good for the great British roast but its subtle flavour means it can carry a wide variety of sauces and spices and can also be used for Italian and Mediterranean-style dishes, curries, casseroles, stir fries and fajitas.

Turkey provides an ideal alternative to red meats and chicken and is becoming an increasingly-popular consumer choice, being naturally low in fat and cholesterol.

Apart from the whole turkey, which is ideal for roasts, carveries, buffets and - of course - the traditional Christmas lunch, there are also boned-and-rolled breast joints, with and without stuffings, pre-cooked joints, breast steaks and fillets with sauces/stuffings. Naturally low in fat (lower than chicken), low in cholesterol and rich in nutrients such as B6, B12 and Zinc, turkey is the only meat-based "superfood", according to Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life by Steven Pratt.

These foods are highlighted as those offering "powerhouse"

nutritional benefits. British turkey is produced to the highest standards in the UK and the "Quality British Turkey" mark sets the standard for the best of British turkey.

The British Turkey Sector Group, which manages the assurance scheme, has broadened its scope to cover every aspect of bird welfare, traceability and food safety, from the hatchery to final processing. This mark represents one of the toughest and best accreditation schemes in the world.

Quality British Turkey represents full traceability from farm to plate. Use this as an added-value benefit and flag up the British angle on your menu to assure your customers that you only buy British.

For more information, recipe booklets and posters contact British Turkey, Tel: 0800 783 9994 or visit www.britishturkey.co.uk