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The best turkeys for your Christmas Day dinner in 2026, from crowns to whole birds
Whether you prefer a crown or a whole turkey, these top-rated birds got the Good Housekeeping seal of approval
Tested by Georgia TurnellGHI Food & Drink Tester
This year, the Good Housekeeping Institute tried 30 whole birds and fuss-free turkey crowns in a quest to find the most delicious centrepiece for the big day.
Helping you avoid dreaded dry meat, our Good Housekeeping Institute panel was looking for turkeys with a naturally higher fat content and that all-important succulence and flavourful meat.
Whether you’re a fan of the brown leg meat or the white, juicy breast, the best turkeys should taste complex, with notes of grass, game, herbs and natural seasoning.
Best turkeys for Christmas 2026
- 1
Best turkey crown
Tesco Finest British Free Range Bronze Turkey Crown with a Pork, Cranberry & Chestnut Stuffing
Read review - 2
- 3
- 4
Best for white and dark meat
Exceptional by ASDA Free Range Corn-Fed Norfolk Bronze Turkey
Read review - 5
Sainsbury’s Turkey Crown with a Mulled Cider & Stuffing Topped with a Spiced Apple and Treacle Glaze
Read review
Read the full results of the GHI Christmas Taste test
How we test turkey
The Good Housekeeping Institute tasted 13 whole turkeys and 17 of the best turkey crowns to find the tastiest main for the big day. Each was cooked according to the brand’s instructions and served “blind” to a panel of experts and consumers, to avoid any brand bias. They tried a selection of fresh and frozen birds from supermarkets and online butchers, in a variety of weights and formats, to help you find the tastiest meat for every budget.
Read on for the results.
Tesco Finest British Free Range Bronze Turkey Crown with a Pork, Cranberry & Chestnut Stuffing
Tesco Finest British Free Range Bronze Turkey Crown with a Pork, Cranberry & Chestnut Stuffing
Score: 84/100
If you're looking to make Christmas dinner that little bit easier, Tesco's fuss-free turkey crown is hard to beat. The juicy breast comes with a sweet pork, cranberry and chestnut stuffing that adds festive flavour to every slice, while the tender meat impressed testers from the very first bite.
Key specifications
| Weight | 1.85-2.35kg |
|---|---|
| Serves | 8-10 |
| Fresh or frozen | Fresh |
| Welfare standard | Free-range |
| Available | 19 December 2026 |
Morrisons The Best Basted Stuffed Turkey Joint
Morrisons The Best Basted Stuffed Turkey Joint
Score: 83/100
Morrisons has done all the hard work for you with this generously loaded turkey crown. The addition of sweet pork, apple, cranberry and smoked chestnut stuffing, plus smoky bacon, means this turkey is ready to roast, carve and serve.
Key specifications
| Weight | 1.2kg |
|---|---|
| Serves | 4-6 |
| Fresh or frozen | Fresh |
| Welfare standard | Not provided |
| Available | 20 December 2026 |
Aldi Specially Selected Roly Poly Whole Turkey
Aldi Specially Selected Roly Poly Whole Turkey
Score: 82/100
For a tasty, great value whole turkey, Aldi's is our clear supermarket winner. Testers praised its rich, meaty flavour and naturally sweet, succulent meat, with one panellist adding that it would 'make a fantastic leftover turkey sandwich'.
Key specifications
| Weight | 4-5.99kg |
|---|---|
| Serves | 10-14 |
| Fresh or frozen | Fresh |
| Welfare standard | RSPCA-assured |
| Available | 19 December 2026 |
Exceptional by ASDA Free Range Corn-Fed Norfolk Bronze Turkey
Exceptional by ASDA Free Range Corn-Fed Norfolk Bronze Turkey
Score: 81/100
Whether you're team breast or prefer the darker thigh meat, ASDA's heritage bird delivers on both. Richly flavoured and beautifully succulent, it impressed our testers with its crisp skin and well-seasoned juices, making it a great crowd-pleasing choice for the Christmas table.
Key specifications
| Weight | 3.5kg |
|---|---|
| Serves | 4-6 |
| Fresh or frozen | Fresh |
| Welfare standard | Free-range |
| Available | 13 October 2026 |
Sainsbury’s Turkey Crown with a Mulled Cider & Stuffing Topped with a Spiced Apple and Treacle Glaze
Sainsbury’s Turkey Crown with a Mulled Cider & Stuffing Topped with a Spiced Apple and Treacle Glaze
Score: 80/100
This festive crown is all about the stuffing. Sweet apple, chestnut, mulled cider and pork bring plenty of seasonal flavour, while the salty bacon rashers add a delicious hint of smokiness.
Key specifications
| Weight | 1.9-2.5kg |
|---|---|
| Serves | 8 |
| Fresh or frozen | Fresh |
| Welfare standard | Free-range |
| Available | 22 December 2026 |
Waitrose No.1 Slow Cooked Double Butter Basted Free Range Turkey Crown
Waitrose No.1 Slow Cooked Double Butter Basted Free Range Turkey Crown
Score: 79/100
Slow-cooked and double-basted with butter, Waitrose's turkey crown is exceptionally tender making it very easy to carve. The pork, sage and onion stuffing adds sweet, gently spiced warmth while the delicate flavour makes this a fuss-free centrepiece for the big day.
Key specifications
| Weight | 2kg |
|---|---|
| Serves | 6 |
| Fresh or frozen | Fresh |
| Welfare standard | Free-range |
| Available | 20 December 2026 |
Daylesford Whole Organic Bronze Turkey
Daylesford Whole Organic Bronze Turkey
Score: 78/100
Daylesford lets the quality of the bird do the talking here. Rich yet delicate, the succulent organic meat is balanced by buttery notes and bright, savoury juices. Both the white and dark meat impressed our panel – a refined choice for those who prefer their turkey beautifully understated.
