Organic meat boxes - any suggestions

[boz1]

My OH has just been diagnosed with possible ME. Not a definite diagnosis yet but we are going to treat it as such for now. We have been recommended an organic diet as there is a link between ME and pesticides/ herbicides/insecticides. We have sorted organic veg - because we grow it and I have my own chickens who are fed organically but I have struggled to source organic meat locally. I have come across a company www.eversfieldorganic which looks good but I wondered if anyone else had tried them or anyone else you can recommend.

[boz1]

Sorry should have read www.eversfieldorganic.co.uk My fingers were typing faster than my brain.

[noodletiff]

Not sure where you are, but try www.riverford.co.uk. They do lots of set boxes and you can now make up your own box from their long list from £25. Free delivery too and they're very good!

[meltedmarsbars]

Rabbits? Venison? A lot of game is more "organic" than farmed meat.

Fish?

[sixfoldwaitingtime]

definitely second riverford in terms of being good value, free delivery (if you order a box) and v tasty.

But also have a look at bigbarn.co.uk, as that should let you find some organic producers around you locally. Roughly whereabouts are you?

And sorry to hear about the ME.

[boz1]

Actually MMB organic is far better than game and fish because they are not organic so no guarantees about pesticides/herbicides and insecticides. I had a chat with the people at Eversfield organic and they said while they sell venison and game from their organic farm they cannot say they are organic as they are wild and can go anywhere - including farms that have heavy use of chemicals. Also fish are likely to carry it as fresh water rivers have the chemicals that leach off the land and sea fish are subject to unknown chemicals that are dumped at sea from boats etc. it is not proven that ME can be worsened or caused by pesticides/herbicides/insecticides - but there is some scientific thought that advices against it.

[pinkmagic1]

Have you got a farm shop anywhere nearby?, most of these will sell a selection of organic meats. You can also buy organic meat from most supermarkets now.
Also if you keep chickens have you considered rearing a few meat birds as well as your layers?

[applepudding]

I bought an organic meat box from Graig Farm once (put Graig Farm into google you'll get the website) but I found it expensive for what I got.

I normally get a veg box fortnightly from Able and Cole and get my meat alongside that. I tend to order whatever is on special offer.

Sainsbury's organic produce is mainly all British. Asda and Tesco often sourced abroad, and we don't have a waitrose.

[bacon]

I am ex-supplier of meat boxes from meat off the farm (my farm) I can state that the word "organic" is miss understood!

There are fantastic farmers out there breeding and fattening animals on fantastic foods - you cant get better than lamb or beef that has come stright off the grass (not fattening units where animals are fed ad-lib on concentrates) Look out for longhorn beef etc these beef animals thrive on grass and are slow growing - this beef can be hung for over 3 weeks whereas continental crossed beef doesnt hang well. Lamb that is from old breeds, pork - gloucester old spot, berkshire etc all these breeds do not need to be "organic" they need to be outdoor bred (also ask if outdoor not barn). Sorry most feeds whether organic or not will eventually carry some form of GM or some amount of chemicals. Contary to belief in this country farmers cannot afford fancy chemicals or sprays - lamb and beef is hardly a problem, with pork you need outdoor and chicken however needs to be free to roam, organic egg system is better than traditional methods. There are loads of small farmers doing this search the web in your location and go and see the farm. Organic is a word that is flown around without much understanding. As with ME it depends on how good your diet was prev to ME. If you had a good diet then I dont think there is any eviedence. I suffer from fibromyalgia and looked into it loads and I think its about the brain/glands malfunctioning plus inheritated genes nothing to do with what I am eating.

[boz1]

I agree in that I think the word organic is overused by loads of people without them having any approvals fo their product - but if it is Soil Association approved then the animals are grass fed their welfare is paramount. I have looked into the Eversfield set up and several other Soil Association farms and they are truly organic. With most farmers they use a 20:10:10 mix of fertiliser as a routine as well as herbicides to contol weeds. I am not saying that the meat produced by these is inferior but it can contain high levels of chemicals - which have been linked to ME. I know if I buy from a Soil Association source in the UK I am buying really organic products. Most organic farmers use the slower growing stock. Eversfield have Aberdeen Angus which research seems to suggest is one of the better flavoured meat around.

My OH's diet has always been good, farm meat and lots of fruit and veg, he had what we thought was swine flu earlier on in the year and it initially was thought to have left him with a virus he couldn't shake. So after several visits to hospital consultants he has had a tentitive diagnosis of possible ME and we have a diet sheet to stick to for the next month and then we go back for more tests.
I looked at Abel and Cole and it seemed really expensive so won't be trying them, will try Riverford and Eversfield and update you with how I get on.