meat from butchers V supermarket

OrkneyStar

Depends if its quality or quantity.
Butcher meat can be more expensive but generally better quality so can be eked out more with veg etc (I would rather have less of a better quality than more of a lesser quality meat).
We have good local meat and decent butchers here, supermarkets do stock some local meat but TBH I like to support the local butchers when I can. Local steak, stew, mince, beef mince is second to none and puts the supermarket stuff to shame (even the Scottish beef in the supermarket). I do sometimes get chicken and pork from supermarket but if I can I will get in in the butcher too.
Some of the supermarket meat is tasteless but some is ok- depends on what you get and which supermarket I suppose.
x

Barneysmom

OK I'm going to have to do a challenge I think.
I'm giving hubby a tenner, tomorrow (I'm at work)
He's going to go to the market and see how much fruit and veg he can get for £10.00.
And £1.00 for a thermometer.
And I'll list it to compare?
I might have to start this on a new thread ?

OrkneyStar

Barneysmom wrote: »

OK I'm going to have to do a challenge I think.
I'm giving hubby a tenner, tomorrow (I'm at work)
He's going to go to the market and see how much fruit and veg he can get for £10.00.
And £1.00 for a thermometer.
And I'll list it to compare?
I might have to start this on a new thread ?

I'll be interested to hear how you go on.
Which supermarket ?
Lidl or Aldi might get you more than Tesco or Sainsbugs for example.
Lidl quality sometimes questionable, not tried Aldi though.
Also are you going to see how long they stay fresh for and also where they came from ?
Good luck.
:wave:

Barneysmom

OrkneyStar wrote: »

I'll be interested to hear how you go on.
Which supermarket ?
Lidl or Aldi might get you more than Tesco or Sainsbugs for example.
Lidl quality sometimes questionable, not tried Aldi though.
Also are you going to see how long they stay fresh for and also where they came from ?
Good luck.
:wave:

He's going to go to the indoor market in Hanley tomorrow.
Good idea that, we could do a different shop every week for a while,to get a decent comparisn.

Yes, we'll check how long they stay fresh and I'll list what he gets.
Thanks for your advice xxx

competitionscafe

This article showed that organic vegeboxes can work out cheaper than buying non-organic vegetables from the major supermarkets - of course it depends on which supermarket and which veg box supplier but supermarket veg is generally quite expensive.
http://blog.klockworks.co.uk/blog/_archives/2008/9/7/3872286.html

My weekly fruit and veg box is £11 and I think is excellent value (from here: http://www.phantassie.co.uk/) and a large proportion of it is grown locally so it is very fresh and minimal food miles. As for having soil on it - well that's what it grows in - unwashed veg seems to keep for longer while the supermarkets seem more concerned about what fruit and veg looks like rather than what it tastes like. I don't want my fruit and veg to win a beauty contest I just want it to taste good! I noticed a lot of people use Abel & Cole (who are massive) - they don't deliver to Scotland so I have no experience of them but I think the smaller local veg box schemes who only deliver to their own area are closest to the ideal and supermarket box schemes are the opposite - they are just jumping on the bandwagon. I like the fact that the person who delivers my veg (for free) also grows it so I can speak to them by phone or email anytime and they put a weekly newsletter in the box with news from the farm, recipes etc. I have also ended up trying loads of veg which I might not have had before (and mostly loved it: kohlrabi, fresh beetroot, romanesco - and on the one occasion I didn't (curly kale!) I just asked for it to be excluded from my boxes and I never have to see it again)

As for butchers vs supermarkets, while I may occassionally buy fruit and veg at a supermarket I hardly ever buy meat or fish from supermarkets - decent butcher/fishmonger is almost always better quality and often cheaper so you win on both counts. Plus the service is much friendlier at the local butcher and fishmonger - they will often throw in a freebie or if something comes to £5.20 he will say call it 5 quid...

On Friday I went to the local butcher and asked for a rib-eye steak cut to the exact size I wanted (the ones on display were too thin for me, I like a nice thick steak and it's easier to cook exactly how you want it), had this for dinner last night and it was delicious - no way you would get that quality in a supermarket (I have tried Sainsburys taste the difference, Waitrose dry aged and M&S - all the supermarket's 'best' offerings and they just don't compare).
Picture here: http://picasaweb.google.com/msouthgate/Food#5261205613970069282

Local butcher had a pigs head in the window display - might horrify the vegetarians but at least it is honest about where meat comes from - the supermarkets shrink wrapped pieces of meat in little trays can make you forget that the death of an animal is involved in the process...

I only eat red meat about twice a week (and I don't eat steak every week) so for me it's about spending a bit more for quality and welfare but eating meat less often. I would far rather have one good steak once a month than an average one once a week. And when cost is an issue a good butcher will have loads of the cheaper cuts - for example on Friday they had lots of cheaper beef cuts and some oxtail which looked really good - not something you see in many supermarkets.