Key specifications
| Weight | 5-8kg |
|---|---|
| Serves | 6-16 |
| Fresh or frozen | Fresh |
| Welfare standard | Organic |
| Available | 18 December 2026 |
Lidl Norfolk Free Range Stuffed Bronze Turkey Crown with a British Pork, Chestnut, Onion & Thyme Stuffing, Topped With British Bacon
Lidl Norfolk Free Range Stuffed Bronze Turkey Crown with a British Pork, Chestnut, Onion & Thyme Stuffing, Topped With British Bacon
Score: 78/100
The stuffing is the real star of Lidl's turkey crown. Packed with sage, chestnut and apple, it pairs beautifully with smoky bacon to create a comforting, festive combination. A great choice if you're after plenty of flavour without the fuss.
Key specifications
| Weight | 1.5-2.5kg |
|---|---|
| Serves | 4-6 |
| Fresh or frozen | Fresh |
| Welfare standard | Free-range, RSPCA-assured |
| Available | 19 December 2026 |
COOK Stuffed Crown of Turkey for Eight
COOK Stuffed Crown of Turkey for Eight
Score: 77/100
Everything's taken care of with COOK's stuffed turkey crown. Tender turkey, herby pork, cranberry and apricot stuffing, plus crisp, salty bacon make this an easy centrepiece – just remember to defrost before the big day.
Key specifications
| Weight | 2.6kg |
|---|---|
| Serves | 8 |
| Fresh or frozen | Frozen |
| Welfare standard | Higher-welfare |
| Available | 28 October |
Exceptional by ASDA Free Range & Corn-Fed Norfolk SlateTraditional Heritage Breed Stuffed Turkey Parcel 1.2kg
Exceptional by ASDA Free Range & Corn-Fed Norfolk SlateTraditional Heritage Breed Stuffed Turkey Parcel 1.2kg
Score: 76/100
For something a little different this year, ASDA has reimagined the classic crown as a boneless parcel of turkey breast wrapped in dry-cured smoked bacon. Slice into it at the table to reveal the herby stuffing inside. It’s perfect for smaller gatherings, and you won’t still be eating turkey curry by New Year.
Key specifications
| Weight | 1.2kg |
|---|---|
| Serves | 4-6 |
| Fresh or frozen | Fresh |
| Welfare standard | Free-range |
| Available | 13 October |
These also passed...
- Edenmoor Turkey Crown, £107.95 for 2.8kg, Score: 75/100
- Aldi Specially Selected Roly Poly Glazed Turkey Crown, from £31.49 for 1.5kg, Score: 74/100
- Field & Flower Free Range Bronze Frenchbeer Turkey, £104.95 for 5-6kg, Score: 74/100
- Kelly Bronze Organic Turkey Breast Joint, £55 for 1.2kg, Score: 73/100
- Edenmoor Whole Turkey, £110.95 for 4kg, Score: 73/100
- Tesco Finest Bronze Free Range Turkey, from £65.89 for 5.99kg, Score: 73/100
- Field & Flower Free Range Bronze Frenchbeer Turkey Crown, £99.95 for 3-4kg, Score: 72/100
- Iceland Luxury Perfect Double Bacon Turkey, £25 for 1.5kg, Score: 71/100
How do you pick a good turkey?
You may want to consider a free-range bird, which means the turkey has been left to roam freely outside in natural conditions, enjoying a natural diet as they would in the wild.
Free-range birds tend to grow more slowly, resulting in more fat (and therefore flavour), making them significantly less likely to dry out when you cook them.
Where possible, go for the highest welfare option you can afford, as we find you can taste it in the finished dish. We’ve included a selection of fresh and frozen turkey crowns and whole birds that fit the bill.
However, with budgets tighter this year, we’re also confident we’ve found the best value turkeys on the market, starting from just £36.50, to help you make your feast go further.
What size turkey is best?
This depends on how many you’ve got coming to dinner! Generally, you’ll want about 175g of cooked meat per person. To put that into perspective, a small 2.5kg turkey crown will serve about six people, while a whole medium turkey (4-5kg) will feed between six to 10 people.
And don’t forget about leftovers for Boxing Day sandwiches!
Stacey looks after all food and drink reviews — from coffee pods and veg boxes, to natural wine and tequila. Stacey is also founder of Crummbs, where she’s written nearly 2,000 restaurant and hotel reviews since 2013. Prior to this, Stacey wrote hundreds of in-depth buying guides for the Independent, i newspaper and BBC Good Food, as well as reviewing restaurants and interviewing celebrities in her column at Balance Magazine. Stacey has also appeared in BAFTA-nominated BBC documentary Blood, Sweat & Takeaways, where she investigated South East Asia's food production industry, appearing on both Newsnight and BBC World Service to share her findings. Regularly checking out the latest restaurants, bars and product launches, Stacey also loves experimenting with recipes at home, and is a WSET-certified wine and spirits expert, with over 10 years of experience in the business. You can follow Stacey on Instagram @crummbs_uk
Georgia has been part of the hospitality industry for the last nine years. Her starting point was the world-renowned Le Cordon Bleu culinary school where she gained a Diplôme de Pâtisserie. She has worked at a number of well-known restaurants and bakeries including The Club at the Ivy and Ottolenghi, Notting Hill where she was the head pastry chef. Most recently, Georgia worked at The Clink Bakery inside HMP Brixton, which aims to reduce reoffending through teaching. She is an expert in all things baked goods and holds a WSET level 2 in wine.
