Buyers looking for the freshest Christmas turkey flocked to York Auction Centre’s Dressed Poultry Christmas sale this morning in Murton, York.
Hundreds of people crammed into the warehouse to attend one of the UK’s largest poultry sales looking to snap up the centrepiece for their Christmas dinner tables.
Families were spoilt for choice as there were 900 birds up for grabs including 600 turkeys as well as geese, phesants, chickens, partridge and duck.
As well as butchers selling their oven-ready meat savvy shoppers were in attendance to avoid supermarket checkout queues.
The annual event started a little bit later that usual this year as you had to be there at 10.30am to bag yourself a bargain, rather than the usual 7.00am.
Crowds had a chance to peruse what was on offer before the meat was paraded by auctioneers and then sold off to the highest bidder.
This morning butchers and wholesalers offered up their finest poultry to the public in time for Christmas Day. This proud auction assistant held up one of his freshest turkeys that went on auction this morning
These two men were getting ready to parade their birds to the people who had come to buy poultry from the York Auction Centre’s Dressed Poultry Christmas sale auction in Murton, York
Buyers looking for their Christmas centrepiece flocked to the auction to purchase turkeys, geese, phesants, chickens, partridge and duck ready for the big day
Sellers put out their display of dressed poultry and then paraded it around the auction centre so that buyers could pick the turkey they wanted to purchase. Before the auction the auction assistants also weigh the birds
As well as butchers selling their oven-ready meat savvy shoppers were in attendance to avoid supermarket checkout queues. The auction gave people the chance to hand pick the freshest turkey or other type of poultry for Christmas Day
Thrifty families and people only wanting to tuck into the freshest of birds on Christmas day also squeezed into the hall to buy their perfect festive food
The annual event started a little bit later that usual this year as you had to be there at 10.30am to bag yourself a bargain, rather than the usual 7.00am
Sold! Auction participants fight it out to purchase the best poultry in time for Christmas. People watch as the auction commences and the bidding begins
Turkeys tied at the leg wait to be presented to the crowds of people who turned up to purchase poultry at the auction which started at 10.30am this moring in York
Before the annual sale commences auction assisstants have to weigh and arrange the birds to make sure that they look presentable to possible buyers
Hundreds of oven-ready birds each have to be laid out before the auction starts by auction assisstants who carefully check over each one to make sure that they are up to scratch
Although turkey is the usual Christmas meat of choice in prior to 1950 was goose and before that it had previously been roast pheasant, peacock and even roast swan
Consumers in the UK reportedly spend over £300 million on turkey alone over the Christmas season
The birds were displayed with tied legs and were defeathered from the neck down presumably to show what the bird will look like on the day it is cooked
After crowds had a chance to peruse what was on offer, the meat was paraded by auctioneers and then sold off to the highest bidder
Victory! Successful bidders got to take their Christmas bird ready to cook and place at the centre of their table on Christmas Day