Fancy something different to roast turkey this Christmas?
Waitrose Cook Alex Szrok (who has a background in butchery, so knows his meat) shares his guide to serving alternative meats for the big day.
“Think sticky glazed ham – arguably the ultimate leftover, too – 10-hour short ribs (cooked by us!), and hearty, rich venison. There are endless delicious alternatives to turkey for sharing with loved ones this Christmas.”
Beef
“Beef always features on my table during Christmas,” says Alex. “Roasted to pink perfection and served with braised red cabbage and pomme dauphinoise, or braised until tender and yielding, with a huge crown-like Yorkshire pud and lashings of horseradish. Our 2026 Christmas products have done most of the hard work, so you can just stick it in the oven and enjoy.”
Beef cooking guide: For a medium rare joint – rib of beef, fillet or sirloin – go hot and fast, 200-200°C/180-200°C fan/gas 6-7, 35-40 minutes per kg. For a slow-cooked joint of approx 2kg, go low and slow, with some liquid.
No.1 British 30 Day Dry Aged Beef Wing Rib
Serves 8-10
A large bone-in beef joint prepared by hand and dry-aged. This technique results in beef that is deeper in colour, with a smooth texture and a rich, buttery taste. French trimming gives a neat finish, perfect for a special meal. A smaller version is also available in store.
Slow Cooked Beef Short Ribs with Red Wine & Thyme
Serves 6
Seasoned with onion and garlic, these short ribs are slow cooked for 10 hours to make them meltingly tender and full of flavour – the meat just falls from the bone. Finished with a rich confit shallot, port and bone marrow jus.
British Wagyu Beef Sirloin Joint
Serves 4-6
Tender, juicy Wagyu beef that is succulent and full of flavour. Serve with golden roast potatoes, Yorkshires, horseradish sauce and all the trimmings.
Highland Bone-in Rib of Beef
Serves 12-20
An impressive bone-in rib-of-beef joint that’s bursting with deep flavour. It’ll add the wow factor to any spread.
Duck & Goose
“Such Victorian glamour! So juicy and flavour-packed. I love cooking duck and goose because you can get such heavenly crisp skin from all that glorious fat,” explains Alex. “They pair with those festive fruity flavours so well, and it helps to balance that wonderful richness. Show-stoppers, both!”
Duck and goose cooking time: 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6, 30 minutes per kg.
Easy Carve Duck with Plum & Chestnut
Serves 6
Save time on the big day by prepping in advance.
No.1 Free Range Goose
Serves 6
A tender, succulent whole goose with richly flavoured meat. The giblets inside make a wonderful gravy. These birds are reared with the freedom to roam and forage in open pastures.
Gammon
A must for Alex at Christmas: “I like to roast a ham for no particular reason other than making sure there’s always a slice or two somewhere near me at all times. Served hot with cauliflower cheese and too much English mustard, or sliced obnoxiously thick with good cheddar in a late-night sandwich, gammon has to happen. And… all our pork is 100% British and free-range.”
Gammon cooking guide: 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4, 30 minutes per 500g, plus 30 minutes.
Slow Cooked British Free Range Gammon Joint with Triple Citrus Marmalade
Serves 8
Succulent free-range gammon, sweet cured and marinated in Christmas spices, slow cooked for tenderness and finished with a sticky triple-citrus glaze. Left bone-in for maximum flavour, it’s delicious with Christmas Day turkey or as part of a Boxing Day buffet with buttered potatoes and salad.
No.1 Free Range Bone-in Gammon with Muscovado & Wildflower Honey
Serves 11-13
Beautifully succulent free-range meat cured with sugar and spices. It comes with a sachet of sweet, sticky muscovado sugar and wildflower honey to finish.
Glazed Gammon with Mulled Apple
Serves 6-8
A sweet-cured, free-range British gammon joint with a spiced rub and an apple and cider glaze.
Free Range Extra Large Easy Carve Boneless Gammon
Serves: 14-15
A tender, free-range, unsmoked gammon joint, boneless for easy carving. Make it the main event, pair with turkey for Christmas dinner, or serve cold on Boxing Day.
Venison
Elegant, sophisticated, both rich and delicate – Alex is a big fan of venison. “We should all be eating more of it. Our grass- and forage-fed venison is a gorgeous choice for Christmas: evocative, special and, ultimately, super delicious. It pairs so well with hedgerow flavours such as sloe berries and sweet herbs.”
Venison cooking guide: Venison cooks much like beef, but it's a little more delicate. It’s wonderful cooked medium-rare, with an internal temperature of around 52-54°C.
No.1 British Venison Wellington
Serves 4
The classic puff-pastry Wellington – with a twist. Venison loin is topped with wild mushroom duxelles made with chestnut mushrooms, Madeira wine and thyme.
British Venison Saddle with a Fruity, Sloe Gin & Blackberry Glaze
Serves 4
One of the most tender cuts of venison, it’s lean and full of flavour. Ready to roast, it comes with a tangy sloe gin and blackberry glaze. It makes a delicious alternative to turkey for smaller gatherings, or a centrepiece roast for festive entertaining.
Pork
“I am genuinely thrilled that dry-aged pork is now available to our wonderful customers,” says Alex. “It’s incredible. Dry-ageing creates the best crackling, and the most delicious, intense and complex flavour to the meat. A classic pork joint often gets overlooked this time of year, but our new range is so special it could easily take centre stage.”
Pork cooking guide: Tips for crackling – pat the skin dry before cooking and start good and hot to help kick-start the crackle.
No.1 Free Range Dry Aged British Pork Crackling 8 Bone Rack
Serves 8-10
A French-trimmed, dry-aged, free-range pork crackling rack with eight bones, sprinkled with sea salt and black pepper.
No.1 Dry Aged Pork Belly with Apple & Armagnac Sauce
Serves 6-8
British free-range, dry-aged pork belly joint seasoned with sea salt and pepper, and a Bramley apple and Armagnac sauce.
Duchy Organic Free Range Rack of British Pork
Serves 8
A hand-prepared, French-trimmed, free-range rack of pork from organically reared pigs. With lovely crispy crackling, it makes a fabulous alternative to turkey at Christmas.
No.1 Free Range Porchetta
Serves 10-12
Inspired by Italian culinary tradition, free-range pork loin is topped with a herb, garlic, lemon and fennel rub, wrapped in free-range pork belly. A delicious combo of succulent meat and crisp crackling.
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