meat from butchers V supermarket

Alison_Funnell

OrkneyStar wrote: »

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).

I quite agree and fantastic that you can acheive that. But here - as far from the gorgeous isles you live on as is possible in the UK ( have been there a couple of times and fell in love with N. Scotland and the isles) - it is very patchy. Even those butchers that are good don't always sell local meat. In fact one specialises in Scottish beef!

I have been down the route of trying them and found the cost/travel to get to them (most are miles away and I don't drive) to be higher and as I indicated in italics in my first post not all of them are better quality. Not that I would begrudge anyone from trying or preferring to use their local butchers.

Just realistically they are not a panacea, it would be great if they were. If you have great ones, fantastic, but as with everything in life there are variables. Even if they were perfect there simply aren't enough of them at the moment to provide for the entire population.


I see we are on the same budget. Look forward to comparing notes again.

NoahsPennilessMummy

When I lived in France the supermarket meat was of very good quality and usually had good deals on.

ChocClare

When I lived in France supermarket meat (our local was a Monoprix) was superb. They also had different cuts - things you just don't see in British supermarkets. Even now, when DH goes over to France he'll nip into Auchan and buy duck breasts and steack hache burgers, which are much nicer and (at least used to be) cheaper than the UK.

Butchers give you advice; their cheaper cuts are often a LOT cheaper and they stock things you can't always find in the supermarket. But my MIL was always horrified by British meat generally and about the general ignorance of the British public as to where each cut of meat came from (ie which part of the animal) and how you cooked it. She could make even the most unlikely-looking bit of meat taste divine and she said it was all down to her French upbringing in that she was taught about cuts of meat. As a consequence, even supermarket meat in France is generally MUCH better than in the UK. Give it a go and judge for yourself!

RachelW1987

I love our local Butcher, much better quality and better value as well.

OrkneyStar

Alison_Funnell wrote: »

I quite agree and fantastic that you can acheive that. But here - as far from the gorgeous isles you live on as is possible in the UK ( have been there a couple of times and fell in love with N. Scotland and the isles) - it is very patchy. Even those butchers that are good don't always sell local meat. In fact one specialises in Scottish beef!

I have been down the route of trying them and found the cost/travel to get to them (most are miles away and I don't drive) to be higher and as I indicated in italics in my first post not all of them are better quality. Not that I would begrudge anyone from trying or preferring to use their local butchers.

Just realistically they are not a panacea, it would be great if they were. If you have great ones, fantastic, but as with everything in life there are variables. Even if they were perfect there simply aren't enough of them at the moment to provide for the entire population.


I see we are on the same budget. Look forward to comparing notes again.

Just a thought on butchers, not specifically relating to your post only, but kind of (iyswim) we used to have lots of butchers on high streets, in most towns and even villages. Lots of them have closed now- why ? People buying cheap supermarket meat, initially not a lot cheaper, but as less people shop at butchers their costs rise, and eventually business becomes non-viable! People are proud of their local traders up here, and we do have less big stores, so they are surviving. It is a shame what has happened to our towns, I remember the days of greengrocers, butchers, bakers etc, now it is all in a one-stop massive shop!

Norman_Bean

Well I went to get my cheap meat from the supermarket and they'd sold out!
A long queue of French housewives were placing orders for the special offer pork so I've ordered some too, to be picked up tomorrow morning.

Whilst waiting to place my order I had a butchers (pun intended!) at the meat counter and I must say it all looked very nice.

The man on the counter was very nice and helpful so I'm looking forward to saving a lot of cash tomorrow!

Seems you have to be there first thing in the morning or miss out

Farway

OrkneyStar wrote: »

Just a thought on butchers, not specifically relating to your post only, but kind of (iyswim) we used to have lots of butchers on high streets, in most towns and even villages. Lots of them have closed now- why ? People buying cheap supermarket meat, initially not a lot cheaper, but as less people shop at butchers their costs rise, and eventually business becomes non-viable! People are proud of their local traders up here, and we do have less big stores, so they are surviving. It is a shame what has happened to our towns, I remember the days of greengrocers, butchers, bakers etc, now it is all in a one-stop massive shop!

As other have intimated, depends where you live, a lot of local butchers, bakers & candlestick makers were absolute crap and only survived due to lack of competition and a local monopoly

I remember supporting my local butcher by ordering a turkey for Christmas, he supplied a frozen Bernard Matthew's one on Christmas eve. That was last time I went there, and he has long since closed

champys

Norman_Bean wrote: »

Well I went to get my cheap meat from the supermarket and they'd sold out!
A long queue of French housewives were placing orders for the special offer pork so I've ordered some too, to be picked up tomorrow morning.

If there was a queue then it's bound to be good! Sounds promising.

Penelope_Penguin

I buy the vast majority of my meat from my butcher - his meat is great but his attitude to customers is :eek: I'm happy to buy better quakity meat (which I'm sure you get from most butchers ), If it's more expensive, we eat less, which is goiod for our health, too.

As this has fallen from the front page of OS, I'll add it to the existing thread to keep ideas together.

Penny. x

stef240377

My local butchers is on the estate where i live, next door to where i have to buy my gas and electric but until about a month ago i had never stepped inside and always bought my meat in the supermarket as it was easier to get everything in one go, but shortly after xmas i noticed hubby coming back with bags of bones for the dog when they went out for the morning walk.
The butcher had stopped him and asked if he wanted any of the bones for the dog and it started like that. I felt guilty we were getting something for free when we didnt actually buy anything from there. So on my first trip bought 1lb of belly pork and 1lb of sausages for a cassoulet i were making, the butcher nearly felt flat on his back when i asked for the belly pork as apparently non of the youth of today knows it exists and what to do with. I have had a few more trips back to him the newest one was today where i asked for 4 chicken legs, 2lb of lamb mince and 1lb of lambs liver. He is so shocked to see someone with youth on their side asking for what he deemed pensioner meat. Todays shop has cost me £12. Had i had more room in the freezer it would have been cheaper and more beneficial for me to buy one of his freezer packs. On offer he had 6lb of chicken legs for £3.90, 5lb of pork chops for £11.80, 5lb belly pork for £8.xx. Hubby said he will even go up and bulk buy for the ample bbqs we have in the summer. From now on i will not use the supermarket for meat.