Christmas Every Week: Talkin’ Turkey
Arnold Kellett’s poem tells in East Yorkshire dialect how turkey arrived in a village in the Big County.
Di yer knaw 'at Kessmas turkey,
T' nation's fav'rite champion rooast,
A long while sin' - i' Tudor times
Cem ti roost on t' Yorkshire cooast?
It's reight, yer knaw - a Boynton feller
William Strickland, sooa the' say,
Browt t' fost bods frev ower t' ooacean,
Ti Bollinton's 'istoric Bay.
'E'd copped a feew i' t' brave Neew World,
To wheear 'e'd saailed wi' young Cabot,
'E thowt: 'The'll breed, an' fetten up,
An' grandish taaste, when pipin' 'ot!'
'E landed 'at Brid, an' took 'is bods
Ti Boynton village, just clooase by;
In t' choch ther's a turkey carved - i' wood
Ah bet ther's fooaks oft wondered why.
Well, seean the' spread all ower t' kingdom,
Caught on saame as Yorksher Pud
But sooth o' t' booarder thoo'll neean taaste
Puds ner turkeys awfas good!
Beware o' suthern imitaations!
Proper Puddin's 'ard ti mak:
All yon sad an' soggy dollops
Yan cannot stomach sike poor tack!
It's f saame wi't' turkey - cook it slowly,
Baaste yon breast wi' lovin' care;
Then give it t' prahde o' place on t' taable
Traditional, 'olesome Yorksher fare!]
Ah'm capped 'at Strickland's neean got credit
For t' Kessmas culinary tops
Just leeak at yond! All go widen broon
Bah, ther's slavver runnin' doon mi chops!
Ah'll carve a slahce or two for thoo, lad,
Wi' steamin' stuffin; from t' insahde
An t' best of all yer taasty trimmins
Just a dash o' Yorksher prahde!
**
To order a copy of Arnold’s book Kellett’s Christmas please click on http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kellets-Christmas-Arnold-Kellett/dp/1858521157/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231273574&sr=1-4
