Christmas is a time for family, and for most British households, the centrepiece of celebrations is a family meal with a roast turkey. For farmers Tom Copas and Adam Henson, the spirit of family runs even deeper – they are each carrying on the work their fathers started with traditional farming practices to ensure the Cotswolds and Christmas become synonymous with the most delicious higher welfare turkeys.
Tom and Adam not only followed their fathers into farming, but have also had to explore ways to adapt and modernise to thrive in the highly competitive and challenging world of farming.
The definition of a “traditional turkey” is one which has been allowed to grow to full adult maturity in a natural environment, and never given additives for growth promotion. Commercial turkeys by comparison are grown quickly and cheaply, where the flesh is effectively ‘stretched’ and has no fat cover, resulting in meat that is often dry and coarse. Traditional turkeys are also dry plucked, ‘game hung’ and allowed to mature for up to 14 days, which enhances the flavour and texture of the meat.
These differences all cost more and create market challenges for the farmer, yet taking over the business in 2021 after his father passed away, Tom has managed to continue his father’s practices and grow the business.
‘It might sound odd, but the truth is that a happy turkey is a tasty turkey,’ says Tom. ‘Turkeys that have grown to maturity with a healthy diet and the freedom to run around in an open field are absolutely going to make a better Christmas dinner than turkeys who haven’t had that freedom or time.’
The focus on quality and taste through higher welfare and animal husbandry practices has been vital to the success of the Copas farm and given rise to the Copas reputation for ‘Very, Very Special Turkeys’.
The term “free range” means that a bird has spent at least half of their life outdoors, which can mean as little as 28 days in a barn and 28 days outdoors. A Copas Traditional turkey will have spent up to 182 days outdoors.
‘We use a variety of bronze breeds specifically selected as they grow at different times and rates and can be given time to develop a natural, mature bone and muscle structure,’ says Tom. ‘When we slow rear to six months old, the birds grow a layer of fat under their skin that makes them easy to cook and taste fantastic. Our customers return year after year because of the difference they taste in a Copas turkey.’
Turkeys are famously curious creatures, and like all birds, also famously nervous. At the Copas farm they are free to roam and explore, with musical instruments placed in the fields to enrich their environment, and alpacas to provide calming companionship and protection from foxes. Cover crops give natural foraging ground, something which this year was especially challenging as the seeds were washed away by intense rainfall and had to be completely planted again.
Care for the birds continues through every step, even at processing. The turkeys are processed on the farm, eliminating transportation stress and ensuring a calm environment right up until the end. While this humane approach matters to many families from an ethical perspective, it also makes a difference to the actual taste and texture of the meat, producing a tender, flavourful bird that’s easier to cook for a perfect Christmas dinner.
Joining forces at Christmas so that customers can collect a Copas turkey from the Cotswold Farm Park makes complete sense, given Tom and Adam’s shared agricultural heritage and shows that modern retail approaches like ‘Click & Collect’ can complement traditional farming practices perfectly.
Adam’s father, Joe Henson, founded Cotswold Farm Park in 1971 to protect British rare breeds, and in 1973, he founded the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST), which has helped save several breeds from extinction. Adam continues to run the park, advocating for high-welfare farming and rare breed conservation.
‘Family and heritage have always been at the heart of what we do here at Cotswold Farm Park,’ says Adam. ‘My father founded the park to preserve British Rare Breeds, ensuring future generations could experience a connection to the farm and our animals. At Christmas, this sense of family and tradition becomes even more special, as families come together to celebrate the season with food and farming at its core.’
Cotswold Farm Park embraces the festive season with its “Christmas on the Farm” events and is also now a Click & Collect point for Copas Traditional Turkeys, providing an opportunity for visitors to collect their Christmas turkey while enjoying a festive atmosphere.
Both Cotswold Farm Park and Copas farm encourage families to see animals and understand where their food comes from. Cotswold Farm Park is about enabling enjoyable interaction with farm animals and rare breeds, and although the turkeys at the Copas farm can’t be handled, a public footpath runs adjacent to the turkey fields, and the turkeys and their companion alpacas can be seen living their normal lives on a day-to-day basis.
Knowing that their Christmas turkey was well cared for and respected in life and death is increasingly important to families and can mean that meat eaters and vegetarians can sit down together more comfortably at the same table.
‘Christmas is all about bringing families together, and at Cotswold Farm Park, we love to be a part of that,’ says Adam. ‘Our festive events, from meeting Father Christmas to collecting your turkey, really capture the spirit of the season. Partnering with Copas allows us to offer a unique experience, where families can enjoy a day at the farm and leave with a Christmas turkey they know has been raised with care.’
Christmas orders
Copas Traditional Turkeys is now accepting Christmas orders, with Click & Collect available at Cotswold Farm Park on December 22. Customers have until December 16 to place their Click & Collect or home delivery orders. Orders for farm gate collection at Copas’ Kings Coppice Farm in Berkshire will be accepted until December 23. copasfarmshop.co.uk
COMPETITION
Win a Copas ‘Very, Very Special’ Turkey selection box, worth £525!
We have one Copas Decadent Turkey Selection Box, worth £525 – including a Copas ‘Very, Very Special Turkey – to be won in a competition.
Enter the competition draw by filling in your details in this link
Terms and conditions:
The competition closes on December 12, 2024, and the first correct answer selected at random will win the Copas Decadent Turkey Selection Box, worth £525.
Entrants must be 18 or over and Newsquest terms and conditions apply. Visit newsquest.co.uk/prize-competition-rules. The prize cannot be exchanged for cash or credit alternative. For information regarding how we process, handle and maintain your data, visit newsquest.co.uk/privacy-policy. One entry only per household. The winner will be notified by email/phone and must claim their prize within seven days or the prize will be drawn again.
The box must be collected from Cotswold Farm Park on December 22, or the winner can arrange home delivery. Cash alternatives not available.
