Old Style in the North East any tips please?

ubamother

Right (rolls sleeves up) - let me begin!

If you're a bit further up the North East Coast the following are fab:

Hillheads Farm Shop near Killingworth - good price for basic veg

Farm shop at Stannington Station near Morpeth - called Moorhouse - they do bulk orders - they do fab bronze turkeys at Christmas which you can order online. If you google Moorhouse Farm Shop you should find them.

Miller's Family Butchers in the centre of Whitley Bay will do bulk orders on half-sheep etc. if you ask the owners Ann and Glen for a price

Good, but not cheap farm shop at the Milkhope centre at Blagdon - all local meat, fresh free-range chicken from Thursday (they slaughter locally on Wednesday)

Fabulous cheeses from The Cheese Farm, not far from the Milkhope centre - not cheap, but all from local cows, sheep and goats - and so well-flavoured we don't need to eat much of it to satisfy the cheese cravings!

I'm sure there is a company called North East Organics which do a local box scheme - if you google you'll get a local one.

hope that helps - if you can't find addresses etc. do pm me and I'll be happy to help.

domestic_goddess

Thanks for your suggestions, I live in the middlesbrough area so I think a lot of them might be a bit far for me.

Would costco be worth joining, i know you have to pay to join so would i really save that much?

lindadykes

lil_me wrote: »

I found Broom House very expensive so stuck with Aldin Grange Meats mainly (sorry no website that I am aware of but can provide more info) Would have liked to try Bluebell but appears we're too far away

That's what I thought when I first went there but IMHO once I tried their meat it just tasted so good I was sort of hooked. I am in a position now where I can afford to splash out on things that are a bit better quality but TBH I lived for so long on such a tight budget it goes against the grain now to spend more than necessary. I know that many on this board will still not be able to afford the luxury of shopping somewhere like Broom House even with the tips below, but for some people they may prove helpful.

I justify buying meat from there by being a bit careful in my choice of what I buy and making sure I get good value from whatever I buy.

For example the mutton mince is cheaper than the beef mince but is wonderfully tasty, so I buy mutton mince and then stretch it with lots of veg for example grated carrots and celery in bolognaise. They also do lamb shoulder shanks, just as much meat on as leg shanks but these sell cheaper than the supermarket non organic leg shanks and if padded out 1 can do 2 people. Similarly if you read the ingredients on the sausages it's pork, rusk, seasoning - they may be more expensive but you are getting more meat for your money - I will make toad in the hole with these, but as one sausage per person could look a bit mean I slice up the sausages and add sliced onion.

They will also often have liver which again is a cheap option. Every now and again (about once every 3-4 months) I will buy DH and I an 8oz rump steak, (if any of DD's are around I Might treat them too) this costs around £5 each, but I justify this because I couldn't get a comparable steak in a restaurant for under £20 each and I stress this is regarded as a special occasion treat.

Shoulders of mutton can be got for around £6, and the last time I got one I made a Sunday roast for 4, a shepherds pie for 4, 2 mutton, mint and mayo sarnies for DH's lunch and then boiled the bones for scotch broth, a total of 13 portions for £6!.

Butterfly_Brain

Have you heard of George Bolam in Sedgefield? A friend of mine always goes there thir prices are really good, I always give her a shopping list for when she comes down this way - I am in the South, we get all the rubbish and have to pay twice the price!

viccig

Thank you so much for all the replies. I have checked out all of the links and have made an order for river swale as they are most local to me- I also found their website easy to use.
If any one is interested I could post more info when I receive the box.

With regards to the meat- again thanks for the replies, I was in Team Valley (Gateshead) at the weekend and stopped in Meat Trader (sorry no web link that I could find) I found it to be very reasonable, £10 for 10 chick breasts and I also bought 1/4 of a lamb to try for £10 which I thought was a bargain! Please correct me if I'm wrong but we had the leg cooked in my slow cooker yesterday which was tremendous!!

lil_me

http://www.premier-meats.co.uk/ is that the meat place you went to? I think my friend uses that a lot http://www.premier-meats.co.uk/index.php/Special_Offers/AMAZING-MEAT-HAMPER.html that looks like a VERY good offer, the £50 meat for a month does aswell

Problem I would have is convincing DP to try it, he enjoys meat from Aldin Grange too much now :rotfl:

anguk

lil_me wrote: »

http://www.premier-meats.co.uk/ is that the meat place you went to? I think my friend uses that a lot http://www.premier-meats.co.uk/index.php/Special_Offers/AMAZING-MEAT-HAMPER.html that looks like a VERY good offer, the £50 meat for a month does aswell

Problem I would have is convincing DP to try it, he enjoys meat from Aldin Grange too much now :rotfl:

I've just had a look at the link and I think I'll go down to their shop this week to have a look. I've also just noticed that they go to my local market, I'm sure I've bought gammon joints from them before and everything on their van looks like it's good quality.

Lalaladybird

You didn't ask this but may I suggest you get a pressure cooker. I have a baby and I found it was brilliant for making a quick batch of homemade soup for the baby's lunch, it saved me from using a jar many times. You save using a lot of gas/elec using a pressure cooker because it is only on for 10 mins

viccig

lil_me wrote: »

http://www.premier-meats.co.uk/ is that the meat place you went to? I think my friend uses that a lot http://www.premier-meats.co.uk/index.php/Special_Offers/AMAZING-MEAT-HAMPER.html that looks like a VERY good offer, the £50 meat for a month does aswell

Problem I would have is convincing DP to try it, he enjoys meat from Aldin Grange too much now :rotfl:

Hi there, no this isn't the one I mean, but I'll certainly check out this next time i'm in the area and compare prices.

For anyone who's interested Meat trader is on your right as you drive into Team Valley retail world.

juliapenguin

I know I'm not being very helpful here but I LOVE the North East and wish I was up your way. I was a student in Durham and loved visiting Seaham and all the places round there (I can't believe I used to walk from Durham to Seaham Harbour!!!)... My sister in law is from South Shields and lives in Hexham now, and every single holiday we have is in Burnmouth, just north of Berwick-upon-Tweed... The reason we're OSing and downsizing is so that we can move up there as soon as we get rid of the kids! It's the best place ever and I've never met such lovely people anywhere else.