meat from butchers V supermarket

motherhen2234

I didn't believe there was much of a difference until I started going to a farmers market. I now buy nearly all my meat for the month from there and freeze it. There was less fat and gristle. The meat tasted better and was more tender. Yes it was slightly more expensive but not prohibitively so (we're lucky with our budget in that we can afford it).

sooty&sweep

Hi

I buy alot now from a local farmers market. Yes I think some of it is more expensive but not everything and I think the quality is generally better. I also like to know where things have come from and that it had a reasonable life. I don't particularly buy organic but I do consider the food miles involved in what I buy.

One thing I particularly buy is chicken & chicken pieces. Chicken legs etc from the farmers market are trimmed over all the excess skin & fat whereas supermarket chicken pieces generally always have lots of excess that you pay for and then have to trim off.

Jen

champys

Norman Bean - keep in mind that Intermarche is not a national chain like Tescos or Sainsburys- it consists of local franchises and the quality in things like meat and fruit & veg varies considerably per outlet. By all means try it out. Our own local Intermarche is quite highly regarded for its meat (by the locals), because the family that owns/runs it are originally butchers. I don't think they are that cheap here for meat, though, but their quality is pretty good. The veg is bad and overpriced in our one, and for wine we prefer to go to an Intermarche in another town who seem to have a much more imaginative wine buyer than ours. A lot of difference!

floss2

champys wrote: »

Norman Bean - keep in mind that Intermarche is not a national chain like Tescos or Sainsburys- it consists of local franchises and the quality in things like meat and fruit & veg varies considerably per outlet. By all means try it out. Our own local Intermarche is quite highly regarded for its meat (by the locals), because the family that owns/runs it are originally butchers. I don't think they are that cheap here for meat, though, but their quality is pretty good. The veg is bad and overpriced in our one, and for wine we prefer to go to an Intermarche in another town who seem to have a much more imaginative wine buyer than ours. A lot of difference!

So is it like a cooperative-type set up? That could make shopping quite difficult I guess, if there are local variations.

Alison_Funnell

I do think it depends on the butcher. We have some fab ones here - but prize winning specialist butchers aren't usually very cheap.

There are cheaper butchers but I have found some meat from some are lower grades than from the supermarket i.e. butcher mince is similar in price but in my opinion fattier and inferior to a <5% fat one from a major supermarket.

I was pricing up turkeys and the like from vaious sources at Christmas and there is no way I could justify the 100% price jump from supermarket to butcher. I was quote up to £100 for one ( depending on breed and organic status etc).

I want to use local as much as possible but I also need to be careful of my budget. Vegetable wise it's possible but not yet with meats.

thriftlady_2

From my limited experience of French supermarket meat I would say that it was as good as British butcher's meat. Much greater variety of cuts and goos range of cheap cuts.

Agapanthus

champys wrote: »

Norman Bean - keep in mind that Intermarche is not a national chain like Tescos or Sainsburys- it consists of local franchises and the quality in things like meat and fruit & veg varies considerably per outlet. By all means try it out. Our own local Intermarche is quite highly regarded for its meat (by the locals), because the family that owns/runs it are originally butchers. I don't think they are that cheap here for meat, though, but their quality is pretty good. The veg is bad and overpriced in our one, and for wine we prefer to go to an Intermarche in another town who seem to have a much more imaginative wine buyer than ours. A lot of difference!

Yes, I believe that's right. Intermarche, like most of the French supermarkets/hypermarkets is a franchise operation. It can be up to the local manager where he (or she) sources their fresh produce and it can vary a lot. The Intermarche that we use when we're in France has very good meat - and so does our nearest Carrefour. We have a butcher close by, but I've never really found his offerings to be worth the difference. On the other hand, the bread in the local boulangerie is much better than Carrefour's, but not as good as Intermarche's. The only way to find out is to try it.

Norman_Bean

Thanks Champys that's interesting about being a franchaise - the fish there is fantastic but never bought any meat - well I'm going to go and have a look at the pork this afternoon x
Thanks again for all your advice
E x

OrkneyStar

Alison_Funnell wrote: »

I do think it depends on the butcher. We have some fab ones here - but prize winning specialist butchers aren't usually very cheap.

There are cheaper butchers but I have found some meat from some are lower grades than from the supermarket i.e. butcher mince is similar in price but in my opinion fattier and inferior to a <5% fat one from a major supermarket.

I was pricing up turkeys and the like from vaious sources at Christmas and there is no way I could justify the 100% price jump from supermarket to butcher. I was quote up to £100 for one ( depending on breed and organic status etc).

I want to use local as much as possible but I also need to be careful of my budget. Vegetable wise it's possible but not yet with meats.

Our local butcher (or locally butchered but sold in Coop) steak mince wins over supermarket crud every time imho. As for beef mince, we don't buy it as it is far too fatty! We are lucky we have such good red meat up here, and it is not any more expensive (or occassionally pennies more expensive) for a decent serving. I also like to know that my meat was locally grown and slaughtered. This is not so easy for other meats as red meat at the moment though. Before you ask, we are on a budget, (£40/wk in a 5 week month, and £50/wk in a 4 wk month).

Reverbe

IN answer to the Ops titular question, I would have to vote yes. Merely by virtue of the fact of my own circumstances. We dont have a local butcher - well tbh we do but he only sells multipacks anyway. I am a single person who would love sometimes to treat myself to the option of some meat. I only have a small appetite so would be looking to purchase the odd single steak or chop and also the possibility of buying things like a lamb shank or ham hock.

Our supermarkets and butcher both either dont sell some cuts or sell others in packs of 2 , or more commonly 4, 6 or even 8 or more. I dont wish to have the same meal over and over nor do I have the space to freeze nor the finances to buy hugely expensive large packs of meat when I only need a small amount.

This baffles me as to why things are only sold in huge multipacks when studies show that the highest growing section of the population is single people - be they old or young and unmarried/unpartnered.:mad:

Butchers who sell in the traditional manner would be ideal for me and those like me selling you only what you need and want.Govts own Hate Waste campaign should encourage the non multi pack society.