Our fresh food

A passion for poultry

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• Wye Valley

  Morrisons own-brand Wye Valley chickens are reared on small farms in the Wye Valley, which is an area of outstanding natural beauty that covers Herefordshire, Gloucestershire and Monmouthshire. Here, the chickens are well cared for and allowed to grow slowly, which enhances their flavour.

  Wye Valley chicken farms are also RSPCA Freedom Food accredited. The Freedom Food mark ensures that the chickens have been reared to meet welfare standards set by the RSPCA. These standards cover every aspect of the chicken’s life including their feed, living conditions, handling and transport. Simply look out for the Freedom Food RSPCA Monitored logo to be sure of what you’re buying.

• Happy chicks

  To comply with RSPCA Freedom Food standards and to help keep the chickens happy and healthy, the birds are given 25 per cent more space than those reared under industry standards. This encourages them to run around and express natural behaviour, such as flapping their wings and foraging.

  Chickens are naturally inquisitive and need a stimulating living space, so Freedom Food approved farms provide them with objects to peck at and perch on, such as footballs, hanging CDs and wooden perches. Lighting is also taken into consideration. RSPCA standards insist on brighter lighting, which encourages the birds to be active, followed by a period of darkness, for an adequate period of rest.

• Free-range

  Morrisons is proud to have Devon-based poultry company Lloyd Maunder as its trusted supplier of RSPCA Freedom Food accredited free-range and Soil Association accredited organic chicken. The company was started by the Maunder family in 1898 and was the first to supply free-range chicken for the retail market in 1996.

  In its search for a slow-growing breed of bird more suited to these new rearing methods, Lloyd Maunder introduced the Devonshire Red to its farms. The breed, which is supplied to Morrisons, is grown on small, family-run farms in the West Country. Lively, robust and slow-growing, the Devonshire Red produces meat with fabulous flavour and texture.

  As their name suggests, Devonshire Red free-range chickens roam outdoors in large, grassy paddocks with natural shade provided by trees and shrubs. This
  encourages the birds to range, forage and scratch around. At night, the chickens return to their barns, where they are kept safe from predators.

  What’s more, each of the West Country farms that produces the Devonshire Red free-range chicken protects and encourages wildlife on the farm. You can trace each chicken back to its farm on the Devonshire Reds website, www.devonshirered.co.uk, using the farm name displayed on the pack.

  So, whether you opt for Wye Valley, free-range or organic chicken you can be certain that they are RSPCA Freedom Food or Soil Association accredited, so you won’t compromise on welfare standards or price.

• DID YOU KNOW...

  • Back in 1950 chicken was a treat – most British people ate less than a kilo a year. Now it’s become so accessible that on average we each eat 23kg of chicken a year!
  • Chicken is good for you! It’s lower in fat and higher in protein than red meat, and it’s full of nutrients such as vitamins B6 and B12.
  • Britain’s favourite meat can help to lift your spirits too! It contains amino acids that produce serotonin, the hormone that makes you feel happy.
  • Chicken is favoured by royalty – in 1953 Coronation Chicken was invented especially for the Queen’s Coronation lunch.