Cheap meat - worth the savings?

[Lovecat]

We are on a bit of an economy drive and one of our biggest weekly costs after the mortgage is food - it's not uncommon for us to spend £100+ in a week, although often this is down to buying things other than food, like books/kitchenware/children's clothes. Still, even taking that into consideration, I tend to buy everything organic since dd came along and it does bump the costs up considerably.

Anyway, we were recently on holiday and the nearest supermarket for miles around was a LIDL. Never been to one before (except to buy horse blankets, but that's another story) and DH was astonished at how cheap it was. He suggested I should try shopping there in future, so I went along to our local one this week and, while the quality of the fresh fruit/veg was pretty dire, the meat and tinned goods were okay. Food for the week ended up £27, with £10 spent in the market on the fruit/veggies.

Now, what I'm asking (with my paranoid mother hat on) is will eating this kind of thing affect dd? Will she get the same nutritional value out of this cheap meat and veg that she gets out of her Waitrose organics?

Part of me thinks what the hell, I grew up eating absolute shite and was relatively thin in my twenties, but I was never particularly healthy...

And does anyone have any budget-y tips for a struggling downsizer?

cheapest fruit and veg often from market stalls imo

I wouldn't economise on meat and fish that much, tbh. Find out the prices at your local butcher, if you have one, if not try Tesco or Asda.

You can eat well and cheaply. I'm sure a wise mumsnetter will come along soon with a list of cheap, nutritious, tasty meals. There is a mumsnetter with a money saving site but I've forgotten who it is.....sorry!

There's nothing wrong with the Lidl meat is there? In fact the sandwich meat etc. is really nice, being German.

puy lentils in place of mince are lovely i think. we probably eat far too much meat anyway nowadays... i have to say it's one area where i don't economise.

Have no idea about LIDL, but I supose their frozeen food should be as good as any other frozen food.

What I would avoid though, would be to start buying cheaper meat cuts, mince, etc. to save some money, as they make up for the price in fat content, better to eat better stuff less often (and suplement with vegetables) than having meat with very high fat content in a regular basis.

However, I would happily get a whole chicken and remove the bones my self rather than spending 3 times as much in the same to have the work done for me (I'm lieing, I HATE touching raw chicken!)

I think that it's better to buy cheaper cuts of meat rather than 'cheap meat' and cook it longer and slower to tenderise it. Slightley easier to dish up a stew in November than August though.

when we have economy drives, rather than compromise on meat sourcing / quality we just buy and eat less of it, and what we do buy is cheaper cuts (lamb neck fillet is bargainous and delicious in curries, casseroles etc).
Can't bear the thought of battery chicken etc, however cheap...

Malory, I'm with you on this one - I'd much rather buy organic meat that meets decent standards of care etc etc. Hence my Lidl reluctance.

Unfortunately, much as I would love to give dd less meat, she doesn't really do veg at the moment and barely does cheese or eggs, so I'm a bit stuffed when it comes to feeding her.

Skerriesmum - I HATE continental sarnie meat! Dunno what it is, it just has a vile taste to it that I can't bear... The OH, however, loves it, so he's fine.

WT - would love a local butcher, but ours are all halal and, aside from the meat looking downright diseased (I'm sure it's not...?), I really, really don't like the idea of buying meat produced that way.

Isabel, you're quite right, the meat is far more fatty - that in itself isn't an issue, I tend to slow-cook it anyway so it's more tender and then drain the fat off. However, you're obviously getting less meat per kg, so whether it's really a saving or not... hmm...

btw - puy lentils are the work of the devil and I don't do offal, so the traditional cheap ideas are out!

we buy our meat from the local butcher. All locally reared and "well looked after" (before and after slaughter). Yes, it is more expensive than the supermarket, but it doesn't shrink and tastes divine. So you need less of it. Sausages contain meat and little else, so don't feel guilty given them to the DCs. Mince is minced steak, v. little fat. And joints/steaks don't shrink. We buy most of our fruit and veg from grocers near butchers, cheaper and tastier than the supermarket. We use lidls too, for things like tinned tomatoes, cheese, cooked meats, but I don't find their uncooked meat particularly good quality and would question its provenance.

would def go with the less meat

lc-she does NEED veg. Don't want to guilt trip you, but if she won't eat fruit/veg it would be an idea to try to sort that out.