Primrose

I'd opt for our village butcher every time. We can buy exactly the quantity & quality of meat we want instead of being forced to slabs of meat with the grotty side hidden on a polystyrene tray and covered with cling film, and he knows our cooking style so chicken carcasses, etc are always saved for us for stock.

lbt_2

Oh yum comps cafe

How long do you cook your steak for? Is it grilled or fried? I am going to try it - it looks amazing. I don't think I have tried rib eye before

eselt

We lost our butchers shop a couple of years ago and boy do I miss the meat. Rather than travel miles to the next nearest shop I now have an organic meat box delivered once a month which costs £42 and feeds 4 of us eating meat every other day for a whole month- because you never know what you are getting its really exciting when it arrives (sounds really sad- but I love thinking up new recipes and meal planning). All the meat is locally sourced so it feels good that even though we lost our lovely butcher we are still supporting local farmers. I have been so impressed with the monthly boxes I have ordered all my family a christmas meat hamper to stock up their freezers with goodies- much better idea than cheap perfume or gift sets. Our local firm is called the wellhung meat company (devon and cornwall) and I can honestly say its great!!! Plus because its delivered I save petrol and time- win win situation I think!

quickstepqueen

Firstly I want to point out that I work for a Lincolnshire based butchers. My opinions are purely based upon what i see as a member of staff working behind the meat counters. I am in no way promoting the business I work for.

At a butchers you will see quality meats. If a butchers offers poor meats they will not get customers returning so it's in their best interests as well as the customers that high quality meats are being presented. I know my bosses are very exacting and if the meat is no good then it's not sold. Simple as that.

Also, with a good butchers, they are always happy to oblige with any requests whether it be a thicker steak, a beef joint with extra fat for flavour or a marrowbone for the dog. Just ask and they will always try to do what they can for you.

If you have never been into a butchers, don't be afraid. Call in, tell them you've not been in a butchers before and ask advice. Or, like a previous poster said, tell them how much you have to spend and ask for their recommendations. They will gladly assist you.

I do find that a large number of our customers are older people. The younger generation don't seem to shop with butchers and I guess it's a lifestyle thing. Many modern families have both parents working full time so its almost impossible to visit a butchers during working hours. Therefore, they find it more convenient to visit a supermarket.

Also, with a butchers they will often offer discounts on bulk purchase. With our butchers "bulk" doesn't necessarily mean half a pig! We offer discount on anything over 5lb! So you can have 5lb minced beef and if you want those wrapping into 10 half pound bags or 5 x1lb bags a butchers can do that. You could buy a large pork joint and ask the butcher to cut it into 3 smaller joints and they'll wrap them seperately so they can go straight into your freezer.

Each butchers will be different. I am only showing what our butcher offers, not to publicise them but to show that butchers are individual and give personal service and that if you want to make a "bulk" purchase you don't always have to buy a full cow!

Also I just wanted to say that we have customers in Scotland, Wales, Cornwall and London (to name but a few) who come from our area but are so fed up of supermarket meat (because there are no butchers local to them as the supermarkets "kicked" them out) that they ring us for an order and we send them their meat in insulated boxes!

Give your local butchers a try. Each butchers will be very different. Even in my local area where Lincolnshire sausages are sold in every butchers shop each sausage will be ever so slightly different in taste depending on the quantities of the seasonings so sometimes you have to try different butchers to find one that suits your tastes.

Finally when i hear people say they have either no or very little butcher shops in their area it pains me. Where I work, in a 10 mile radius we have 13 butcher shops!

competitionscafe

lbt wrote: »

Oh yum comps cafe

How long do you cook your steak for? Is it grilled or fried? I am going to try it - it looks amazing. I don't think I have tried rib eye before

Rib-eye is my favourite steak for flavour it has an 'eye' of fat which melts during cooking and really adds to the taste - I fry it in a very hot (preheated) griddle pan for a couple of minutes on each side to brown them (and get a nice stripey effect) and a few seconds on each edge then if it's a thick steak it goes in a hot oven (180 to 200c) for 5 minutes then rests in a warm place for another 5 minutes or so. This is for a medium steak like so: http://picasaweb.google.com/msouthgate/Food#5261205822568690562

A frying pan works just as well if you don't have a griddle pan (although you don't get any stripes).

For thinner steaks or for rare I would not bother with the oven bit. After a bit of practice I can tell how the steak is by prodding it with a finger but I think I will stick with asking the butcher to cut a nice thick steak to order from now on as it's so much easier to cook to how I like it. Means you spend a bit more but it's not exactly an everyday meal and could always be cut in half (I would only do this after cooking and resting) to serve 2.