The Christmas dinner will be one to savour for families across Norfolk this weekend after they successfully bid for some high quality turkeys at an annual auction.

More than 200 bidders flocked to T W Gaze auction house in Diss yesterday to see if they could catch a prime bird for this Sunday's festive dinner at the annual Christmas poultry show and sale.

And they had some high quality entries to choose from among the 250 plucked and oven-ready turkeys, chickens, geese and ducks on show, lovingly hand reared on farms and smallholdings within a 20 mile radius of the auction house.

Judge Trevor Edwards, a farmer from Eye, said although the number of birds was down on the 300 at last year's auction, the standard was up.

He added: 'I am expecting these birds to make a brisk trade and I am expecting to spend a bit of money myself so it may get a bit expensive.'

Auctioneer Edward Baskerville said there were more geese on show than usual and there was a growing trend away from rough plucked birds that used to be sold at auctions to oven ready produce, with 75pc of the birds on show belonging to the latter category.

The supreme champion turkey was supplied by Ian Colchester from Pond Farm, Thrandeston and fetched �70 while the best goose was from Claire Hancey at Banham. The best chicken was from Des Aves at Bressingham, while the champion duck was supplied by a Yaxham farm.