An entrepreneur is born

It begins in 1950 with a young Bernard Matthews, 20 turkey eggs and a second hand incubator. Successfully hatching 12 turkeys, the business had begun and within three years he'd given up his insurance job to concentrate on rearing turkeys - in his back garden!

As the business grew, he soon needed more space. So in 1955, he bought the then neglected Great Witchingham Hall near Norwich. With 80 rooms, Bernard and his wife Joyce occupied one, whilst the turkeys had the run of the other 79!

By 1959 Bernard Matthews had sold over 50,000 birds, purchased 320 acres of wartime airfields to house his turkey farms and the rest is history.

The turkey business was in flight.