Where can I buy ethically reared meat in Britain?

Brand_X

Way back in the old days, people could buy meat direct from the farm gate, which was a lot more sanitary and you could actually see with your own eyes exactly where the animals were kept and how they were looked after. But that's illegal now I guess. That's progress for you.

They also tended to be reared for longer than today's modern "improved" slab-of-meat-with-a leg-at-each-corner animals - I didn't realize until a few years ago that cows were slaughtered at just two years old, I imagined they lived for more like twenty years.. I'm a bit more informed these days.

I'm mainly vegetarian but I will eat meat if I can find an ethical source (roadkill for example, Hugh Fearnley Whittinstall made a TV series about that) and I'm trying to find possible new options; so far all I can find in supermarkets is British ros! veal (for the love of God, never buy veal reared outside of the UK.. pure evil, you don't want to know) but tbh I can't stand the taste.

I'm quite happy to pay way, way over the odds for meat that has come from animals that have been genuinely cared for and allowed to live longer than their unfortunate commercial counterparts, but it's damned hard to find someone selling a pet chicken that just died of a heart attack.

Any ideas? Are there still any places you can go to buy meat that has come from pampered poultry and luxury-life livestock?

(Preferably in Somerset or Devon btw.)

meer53

Find a local farm shop.

martinthebandit

http://www.humaneitarian.org/where-do-i-buy-humanelyraised-meat/#.VxFAV9R4WrU

missbiggles1

http://www.wildbeef.co.uk/
http://www.somersetfarmersmarkets.co.uk/producers/meats/

Brand_X

The "Wild Beef" store looks quite good, but I'm still not seeing anything more than regular meat raised to a moderately higher standard. It's a start, but to put things in perspective I'm happy to pay x5 times those prices, maybe even up to 10 times the price. I don't want cheap meat.

Petula

Higher Hacknell is who I use, not able to do a link atm but just put it in your search bar. There are loads available who ship throughout the UK.

HTH

HappyMJ

Brand_X wrote: »

The "Wild Beef" store looks quite good, but I'm still not seeing anything more than regular meat raised to a moderately higher standard. It's a start, but to put things in perspective I'm happy to pay x5 times those prices, maybe even up to 10 times the price. I don't want cheap meat.

Could you raise your own animals for meat?

happy35

I buy some meat at a local farmers market, I know of the farms they come from - is that an option for you?

Gigervamp

Farmer's markets, Big Barn, (you can find your local suppliers on both of those sites.)

I also use Piper's Farm, as they do meat boxes.

DCFC79

What about the results you get if you search farm shops devon ?

I'm sure Ive seen Great British Meat mentioned on here before.

MysteryMe

Widecombe monthly market has a stall with locally reared meat.