Lidl turkey sparks Christmas dinner price war with luxury festive meat sold cheaper than rivals Waitrose and Marks and Spencer

A CHRISTMAS turkey price war has been sparked after Lidl launched a "luxurious" free-range option at just £8.99 per kg.

The game-hung, hand-plucked option is £4 per kg cheaper than the luxury Waitrose option, and £6 per kg cheaper than the Marks and Spencer offering.

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Lidl claims the turkey is its “most luxurious bird ever”, with the 4kg option costing £35.96 and 6kg option costing £53.94.

Waitrose’s option is available in 6kg to 8kg and priced at £77.94 and £103.92, while the most expensive is Marks and Spencer’s option - available in 4kg to 5.5kg - and priced between £60 and £82.50.

The three supermarkets are the only ones offering such high-quality birds.

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This is defined by how they are prepared before being sold at supermarkets, including being dry-plucked - when the method of feather removal leaves the turkey softer and therefore crispier after being cooked.

They are also hung for a minimum of seven days, allowing the meat's protein to break down and become more tender.

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A Waitrose spokesman said: "All of our turkeys are farmed on our exclusive farms to our high welfare standards, with natural daylight, fresh air, room to move around and always fed a diet free from GM soya protein as a minimum standard."

A Marks and Spencer spokesman said: "Our Devonshire bronze turkeys are delicious and reared to the highest animal welfare standards by our farmers whom we know and trust."

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