Odds are there are some that she does like, or some way to acclimatise her palate, eg bolognaise with decreasing amounts of meat.

Often kids do just need to be offered food time and time again.

Can you source a whole butchered pig or lamb from your butchers? This can work out really cheap - a friend of mine just bought half a big for £45. I think she got a load of sausages, about 8 roasting joints, a pile of chops and a few other bits.

A good butcher would be cheaper than Waitrose. We have a local farm shop with butchers which sells excellent meat - some organic/free range some not and it is far cheaper than Waitrose (and better). I wouldn't go to the other supermarkets though as they are generally far worse than Waitrose (poorly cut, added water etc).

Personaly, I would rather not give my DC's meat, than give them cheap meat. DH would be quit happy to eat cheap meat, but I am totally paranoid and a real snob, when it comes to meat.

Would she eat beans? Dd is irritatingly fussy, but she loves beans in most guises. And I make a tomato sauce with loads of veg whizzed up in it (which I was so sneery about when I only had ds ). It is the basis of most of her meals. Beans, tomato sauce and variations on starchy carbohydrates. I do always give her some unwhizzed veg so she can go through the motions of refusing it .

And if you don't like green or brown lentils, then orange ones cook down very soft and don't look lentilly.

Swop meat for meals based around whole grains, beans and lentils. Cheaper, more filling, healthier. If money is very limited then buying in bulk from a health food supplier can save a lot of cash. I think the quality of "cheap" meat has deteriorated so badly since we were children. Yes, I do think it affects a person's long term health to eat cheap bad quality food all the time.

imo meat is one of the things absolutely NOT skimping on. I'd rather have no meat at all if I can't buy organic.

I wouldn't economise on meat - I would rather eat less of it. Our local butcher is cheaper than tescos for most things, and the quality is excellent. There are also a couple of organic meat producers round here who will happily send a box of frozen meat: try Yerbeston Farm here or Bumpy Lane Farm here

I think Lidl/Aldi meat is fine.

franny i had quinoa today

and really liked it. i whacked some in a chickpea and chorizo stew i made and it was delicious. i'm getting there...

OooOOOOooh

luvverly

IMO, no.

Like Malory, it's a matter of principle for us - about concern for British farmers and for animals.

If we can't afford meat that's ethically produced, we go without.

The taste difference is enormous.

definitely wouldn't compromise on meat quality. if you can't find a local butchers whom you can question the origin of the meat, then it might be worth looking online. I've found some organic websites that will deliver a whole chopped lamb or cuts of beef / pork to your door, and i think it does work out cheaper than buying from waitrose, you can pop it in the freezer. also doing this monthly allows for a more effective budget management.

i def trust waitrose more than tesco or asda for locally produced product, wouldn't go near lidl for meat personally. and i always bought organic fruit and veg via a box scheme but had to jack that in for expense. at mo still bf'ing but will go back to organic when weanng. in the meantime i buy fruit and veg from local farmshop, at least i know it's not got airmiles and it's picked fresh and also european guidelines on pesticides are not so stringent as over here i don't think, so imo its the next best thing to organic and also much cheaper - plus you eat in season !

When it comes to meat, I feel you get what you pay for. We go to a lovely local butcher and another organic farm now but it means we don't eat meat with every meal. Our bodies aren't really designed to take in meat every day, so when we do I like to know where its come from. We tend to buy fish from Waitrose as they are always nice on the counter to talk too etc. If we lived nearer the sea though...

Fruit and veg wise it depends on what it is, I read a report a few weeks ago (will try and find link) which was exploring the cost of organic and whether it was worth it. It was a mixed response.

e.g there is no point in buying organic bananas as any chemicals/pesticides are highly unlikely to go through the skin. However buying fairtrade is a different ethical issue.

Organic Cucumbers and kiwi fruits were found to have upto 30% more good stuff in them and were well worth the investment. etc. etc.. Can't remember everything..will look for link.

We also have a local lidl, some things I buy happily others I think look a bit suspicious.. its about balancing it all out I suppose.

franny. it's an interesting texture, isn't it? terribly enjoyable though.

wrt meat, there's another factor i think against supermarket meat... why is it always that weird pinky-red colour? yeauch.

the meat i get from teh butchers is dark, dark red, delicious because it's been hung properly.