IT was one on the parson's nose for the Christmas turkey as festive sales of beef surged further ahead of the former contender for the traditional yuletide meal.

Figures show that while sales of roasting beef stayed at more than £49 million for December, turkey sales slipped from £46.5 million in 2001 to £42.4 million last year.

And to ruffle the old bird's feathers even more, sales of lamb were also buoyant during December with sales hitting £21.3 million compared with £17.2 million in 2001 - a massive 24 per cent increase.

The figures, issued by the Meat and Livestock Commission, show sales of the breasted rival slumped by nearly nine per cent.

Chris Lamb, the commission's consumer marketing manager, reckons that people are looking for tastier and more satisfying fare at Christmas rather than the same old slice of pale provender with bread sauce. Supermarkets should take note, he said.

Judy Goodman of Great Witley, who rears up to 3,000 bronze turkeys annually for the Christmas table, sells all her birds but thought the emergence of beef was because the quality and choice had improved.

She thought that many people now ate less beef at other times of the year while the number of turkey producers had also been reduced because of stricter health and safety rules.

The Hereford Cattle Society links with the Waitrose supermarket is doing much to popularise beef. Of the 150 Waitrose outlets, 45 sell cattle sired by a Hereford bull and the supermarket requires some 300 cattle a week.