First trip to the butchers- please help

[MrsBick]

so....
i've never been to the butchers before.
no excuse excpet that they scare me cos i don;t know what i'm looking for.

i've been looking on here and after switching to the local greengrocers for my veg (so much cheaper!!!) i have decided to be brave and go to the butchers next door.

but i don't know what to ask for, i mean, how many lbs of mince does spag bol /lasagne/ chilli take? i usually just use a portion of mince from tesco.

also, what are the cheapest , but still nice, cuts of meat?

I'm going to do the ideas on here of roasting a whole chicken etc and then using what's left for casserole/ risotto etc.

Please help!! (and please don't tell me off!)

Ask the butcher!
I don't mean this in a nasty way, I mean, he's the professional, he'll tell you what he's got in that is nice.

I think that most supermarkets sell packets of mince in 1lb (454g) batches - but you can check on the Tesco website to find the ones you normally buy if you want to be certain.

I'd love to use the local shops more but our local butcher is rather expensive so, far from being a saving, we only go there for a treat.

Good luck, I'm sure you'll be fine

Agree, ask the butcher.

Our local one is brilliant.
I go in, tell him what I want and for how many people and he will sell me the right amount.

We bought a beef joint last week and it was just the right size.

This might help you to feel a bit more confident, but Tigerschick is right about asking the butcher.

he won't think i'm completely stupid?

checked out that website- really helpful.

thanks for your advice- i've been told he's quite reasonable so i'm hoping to save a bit.

thanks again.

Not at all. He should be happy to give you the advice. If for any reason he isn't, he's a shitty butcher and you'd be better off finding another one.

No, he'll be glad to help. I think butchers like being asked things because it shows that their customers see them as being experts on meat.

When I go to the butcher's I always ask for things like 'enough mince for 4 people' or "a roast for 6".

I also regularly ask how to cook things, especially cheaper cuts. I have learnt how to cook lamb shanks and how to do roast belly of pork from my butcher.

They often will sell you bones and scraps very cheaply for making soup.

Butcher's rock!

that's great.

i'm relieved i'll be able to say 'enough for 3' etc

i'm not very good at working out how much per portion so i'm hoping he'll be nice.

i'm thinking of getting a slow cooker too, to batch cook things and then freeze so i'll ask him what meat will cook well in that.

He'll love you. They love passing on a bit of the knowledge and talking about 'cuts'.

Enjoy cooking!

How did it go ??

I quite often ask my butcher for "two adults and a ds-worth" of meat. He is quite happy with that. Most local butchers would be very happy to help you, both with portion sizes, and what cut/ how to cook it.