Online butchers

supersaverkerry

Hi

I decided to switch to butcher rather than supermarket meats as I want better quality less water content etc...

I tried Westin Gourmet and have had nothing but trouble, I asked for a delivery date os one day and they gave me another and then refused to change it. Then the meat arrived and I was appalled by the amount of fat on some of it and other bits were not dated. The chicken smelled rancid and they blamed the gas they used yet it also tasted rancid. When I complained and wanted to claim a refund under their 'no quibble' policy I have been stone walled with ' you are only complaining because we wouldn't change your delivery date'.

So here I am over £100 down and stuck with a load of disgusting meat.

Can anyone reccomend any reliable, good quality but also reasonably priced online butchers please?

I don't live near a butcher so my only other option is Tesco.

kathrynha

Where abouts are you?

I use Dawn's bargain meatpacks on facebook that is based in West Yorkshire. They deliver to South and North Yorkshire too.
The meat isn't dated, but it's all fresh, and the quality is amazing.
Not total freedom on delivery dates, as the vans do certain areas on certain days, but which days they deliver to which areas is clearly stated, so you can pick when you want from the list.

parsonswife8

supersaverkerry wrote: »

Hi

I decided to switch to butcher rather than supermarket meats as I want better quality less water content etc...

I tried Westin Gourmet and have had nothing but trouble, I asked for a delivery date os one day and they gave me another and then refused to change it. Then the meat arrived and I was appalled by the amount of fat on some of it and other bits were not dated. The chicken smelled rancid and they blamed the gas they used yet it also tasted rancid. When I complained and wanted to claim a refund under their 'no quibble' policy I have been stone walled with ' you are only complaining because we wouldn't change your delivery date'.

So here I am over £100 down and stuck with a load of disgusting meat.

Can anyone reccomend any reliable, good quality but also reasonably priced online butchers please?

I don't live near a butcher so my only other option is Tesco.

Surely you should have some rights here. I've never dealt with them but I'm sure some of the other forum members on here have. That is disgusting customer service. I would have gone mad, myself.

DPJames

Online butcher? Bit weird don't you think? You don't know where it's coming from, where it's been, how old it is, what it even looks like until you get it, or how long it's been sat in the back of a warm van.

Stupid idea if you ask me. Stick to Tescos. They might not be the best, but it's better than an online butcher!

And if the chicken smelled rancid, why on earth did you cook it......and then eat it?!?!

daivid

If you cant find a good online butcher how about a local butcher who will deliver? The butcher my parents use will deliver, goes round in a refrigerated van after closing up in the shop in the afternoon, the meat is unsurprisingly the same high quality as in the shop - many of his customers select it in person to be delivered later.

I know you say there are no butchers local but is that none are in a convenient location or that you don't drive? If there's a tesco nearby there surely must be a butcher somewhere? No guarantees they are any good or will deliver but many seem to.

ilikewatch

supersaverkerry wrote: »

Hi

I decided to switch to butcher rather than supermarket meats as I want better quality less water content etc...

I tried Westin Gourmet and have had nothing but trouble, I asked for a delivery date os one day and they gave me another and then refused to change it. Then the meat arrived and I was appalled by the amount of fat on some of it and other bits were not dated. The chicken smelled rancid and they blamed the gas they used yet it also tasted rancid. When I complained and wanted to claim a refund under their 'no quibble' policy I have been stone walled with ' you are only complaining because we wouldn't change your delivery date'.

So here I am over £100 down and stuck with a load of disgusting meat.

Can anyone reccomend any reliable, good quality but also reasonably priced online butchers please?

I don't live near a butcher so my only other option is Tesco.

I must admit that I've been using Westin Gourmet without a problem, and although meat that has been gas-flushed with nitrogen/carbon dioxide sometimes has an outdoor when first opened this normally dissipates quickly.

Anyway, I'd also recommend Donald Russell who sell some excellent quality meat online.

OlliesDad

DPJames wrote: »

Online butcher? Bit weird don't you think? You don't know where it's coming from, where it's been, how old it is, what it even looks like until you get it, or how long it's been sat in the back of a warm van.

Stupid idea if you ask me. Stick to Tescos. They might not be the best, but it's better than an online butcher!

And if the chicken smelled rancid, why on earth did you cook it......and then eat it?!?!

And do you know exactly where the meat has been before it has got to Tesco? Considering how little the food processors get paid by the big supermarkets, I would expect more corners to be cut there.

Just because you are ignorant on the matter, doesn't mean it is a 'stupid idea'. Our meat deliveries (from Abel and Cole) are delivered in insulated boxes stuffed with ice packs (which are still frozen when the order is delivered).

keyser666

OlliesDad wrote: »

And do you know exactly where the meat has been before it has got to Tesco? Considering how little the food processors get paid by the big supermarkets, I would expect more corners to be cut there.

Just because you are ignorant on the matter, doesn't mean it is a 'stupid idea'. Our meat deliveries (from Abel and Cole) are delivered in insulated boxes stuffed with ice packs (which are still frozen when the order is delivered).

Spot on.

Anyway OP I use http://www.stiltonbutchers.co.uk/ absolutely spot on

Gigervamp

You could try BigBarn. A lot of small farms advertise on there.

Viberduo

OlliesDad wrote: »

And do you know exactly where the meat has been before it has got to Tesco? Considering how little the food processors get paid by the big supermarkets, I would expect more corners to be cut there.

Just because you are ignorant on the matter, doesn't mean it is a 'stupid idea'. Our meat deliveries (from Abel and Cole) are delivered in insulated boxes stuffed with ice packs (which are still frozen when the order is delivered).

I have been to 2 different Tesco branches in the past and gone in around 11am to see the trolleys of stuff like mince ready to go out which has gone brown already, done my shopping and sat for a hour getting lunch and when I went to leave saw the same trolleys with the same meat sitting there still unrefrigerated..

One of the stores used to sell "reduced" stuff and by that I mean reduce something that is £3 to like £2.80 that is totally brown and yet sometimes had about 2 days before its use by or sell by date.

supersaverkerry

Thanks for the replies, I will look at some of the links.

I don't think online butcher is a silly idea at all, this delivery came in ice packed insulated boxes, everything was cold when it arrived, I would assume all butchers who deliver would have something similar in place.

I don't drive so it isn't just not a convinient butcher but more a case that I would have to get a bus that leaves hourly and travels 40 minutes to get to a butcher which isn't ideal when I work 13 hour shifts and have kids etc... I am lucky Tesco deliver otherwise I would be stuck with the corner shop mostly.

I will look in to whether any localish butchers deliver to my area too.