meat from butchers V supermarket

SoniaM_2

I can't remember the last time I bought meat in a supermarket. I've always taken the time to go and find a decent butcher that I can get at. The one I've got where I live now is amazing. He sources everything locally (he'll even tell you which farms the meat has come from) and he charges a fraction of what you'd pay for the equivalent in a supermarket. Plus the quality is so good even if he charged the same, by buying better quality you actually get more meat out of it. Plus if you keep going back, you'll build up a rapport with the staff / butcher and will find they do things to reward a repeat customer that a supermarket won't / can't do - like throwing in some new recipe sausages to try, or having a bit more of something than you asked for but throwin it in and not charging the extra.

Now don't get me wrong - there are some insipid / rubbish / overpriced butchers out there - but if you take the time to shop around you'll find one that's worth the effort.

On a similar note I also find small local farm shops / producers cheaper and better quality for veg. So much better and as long as you menu plan a bit, you can plan when you go so you don't have to worry about the lack of convenience bit you get from going to multiple suppliers rather than a supermarket.

Plus I find that shopping in a small friendly shop is so much nicer and less stressful than an impersonal supermarket where people crash into you with trollies all the time.

Skint_Lynne

The butchers is the best bet, I can really taste the difference between that and dodgy supermarket meat and sausages.

However, Costco has great quality meat for a great price.

SL x

Bargain_Rzl

sarahs999 wrote: »

I love my local butcher. I live in Brockley, SE London, and we don't have much in the way of good, independent food retailers, but he's been there 20 years and is brilliant.

...

However, he isn't terribly cheap. But then the meat is far better quality than in some supermarkets I could mention. When we were struggling on one salary a while ago we stopped shopping there, but now we are back every week, with the queues...

Would you mind telling me which butcher this is, Sarah? It's not all that far from me, and I can get a bus to Brockley from outside my door.

(I've noticed one on Cheltenham Road when I've been past on the bus and have wondered whether it was any good).

competitionscafe

Glitzkiss wrote: »

Nobody minds though as we talk to each other and there's usually a fair bit of banter going on between the butchers and the customers. It's quite a pantomine sometimes

Sounds a lot like my local butchers - (George Bower's in Edinburgh) - great banter and you always leave with a smile on your face. Excellent beef too - (Highland or Aberdeen Angus, hung for 4 weeks) and very good for game too.

michael52

We should have never stopped using the Butchers it was great/Supermarkets have been known to change dates of meat freeze it when its out of date.You really do not know what goes on behind the scenes.But the Butcher can be seen warts and all...love em bring back the Butcher

MrMicawber_2

Brilliant, coincidentally I've been reading around traditional recipes, unfashionable cuts of meat and then came across this thread. Never really used a proper butcher before but have bought all meat from Waitrose for years because they always get the thumbs up as the best supermaket on moral and ethical grounds as well as giving the farmers a better deal (moral & ethical as well I guess).

Anyway went down to our local butchers who gets great reviews everywhere. Explained I knew nothing and he spent ages talking me through the cuts etc. Made a slow cooked pork cassoulet and am on to scrag end of mutton next time and then possibly skirt. A whole new world awaits. Not sure I'm up to pigs trotters and I know I can't stand tripe but I might have a go at making faggots providing I can get my beloved family to eat them without asking me about the contents - I might get into 'offal' trouble [sorry] though.

This isn't particularly a money saving exercise as I'm really more interested in ensuring the meat I eat is from a good source and the farmers gt a reasonable deal but if I do happen to save a bit on decent old fashioned, unfashionable cuts then that's a good by-product.

studentgirl_2

Having read this thread recently I thought that I would try out going back to the butchers ( went to the covered market in Oxford ) Im so fed up of the shoddy meat the supermarket but a bit lazy, to go to a diffrent shop. I went this week and we have had a few dinners out of what I got and im pleased with the quality and cost. heres what I got for £27.00 tell me what you think.
700g of brasing steak,
800g of chicken breast,
5lb of back bacon,
700g lamb neck,
700g pork belly,
800g minced beef,
900g posh sausages.
its not organic but all local.
Do you think that this is well priced. I think ill get 12 dinners for my family out of this.

MrMicawber_2

It looks good to me but I'm not the worlds expert. If it's decent meat you're bound to pay more than supermarket value meat but it looks to compare well with Waitrose which is my benchmark for supermarket meat quality. The only thing I'd say is that I prefer us to get a whole chicken so we can get soup at the end with any leftover bits - if we're in efficient mode.

I'd be interested to see how you get on with the lamb neck and how you cook it. The pork cassoulet I made the other week was with pork belly and it was lovely.

Debt_Free_Chick

studentgirl wrote: »

Do you think that this is well priced.

An average of £4.50 per kilo or £2.25 per pound - so very good. Chicken breast is expensive though - it works out better to buy the whole chicken, but I still think you've got a reasonably good deal.

Norman_Bean

I bulk buy all my meat from the butcher - two freezer packs totalling €80 which lasts me about 4 months ....I'm due to go this weekend to restock but can't afford the two packs so have chosen a pork pack costing €55 and then I was planning on getting another freezer pack in a month or so for variety!

Anyway doing my weekly scan of supermarket offers this week Intermarche have pork joints @ €2.89 per kg. The butcher is €6.90 per kg.
Intermarche pork chops €2.10 per kg, butcher €7.40 per kg.
The butcher pack also had pork shanks in it which I wasn't too sure about but was willing to have a go for some cheap meals

So what's the downside of the supermarket meat? Is it too good to be true? I don't want to waste my precious meat budget but am sorely tempted to go to the supermarket - it's such a saving .... or is it?

Thanks for any thoughts

Norm x