Good quality turkey that might otherwise have gone to waste is being shared with people who need it most this Christmas, thanks to a pioneering campaign.

The Leg Up project is the brainchild of Sam Mahoney, head of food and farming at Field & Flower, who recognised that hundreds of turkey legs were left surplus over the festive period because many buyers prefer crowns.

The solution is to share these turkey legs with FareShare South West, putting premium quality meat on the table for families across the south west who might otherwise have gone without.

This year, the Somerset-based business will be sharing enough turkey for 1,200 Christmas dinners.

“Ten years ago, I was a butcher’s apprentice, and my job was to come in on 28 December and bone out a load of turkey legs, because everyone comes for crowns,” said Sam.

“You vacuum pack them and spend eight months working out what to do with them. But I wanted to put them in the hands of people who really know what to do with them, like FareShare South West.

“It’s from the same animal that’s been free ranging this whole time, game hung, dry plucked by hand, bronze turkeys - the legs get all the same amount of work as the breast meat. I firmly believe that these are the best value free-range protein money can buy in the UK. We pull out the sinews too, so it eats more like a chicken thigh.

“The farmer gets paid, FareShare South West gets food, and people get to eat delicious high-quality meat.”

This year, Sam and the team have come up with another creative solution to make the most of their quality turkeys: bone broth.

“Boneless breast is very popular, and boneless breast rolls too, so the bones and wings are left. We sell really good chicken broth and beef broth already, and the broth company are very close to the turkey farm so it makes sense to do a turkey broth too,” adds Sam.

They’re expecting to produce 1,000 bottles of bone broth as a result – and the profit from every bottle sold will go to FareShare South West.

FareShare South West chief executive Lucy Bearn said: “Support from local food suppliers and their customers is fundamental to what we do at FareShare South West: fighting food waste, sharing good food, sustaining a network of local charities at the heart of their communities.

“Dignity is really important to people who access food support, so high-quality food from such a trusted name makes a huge difference. Field & Flower’s commitment and innovation is profoundly impactful – thank you.”

The Leg Up campaign is the result of a long-standing partnership between FareShare South West and Field & Flower. It is a real testament to the power of collaboration and is particularly valuable because the price of high-quality meat makes it inaccessible to so many.

This campaign helps break down barriers and ensure high-quality meat can be available for all.