Christmas with a smile for turkey

Terrific personalty: Ann and Michael Moorhouse with award-winning Blue Farrah

Blue Farrah the champion turkey is one bird who can look forward to Christmas with a smile.

This hen will not adorn a lunch table because she has claimed top honours at The Poultry Club of Great Britain show - a beauty pageant for poultry.

Her owners Ann and Michael Moorhouse of Pontrobert, Powys, selected "Blue", as she is known, from a breeding flock.

As with most beauty queens, Blue is said to be "well proportioned" and has a "terrific personality".

She will be entered for competition next year too, but at the moment is being used to breed future champions.

Aged one, she is from a breed known as Slate.

She's a lovely bird Ann Moorhouse

Blue has scooped the champion turkey prize at The Poultry Club of Great Britain national championship.

Her owners Mr and Mrs Moorhouse, who a live near the town of Llanfair Caereinion, rear organic turkeys for the Christmas market.

Mrs Moorhouse said Blue was a winner because she was "well proportioned" and had a great personality.

"She was selected as a show bird by my daughter and husband because she has a terrific personality - she is also very curious and tame," she added.

"She is well proportioned, calm, steady has a good coloured beak, nails and her feathering is good too.

"She's a lovely bird."

Janice Houghton-Wallace, secretary of Turkey Club UK, said prize-winning turkeys had to be in top condition, and Blue ticked all the boxes.

She added: "The Slate breed has a beautiful blue-grey colour and Blue has a wonderful deep blue colouring and the flecks are perfect. She was just in the best condition.

"The national championship is a bit more than a beauty pageant. Just like other competitions featuring animals, owners take immense pride in rearing an exceptional animal - it's stockmanship."