Bernard Matthews - "Bootiful!"

Getting the bird for Christmas - December 1983.

Turkey roasts? Turkey steaks? Turkey sausages? Yum!

In fact, absolutely bootiful!

Norfolk turkey farmer Bernard Matthews came up with the advertising phrase "bootiful" in 1980.

The story goes that when the first of the ads was filmed in 1980, the Director asked Mr Matthews, who was standing on the lawn outside Great Witchingham Hall, all ready to become an ad star, how he personally would describe his turkey, and Mr Matthews replied

"Bootiful, of course."

Newspaper ads of the time ("Matthews Golden Norfolk Turkeys - as seen on T.V.") indicate that the telly ads were first screened in early 1981.

And "Bootiful" soon swept the country.

The first "bootiful" TV ad, filmed in 1980.

What about the workers?" - another "bootiful" ad, this time from 1982.

"Do yourself a flavour for 1981" - Daily Mirror, January 2, 1981:

"Turkey will gobble up more of our money in unexpected ways - turkey bacon, burgers and bangers."

An early piece of newspaper advertising linked to the TV advertising campaign, "Daily Mirror", April 1981: "Matthews Golden Norfolk Turkeys (as seen on T.V.)"

A break from talking turkey - Bernard on screen in 1988 advertising his lamb roasts.

Thinking back, my own personal Bernard Matthews favourites were the turkey roasts - creating a Sunday dinner effect without the hassle of cooking a joint - and the turkey sausages - great with savoury rice - a meal I ate about three times a week in my carefree, flat-sharing days of the mid-to-late 1980s!