Where we source our chicken

Discover where we source our slower-reared, Oakham Gold fresh chicken, then be inspired with our best chicken recipes from pro chef, Tom Kerridge, from smoky Buffalo wings to creamy one-pots.

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M&S Food

The UK's highest welfare chicken

We’re proud to be the first and only national retailer to sell 100% RSPCA Assured fresh chicken. With more space and time to grow, our pioneering Oakham Gold chicken continues to set the standard for quality and animal welfare. And with more RSPCA Assured products than anyone else on the high street, it’s no wonder we’ve been named the World’s Leading Retailer for Animal Welfare two years running.

At M&S, animal welfare is incredibly important to us, and we've been recognised as a leader in this area since 2013. We go to great lengths to work with only the best, trusted M&S Select Farmers who share our values. When we became the first national retailer to sell only higher-welfare fresh chicken, the RSPCA described the move as "the biggest positive change to chicken farming in a generation."

We're proud that our M&S Select Farms go above industry standards, as recognised in the Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare 2024 Report. Our exclusive, slower-reared Oakham Gold fresh chickens are fed a multigrain diet and have more space to roam. Why slower reared? We believe this approach means the birds have a much better quality of life, can be more active, and can express their natural behaviours better.

More about our sourcing standards

Where we source our chicken

Our farmer Andy, who farms in Somerset, is one of the proud M&S Select Farmers supplying us with Oakham Gold chicken. These chickens are naturally slower-reared and have 20% more space to roam than birds reared to the industry standard. They also have straw bales to perch on, room to spread their wings and even toys to play with. Plus, all M&S Oakham Gold chicken is 100% RSPCA Assured.

M&S Select Farms

Tom Kerridge’s chicken recipes

Chicken this good deserves a delicious recipe. From spicy chicken wings and Sunday roasts to simple one-pot dishes, traybakes and soups, it's so versatile, it's no wonder chicken is one of the nation's favourite dinners.

Tom Kerridge has created some exclusive recipes to inspire you, like the juiciest whole BBQ roasted chicken, smoky Buffalo chicken wings and more.

Chicken recipes

Hot honey chicken wings

Like your wings spicy and sweet? Use our spicy honey marinade to infuse the meat with a bold and punchy flavour. Our succulent, flavour-packed higher-welfare Oakham Gold chicken wings are great value and incredibly versatile.

See the recipe

Herby roast chicken

"You can really taste the incredible quality of this chicken – it's juicy, succulent and packed full of rich, intense flavour," says Tom. Pair Tom's tender chicken with roasted cauliflower and wedges of charred savoy cabbage.

See the recipe

Leftover chicken orzo soup

M&S Oakham Gold chicken is so good that you won't want to waste any. As it's super-juicy and succulent, it tastes great the next day, too – try it in Tom Kerridge's warming chicken and orzo soup recipe.

See the recipe

Chicken drumsticks in bowls with egg fried rice

Sticky teriyaki drumsticks

Looking for serious flavour? Pick up our Oakham Gold drumsticks – they're so easy to cook (and easy on the pocket, too). Try them in this family favourite with easy egg-fried rice.

See the recipe

Creamy one-pot chicken

The whole family will love this super-creamy, decadent dinner by Tom Kerridge, made with tender British chicken thighs. Using a tin of soup in the sauce helps to bulk out this dish, making it great value. This is one of our most popular chicken recipes of all time, so give it a go yourself.

See the recipe