Fights breaking out at the checkout counters in Waitrose as angry shoppers battled for the few remaining stocks. Reports of black market birds changing hands for thousands in the posher parts of London. Twitter feeds cluttered with pictures of nut roasts, tofu crowns, and chestnut bakes taking pride of place on the Christmas table, as people desperately tried out the alternatives. You probably noticed the Great Turkey Shortage this year. Christmas went ahead more or less as normal, but of course Brexit meant there weren’t any turkeys available anywhere, just as the farmers had warned.
Only a couple of months ago, we were all being told that turkeys would inevitably be in short supply this year. ‘There is a likelihood there will be a shortage,’ the British Poultry Council told MPs.
For all the scare stories, there were lots of turkeys available in the shops, and as many pigs in blankets and bottles of champagne as you felt like buying
Such predictions were splashed across a credulous media.
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