Duckers & Diving: Talking turkey with Browning
OFTEN accused of foul play, this week our dishevelled diarist talks turkey with a well-known figure from Birmingham’s business community.
The summer holidays haven’t even finished (we’re still playing those scoundrels from Down Under in the Ashes for heaven’s sake)…and yet it still seems we can’t avoid the festive season.
Chatting to Ben Browning, who somehow combines financial wizardry with turkey farming, he tells me he’s already received his first Christmas order.
Unbelievable!
For delivery to the City of London…is Ebenezer feeling generous?
Ben normally sells a fair few in the capital, partly down to his membership of the Worshipful Company of Poulters.
You may recall him herding geese through the City for some phone advertising stunt a few years back.
Anyway, he could be doing yet more business there now Mike Whitby has become Lord Whitby.
Whitby is Browning’s number one turkey customer, while I am customer number two; both of us having taken birds off him since he started the enterprise.
Never pays to be in a ‘flap’ ahead of Christmas and these are extremely tasty turkeys.
Browning tells me: “I normally do a number to London so it is encouraging that word is spreading.
“Assuming continued support from my number one customer, I wonder whether I will need to deliver to the House of Lords as well?”
Could be lucrative, I think…and think of the marketing potential – “Fresh turkeys as delivered to the House of Lords”.
Got to be a winner – bootiful!
