To think meat is getting more and more rubbish

[Daisyxxchainxx]

I have always eaten meat. I also feed my kids meat. On an average week they have meat based tea 3-4 times.

Usually a chicken dinner
Sausage and mash
Bolognese/lasagne or cottage pie
Sometimes pork loins or a pork roast

The rest of the week we have things like pasta, fish, chicken burgers pizza or wraps

I've started to notice I can't eat sausages anymore. They make me feel so sick. Weird as I've in always had them. But I appreciate they are not good for you but it's useful with veg and mash. We also love spaghetti Bolognese but the mince is hit and miss. I often find grey patches in it. It often has a swollen packet and heaps and heaps of fat come out of it. I try and get the 5% fat one but often it's not available.

I've started cooking turkey balls as I figure they are healthier than beef mince?

I've tried musclefood chicken and wow it tasted so much nicer. I definitely noticed a difference in its quality. But they don't sell much else in terms of joints etc.

Is the best from butcher's loads better? Or is meat just rubbish in general?

I'm not wanting to go veggie but I don't want to feed my kids crap. If it's affecting me after thirty years of eating it I worry how rubbish it is.

Sorry for the waffle. Any suggestions?

YANBU -I did think meat was just meat. But today had some chicken from Lidl that was tough, rubbery snd tasteless so I think you are right.

Try to avoid supermarket meat, it's usually really bad and low welfare. We've got a brilliant local butcher and farm shop that sells free range, good quality meat. We mostly eat veggie or bulk out meat (eg add lentils or beans to mince when making bolognese) as meat is expensive

As a result of supermarket deliveries being a bit unreliable at the start of lockdown I started ordering meat from a butcher. The quality has been so good and I will always get it from them in the future. The chicken breast in particular was amazing - tender and tasty. It costs more than my usual supermarket though and won't be in everyone's budget which is a shame.

My OH hates Aldi meat of any form.
Some asda meat i can tolerate like the mince, we both hate Lidl.
We've been going to morrisons since lockdown & their meat so far as been ok.
We dont eat alot of pork or lamb though so cannot comment on that.

I do prefer going to a local butchers though

I read Morrison’s slaughterhouses use cctv to track the animals treatment.

Butchers meats are much better than any of the supermarkets.

Local butchers/farmers have far superior meat. After having Herdwick lamb, no other lamb will do.

Give Farmisons & co a look, the chicken is a bit overpriced for what it is but the beef and lamb is great. They stock British grass fed heritage breeds, and they also sell game. We get their stuff as an occasional treat and don't bother with red meat the rest of the time. The dc love chicken though so we still get that from the supermarket.

Just wait for the chlorine washed chicken and hormone treated beef from the US. Then you'll be nostalgic for the food you can get now.

If you want to have some beautiful lamb, try saltmarsh lamb from a reputable butchers. Best lamb ever!

I’ve stopped buying supermarket meat and have a delivery every month off my local butcher now. It’s more expensive, but it’s far better quality.

Bacons awful these days, I usually buy Waitrose but we bought M&S and Dh had to rinse it off halfway through cooking with all the white stuff coming out.

We have a couple of good butchers near by where I'll buy red meat, but the chicken ain't great so I don't buy it.

I buy freerange organic chicken when I can get it. If I can't it MandS higher welfare or co-op. I htink the Coop meat is OK.

But I can afford it and there's only 2 of us to feed.

When I couldn't afford it I was almost completely veggie.

Agree with fish being tasteless too. The farmed fish. We live near the sea and can get fresh caught fish sometimes - it's like a different thing.

We buy expensive British, free range/outdoor bred/grass fed etc.

I love meat (lapsed veggie) but it costs a lot to eat well. We buy mostly Waitrose or from our farm shop. Lamb direct from the farm.

I buy my meat online from Malpass butchers. Cheaper than the supermarkets the quality is excellent, and their mince has barely any fat at all.

Butchers every time. The difference is massive. Worst meat is from Lidl. Horrible stuff.

I would much rather eat good, local meat less often than shit quality.

I buy from a local butcher or from M&S and Waitrose. I do buy Lidl's chicken thighs sometimes, which have been OK in a curry, but I prefer the butcher.

The cat doesn't seem to notice a difference between the different sources though.

Supermarket meat is nasty.
We buy from farm shops or l9cal butchers.
The sausages are amazing.
It's trial and error but you will find that you have to pay alot more for quality meat than the nasty cheap stuff in Supermarkets.

Butchers or farm shop always. Always. Supermarket meat cannot compare.

I’m going to continue to buy from local farmers/farm shops. Support your local businesses 😀. They may be more expensive but we will enjoy it more!

Packaged bacon is vile, pumped full of water and who knows what else, how it's allowed to be called bacon is a mystery. Buy dry cured from a reputable supplier, internet if you cant get from butcher.

I'd urge everyone to please try and increase the number of non-meat meals you have too. Meat is terrible for the environment and your health. Modern farming is cruel and inhumane beyond belief. Put red lentils or soya mince in your bolognaise. Try Vege sausages/ burgers. Cheap and easy curry, chilli, stir fry, pizza. The veganuary site has loads of simple recipes as does Jamie Oliver online. And there is so much vegan food in every supermarket, much of it fake meat if that's your thing.

Where are you shopping? Lean 5% steak mince is always available in Tesco, Waitrose and M&S I've even bought it in Aldi. Pre Covid DF would go once every month or so early in the morning to Smithfield's and he'd take orders from me and DB so we'd fill the freezer up. I have used Tesco a bit more than usual during lockdown just so I can do a shop in one place but I do think M&S meat quality is superior

Butchers every time. The difference is massive. Worst meat is from Lidl. Horrible stuff

When I've mentioned on lidl/aldi threads the meat is shit I've been called a food snob and told its exactly the same as the meat in waitrose and I'm.being fussy. My parents bang on loads about the quality if the meat in particular the steak and how restraunt staff queue up behind them to buy it si they must like it too and blah blah blah red tractor blah blah.

The reason I know its shit is cos I'm not fussy and I'll eat meat from anywhere I'm I'm anything but a " I'll only eat meat from the second shelf in waitrose as long as the label is straight and there are no spiders within a 3m radius " kinda person. It really is awful. Its unrecognisable in taste and texture to what its supposed to be.

As PP we eat meat in small amounts and high quality , we eat vegetable based dinners at least 3 nights a week and fresh fish at least once. I would much rather that than chicken nuggets, sausages, burgers etc. I do avoid meat substitutes though, I'd rather just eat veg or meat/fish rather than something that's largely made of chemicals and oil to look like meat (fish free tuna anyone? 🤢)

To be honest I think meat is one of those things that you really get what you pay for, more so than with fruit and veg.

I have been dirt poor and I have been comfortable, and the meat in my price range when I was dirt poor was fucking vile. The "posh" stuff is fantastic. Thankfully we're doing ok right now, but if we fall on hard times again I would either get one nice bit of meat as a "treat" meal or I would just cut it out of my weekly shop altogether.