Sutton Hoo Whole Chicken
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A Sutton Hoo free-range whole chicken — the slow-grown Suffolk bird that has become a quiet benchmark for properly raised British chicken. Sutton Hoo was founded in 1994 by Charles and Belinda Nash on the banks of the River Deben in Suffolk, with a clear ambition: to rear chicken to the traditional standard the British countryside used to take for granted, before intensive supermarket production rewrote the category. Three decades on, the farm is still working to the same principles. The birds are a traditional slower-growing breed, raised genuinely free in the field, and grown for an average of 10 weeks — around 25% longer than standard free-range chicken on the UK market — with full access to grass, pasture and a varied natural diet.
The difference at the table is meaningful, and it is the reason serious cooks specifically ask for Sutton Hoo by name. The longer rearing time builds proper muscle structure and a higher proportion of intramuscular fat, which means the meat carries weight and flavour in a way that the standard supermarket bird simply does not. The skin crisps cleanly under the heat of a hot oven; the breast meat stays moist rather than drying out; the legs and thighs eat with a depth of flavour closer to game than to industrial poultry. The bones make excellent stock — long, deep, gelatinous — and the carcass extends across two or three meals if you cook it well.
This is the right chicken to roast on a Sunday for the family, to spatchcock for a fast Tuesday-night dinner, or to poach gently for a serious poule au pot.
Sizes: Medium - 1.75kg to 1.99kg Large - 2kg to 2.39kg Extra Large - 2.4kg to 2.8kg
Producer: Sutton Hoo Chicken, Kennel Farm, Woodbridge, Suffolk, England · Founded 1994
Breed: Traditional slower-growing breed
Rearing: Free in the field, grown for an average of 10 weeks (25% longer than standard free range)
Diet: Natural, varied, grass and pasture access
Ingredients: Whole chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus)
Storage: Keep refrigerated at 0–4°C. Use by the date on the pack
Allergens: None
