A Visit to Starveall Farm - September 2025
We take great pride in going every Autumn to see Mike at his family farm in the beautiful Buckinghamshire countryside. Even on the wet and grey day of our visit, the rolling hills and fields surrounding Starveall Farm looked truly special.
We began our visit in Mike’s spotless office, where he shared the history of the farm.
His father bought the land in 1988; then just 400 acres of predominantly arable crops. A year later he bred his first 50 turkeys. 36 years later, the family farm produces more than 8,500 turkeys and 1,000 geese each year. Mike still works alongside his father, and his young son is already helping out on weekends. Starveall is, at its heart, a truly family-run farm.
Walking through the fields with Mike, it was clear how much pride he takes in his work.
The turkeys and geese roam freely in lush, long grass, with constant access to food and water through carefully designed automatic feeding systems. These innovations ensure the farm is both economically sustainable and, most importantly, that the birds live happy, well-cared-for lives.
It is impressive to see how British farmers like Mike…
…are adapting, through regenerative farming techniques and diversification, to face the challenges of modern agriculture, not helped by successive governments failure to value our food producers. Mike has built a farming system that supports not only his immediate family, but also the local community; Starveall takes huge pride in employing more than 50 seasonal staff every year.
Why Free-Range Matters?
“Visiting Starveall Farm was a powerful reminder of why free-range matters. These birds live active lives outdoors, enjoying fresh air, space, and a natural diet – just the way nature intended. That freedom not only makes for happier, healthier animals but also results in better quality meat, succulent, full of flavour, and a world apart from intensively farmed alternatives.
Choosing free-range, high-welfare, locally reared meat is about more than just taste. It’s about supporting British farmers, protecting the countryside, sustaining rural communities and ensuring high welfare standards. Yes, a Christmas turkey comes at a higher price point, but when you’ve seen first-hand the care, skill, and dedication that go into raising these birds, the value becomes unquestionable.
Walking away, I couldn’t help but reconsider my own habits, and it’s made me think twice about where my meat really comes from. Seeing the care, skill, and dedication that go into raising these birds makes it clear why Starveall’s turkeys and geese are so exceptional.
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Why Choose Starveall Turkeys?
Starveall’s turkeys are Kelly Bronze, an award-winning breed celebrated for their flavour and quality. But it’s the way they are reared at Starveall Farm that makes them truly exceptional — so much so that Starveall are the supplier of choice for Harrods at Christmas. Each turkey is dry-plucked, hand-finished, and hung to develop the best flavour, then delivered in a convenient carry-home box with cooking instructions to help Christmas Day run smoothly.
Order Your Christmas Turkey from Cobbs Butchery
This year, you can order your Free-Range Starveall Christmas Turkey directly through our butchery counters from mid-October-either online, or in-store. Alongside your turkey, you’ll also find all the festive trimmings your Christmas table could ask for.