For all you meat lovers out there, a suggestion

vikingaero

I know of a few "farm shops" where the farms are fallow and paid set aside, there are no animals, and yet they sell locally reared and bred meat! Essentially they buy in joints of meat from wholesalers, call the stuff local produce, and have locals fawning over the "tasty" meat.

Foggster

vikingaero wrote: »

I know of a few "farm shops" where the farms are fallow and paid set aside, there are no animals, and yet they sell locally reared and bred meat! Essentially they buy in joints of meat from wholesalers, call the stuff local produce, and have locals fawning over the "tasty" meat.

I know what I would be doing! :cool:

spike7451

The is three farm butchers within six miles of me as well as my local butchers,where I get my meat from.The only time I buy meat from the supermarket is when it's reduced to clear, & then it's only sausages.

Glitzkiss

McKneff wrote: »

We often have a Farmers Market where we live. I dont understand if they are cutting out the middleman ie selling direct to the public and cutting out the supermarkets,
why is the stuff twice as much as the supermarkets,
we also have 3 independant butchers and its even more expensive than shopping with them.

I try to shop at the butchers when possible but Im afraid I feel as if Im being ripped off at the farmers markets.

Do you notice a difference between the independent butchers and supermarkets products or are you only concerned about the price? I ask because I hate supermarket meat and refuse to buy it. Our local butchers may be more expensive than the supermarket but the difference in quality is obvious to the taste buds.

However, I think you may be right about farmers markets. I suspect it's because that's where they make up their money. Supermarkets have the farmers under a stranglehold to the point where the local markets are the only way they can break even. The supermarket monopoly means there are only limited other ways for the public to buy produce and therefore we are, mostly, at the mercy of how the big 4 choose to process it. Buying the produce is only a small part of the process: proper treatment of meat before it goes on sale (hanging and butchery) are integral to tasty, tender food. And sadly the majority of this country is happy with chewy, tasteless food as long as it is cheap. Therefore the supermarkets will continue to cut corners, price out the farmers, and sell inferior products as long as the general public are willing to buy them

poet123

rustyboy21 wrote: »

Hi all

The supermarkets have killed off our local butchers businesses all over the country and you are hard pressed to find one still open.

I would like to suggest that you try and hunt out a local farm butcher shop, which are springing up now everywhere.

Approx 18 months ago, on a country drive 30 mins away from home, we came accross a sign for a butcher out in the sticks. We called in and had a look around. It was summer time and the cattle were in the fields. The meat is all 21 day hung, barley and grass fed, the fillet seaks were to die for, a normal knife could go through it no probs. 2 fillet steaks, size approx 4'' x 3'' x 1'' came to £7.00 !

Large piece of topside approx 18'' long, £20, free range chickens £6.00, 5lb of best mince £10 !

All the beef, they grew themselves, pork from farm next door, chickens from farm up the road. Got an Organic bronze turkey 13lb weight this xmas for £43 ! they were £60+ in tesco's.

The meat stays the same size cooked as it was raw, no pumping of water to make it bigger.

I know it may not be to everyones ability to find shops like this, but around Lancashire, where I live, they seem to be springing up more and more. It is great to be able to get meat is it used to be again, instead of the bright pink meat found in the shops and at a cheaper price. The place I go to every month and stock up, is always heaving, the kids can feed the calves in the summer too. It tastes fantastic and looking at how they are brought up, they seem to have a good life( maybe why it tastes better ). They have footballs in the fields, and things to stimulate the cattle's brains and scratching posts for the cows too !

For me, I wont buy any meat from supermarkets now, it is worth the travelling to save money and get proper food.

Google farm shops in your area, you may be surpised what comes up. And closer than you think!

Sorry if I have upset any Veggies out there with this post!

Do you have a link to your farmshop?

eyeinthesky

Gotta say I like to buy meat from supermarkets! I get the chance to compare what they have on offer, without having a butcher waiting for my decision, and if I don't like what I see I can just walk away without giving an explanation. One of the butchers shops in my town has been fined for re-dating meat! so I won't buy there. Also they have steaks on display, rump or sirloin, with big offer tickets on, but they are under 1/2 inch thick. You just know how they will cook up!

rustyboy21

poet123 wrote: »

Do you have a link to your farmshop?

