In the 50 years Inverurie butcher Donald Russell has been in business, a lot has changed.
Except for one thing. People still want turkey for Christmas.
The bird remains by far the company’s top seller over the festive period.
And while other meats such as beef wellington may get a look in when it comes to Christmas dinner, turkey rules the roost.
“We don’t really sell turkeys throughout the course of the year, it is solely at Christmas time,” says Sean Russell, customer director for Donald Russell.
“We still sell roasts and some of your other products throughout the year, but for turkeys it’s Christmas that is the only window.”
Christmas is the busiest time of the year for butcher Donald Russell, which sells its products to customers across the globe through the Donald Russell website.
As Sean talks, he’s fielding messages and calls from staff busy processing orders, making sure people get exactly what they want for Christmas.
The customer director – who is not part of the Donald Russell family despite sharing a surname (“coincidence,” he says) – reveals there’s a real buzz on the company floor as the big day nears.
“Everyone loves Christmas at Donald Russell,” Sean says. “We really want our customers to have a fantastic Christmas dinner.”
But while that dinner is likely to be turkey, Sean adds that Donald Russell customers do order other kinds of meats for the holidays.
Steaks are popular, while the company sees plenty of demand for other year-round favourites.
“Beef Wellington is a really popular centerpiece at this time of year, as are roasting joints,” Sean says.
“You could have a five-bone Aberdeen, Himalayan salt, aged rib roast, right through to some of the simpler cuts like a Chateaubriand [steak].
“And it’s not just about the big day itself. It’s a really busy time of the year for lots of people, so we see people stock up on all sorts of things to make sure they’ve got something in the freezer for rustling up.”
The Donald Russell short rib Christmas tradition
As for more unusual Christmas traditions, Sean has one product in mind.
“I’ll let you in to a little secret,” he says. “One really popular product at this time of year is the Donald Russell beef short rib.”
Sean evocatively describes the slow-cooked joint: grass-fed beef on the bone, vacuum-packed and cooked for more than 10 hours immersed in warm water.
“It’s melt-in-the-mouth tender,” Sean continues.
And the price?
“£58 for two kilos,” he says. “That’s a real special piece of short rib.”
It’s a hefty amount. But the price underlines just how much emphasis people place on food over Christmas.
Some would argue, however, this year is different.
With purses tightening as the public gets to grips with rising energy costs, has Donald Russell seen its customers downsizing orders this Christmas?
Not yet, says Sean.
“The cost of living is on everyone’s mind, but we do see at Christmas that it’s the one time of the year when people want to indulge in spend on the big meal,” he adds. “[Customers] are still continuing to buy the higher price point items this year.”
Donald Russell is still taking Christmas orders. You can view the company website here. Meanwhile, click here for our festive focus on free-range turkey farm Tullochbeg Turkeys.
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