lets get back to basics... starting with the butcher

CruisingSaver

Soooo anyway, I posted a few pages and a couple of arguments back about the award winning butcher in my local town. Well today I bit the bullet and went in and they honestly couldn't be nicer to chat to.

Another couple came in after me and asked loads of questions about different cuts of pork etc. and the butcher serving them was so helpful.

I bought half a dozen turkey sausages, 6 rashers of smoked back bacon, and 1lb of steak mince for just over £7, which I think compares really well against supermarket prices.

I also bought a pack of chicken breasts (along with a whole load of various veg) from a local farm and my husband and daughter have been raving over nice it all tastes.

Now I've made the change to buying from local farms etc. I can't see me going back to the supermarkets.

CS

frugal_shopper_2

One day I will learn to keep quiet, it will save an awful lot of questions.

Meat is fine to eat when it is turning brown the discolouration is caused by it oxidising.

If meat has a green sheen to it this is caused by lactobacillus viridescens which is not harmful if the meat is well cooked.

If meat is slimy this is due to polysaccharide production caused by pseudomonas fragi, leuconostoc mesentroides & bacillus subtilis which is not harmful if the meat is well cooked.

If meat smells sour of vinegary this is due to lactic acid bacteria or acetobacter spp. If the smell is fairly mild it is still ok to use but if the smell is quite strong then it is better discarded. This is more common on meat which has been vacuum packed.

If meat smells like ammonia or sulphur this is caused by pseudomonads acinetobacters, moxarellas & clostridia. It is still safe to eat if well cooked. These bacteria are the reason many people can either cook or eat game meats when they are well hung but struggle to do both as they know how bad it smelled before it went in the oven.

The fresher the meat the less chance the bacteria mentioned above will get a chance to multiply so if you use it quickly you won't need to question whether or not it is ok, if you are keeping it a while it's better off in the freezer rather than the fridge. As pointed out above many of these things mean the meat is still safe to eat but that does not necessarily mean it will be appealing in it's raw form. The majority of people will still discard meat which is just beginning to go bad.

Tell tale signs not to eat meat.
A "insert supermarket name of your choice here" label on the pack.
Multiple small white spots.
Black spots of varying sizes.
Excessive sliminess or greening.
Mould of any sort although this is rare as it can only get a grip when the surface of the meat dries out.
Common sense, trust your own judgement if you think it doesn't look right or smell right then better to err on the side of caution.

Cross contamination, incorrect storage & improper cooking are more common problems. Harmful bacteria is going to be present in small quantities wherever the meat comes from but is killed during cooking, the more surface area the more bacteria so things like mince spoil faster, rolled joints need to be well done so the heat kills the bacteria on the inside as well as the outside. Keep meat wrapped & chilled or frozen. Keep raw & cooked food separate, wash your hands regularly, use different utensils & chopping boards for raw & cooked foods etc...
A meat thermometer is a sensible thing to invest in so you can ensure things are cooked through.

lindseykim13

Right back on topic i hope, going to take a trip to my nearest butchers tomorrow. They do have packet stuff outside. I need something cheap i can go in and ask for. Is mutton cheap? and are they likely to have it? Never tried it but love lamb so though it would be nice in a casserole etc

wow i love this site you can buy a whole lamb, cow or pig
http://www.greenpasturefarms.co.uk/products-page/cow-share/buy-a-whole-free-range-lamb-grass-fed-texel-lamb/

Does anyone know how much a whole lamb or pig should cost? I wouldn't have a clue if £180 was reasonable for a lamb.

mysk_girl

http://www.bigbarn.co.uk/marketplace/vendors/ashmore-farm-meats~AshmoreFarmMeats_Nr_Hailsham_BN27_pork_beef_lamb

A whole lamb here is considerably cheaper, but no idea if it is comparable.

frugal_shopper_2

Yes mutton should be cheaper than lamb but not all butchers stock it.


£180 seems steep for a lamb prices have shot up but not that much. I would research prices online but ask your local butcher too they will probably beat the vast majority of prices you see online.

Here are a couple of cheaper online options although it should be possible to find cheaper.
http://www.blackwellgrange.co.uk/direct.shtml £80
http://www.friarsparkjacobs.co.uk/ £80
http://www.westonsfarms.co.uk/lambcuts.htm £90 + delivery
http://www.southyeofarmwest.co.uk/meatboxes.html £115 lamb £135 mutton £155 hogget

Organic options
http://fieldpower.webs.com/apps/webstore/ £75 for half a lamb
http://www.graigfarm.co.uk/organic-produce-c1/lamb-c3/graig-farm-organic-whole-lamb-p1016 £136.08 whole lamb (currently a 20% discount code in the item description too).

lindseykim13

Thanks for those, i have emailed a couple of local farms so i will wait to hear back from them, otherwise i have a good fall back.

gailey_2

frugal_shopper wrote: »

Yes mutton should be cheaper than lamb but not all butchers stock it.


£180 seems steep for a lamb prices have shot up but not that much. I would research prices online but ask your local butcher too they will probably beat the vast majority of prices you see online.

Here are a couple of cheaper online options although it should be possible to find cheaper.
http://www.blackwellgrange.co.uk/direct.shtml £80
http://www.friarsparkjacobs.co.uk/ £80
http://www.westonsfarms.co.uk/lambcuts.htm £90 + delivery
http://www.southyeofarmwest.co.uk/meatboxes.html £115 lamb £135 mutton £155 hogget

Organic options
http://fieldpower.webs.com/apps/webstore/ £75 for half a lamb
http://www.graigfarm.co.uk/organic-produce-c1/lamb-c3/graig-farm-organic-whole-lamb-p1016 £136.08 whole lamb (currently a 20% discount code in the item description too).

Im intrigued a whole lamb!

How does it arrive in one pice and have to cut it yourself?
or in peices.

How many meals could it make?

just seems pricey unless buying with mates.

Always wanted to buy whole pg and do hog roast.

lindseykim13

gailey wrote: »

Im intrigued a whole lamb!

How does it arrive in one pice and have to cut it yourself?
or in peices.

How many meals could it make?

just seems pricey unless buying with mates.

Always wanted to buy whole pg and do hog roast.

Works out about £6kg maybe just under if you can find a good deal.
You can either have it cut basic
2 legs, 2 shoulders ect which seems to be cheaper or you can have those cut in half again then specify what you want to happen with the rest.
For example one i am looking at does
1 x whole Leg Lamb
2 x 1/2 legs lamb
2 x 1/2 shoulders
1 x whole shoulder
Rack of Lamb
2 packs of 6 Loin Chops
2 pack of 4 cutlets
Breast of Lamb
We are also able to cut a lamb to suit your needs e.g boned and rolled legs, diced shoulder, minced lamb, lamb leg steaks, marinated in various marinades, for this added service we charge £10

yabajaz

I have an ace butcher in Tuckton near Bournemouth. He is so approachable. His grandpa still comes in weekly to make their own sausages and his burgers are amazing.
I also use their knowledge, I ask..... this is what I want to cook, is there a better priced piece of meat I can use. and usually there is.
I also love that I can buy the number of sausages I want rather than a pack and need to freeze the spare 2.

vasseur

Well, spurred on by this thread we went to the butcher after doing our usual food shop. My dd was excited because she hadn't been in a butchers before (and she's 9 )

I really just wanted to see what they'd got so I just got 1lb steak mince (already made into a chilli) and the same of diced chicken (for fajitas tomorrow). There was so much more than I had expected so we are going to try something new every week.