They dont have a website, but if you put 'taylors farm shop, ormskirk' in yell.com, you should bring up there details.

If I need to I will remove this post as don't know whether it is permitted.

At Christmas they had 15 staff working behind the counter they were so busy ! Lovely staff too, mostly family members. Meat is top notch and so good on price, compared to supermarkets.

If you live in lancs and know the area and not tried them, have a go, i think you will be impressed.

rustyboy21

Glitzkiss wrote: »

Do you notice a difference between the independent butchers and supermarkets products or are you only concerned about the price? I ask because I hate supermarket meat and refuse to buy it. Our local butchers may be more expensive than the supermarket but the difference in quality is obvious to the taste buds.

However, I think you may be right about farmers markets. I suspect it's because that's where they make up their money. Supermarkets have the farmers under a stranglehold to the point where the local markets are the only way they can break even. The supermarket monopoly means there are only limited other ways for the public to buy produce and therefore we are, mostly, at the mercy of how the big 4 choose to process it. Buying the produce is only a small part of the process: proper treatment of meat before it goes on sale (hanging and butchery) are integral to tasty, tender food. And sadly the majority of this country is happy with chewy, tasteless food as long as it is cheap. Therefore the supermarkets will continue to cut corners, price out the farmers, and sell inferior products as long as the general public are willing to buy them

I agree with you with regards to farmers markets. I feel like they still think about themselves as a bit novel, so can charge that little bit more.

The problem I find with supermarket meat is that, say, when you are frying your steaks, all the water runs out of them and in effect you are broiling your meat, it always ends up chewy. The farm shop I go to, you can tell the difference. I would class it better than for example sainsbury's taste the difference, or M&S produce, but a lot cheaper. You would be surprised that farm shop meat I have bought is mostly cheaper than the supermarkets anyway

Bury market is also as already stated great too. I dont know of any other market which has weekly coachloads of tourists going to it.

If you go, have a black pudding butty, english mustard on it, while you walk around. Heaven on earth !:drool:

I would say about the farm shop I go to, though, the veg they sell is not up to much and in effect spoils it being a one stop shop for all your fresh goods. It's a pity really.

rustyboy21

geri1965 wrote: »

I don't have a car and the nearest butchers to me are halal, so I have no choice but to get mine from Tesco.

Have you ever tried halal meat?

I have a few times, I know you can only normally get lamb or chickens, but the quality I found was very good and a lot cheaper then the supermarkets. The chickens though are normally boiling chickens, but make a fab soup or casserole.

Glitzkiss

rustyboy21 wrote: »

I agree with you with regards to farmers markets. I feel like they still think about themselves as a bit novel, so can charge that little bit more.

The problem I find with supermarket meat is that, say, when you are frying your steaks, all the water runs out of them and in effect you are broiling your meat, it always ends up chewy. The farm shop I go to, you can tell the difference. I would class it better than for example sainsbury's taste the difference, or M&S produce, but a lot cheaper. You would be surprised that farm shop meat I have bought is mostly cheaper than the supermarkets anyway

Bury market is also as already stated great too. I dont know of any other market which has weekly coachloads of tourists going to it.

If you go, have a black pudding butty, english mustard on it, while you walk around. Heaven on earth !:drool:

I would say about the farm shop I go to, though, the veg they sell is not up to much and in effect spoils it being a one stop shop for all your fresh goods. It's a pity really.

We have a couple of local farm shops who sell fantastic veg although it is dependent on the weather and our harsh December has hampered things a lot. However they do tend to be only veg and use road signs and word of mouth as advertising alone. The local meat farm store is this one (The Store and they do some veg but like you we've found it not as good.

Otherwise we depend on butchers who buy from local sources and are able to list the farms who supply them. Indeed, we've found the only difference between them are their individual skills.