A FARM family is sick of the sight of turkey, after rearing and preparing 280 of the birds free range for North-East dinner plates this year.

However, Martin and Judith Dryden will still tuck into turkey tomorrow, enjoying the fruits of their labours over recent months on Murton Moor Farm, east Durham.

For the third year, the Drydens have taken a batch of Kelly Bronze turkeys, reintroduced into Britain by County Durham-born breeder Derek Kelly at his farm in Essex.

The Drydens run a 200-acre, mainly arable farm, but were looking at ways of earning an income during the winter months.

They took 150 Kelly Bronze turkeys two years ago and sold out, so they increased the figure by 50 last year, with similar success.

This year, they took 250 one-day-old birds at the end of July, rearing them on drug and GM-free feed only, and allowing them the run of a grass field.

Customers have been calling at the farm shop to collect their birds, which are stylishly packaged and boxed with cooking and serving instructions.

Such has been the demand that the Drydens had to take an extra 30 birds from one of the few other Kelly Bronze farms round the country to meet the demand.

"I probably could have sold more. It's left us with an interesting dilemma for next year," said 43-year-old Martin.

"At the moment, to be honest, I'm fed up to the back teeth with turkeys. But the good thing is that come December 25, it's over and done with."

"It's nice to have a farming success story after all the problems of foot-and-mouth and low cereal prices.

The only other farming family rearing the Kelly Bronze north of Lincoln this year is Robert and Lea Darling, at Burtree House Farm, near Darlington.