Meat for Freezer

[GinandChocolate]

Anyone bought meat in bulk for the freezer - am thinking half a lamb, half a pig, bulk buying beef.

Any recommendations? How did you choose a supplier?

Hi, I've used DonaldRussell.com for years after they were recommended to me by a top hotel chef and I've never been disappointed. They have a wide variety of meats and other foods and a very helpful website - have a look and see what you think.

Thanks Sandy - lots of lovely food here!

I used to do it but couldnt get enough buyers without expensive marketing.

There are tons and tons of special websites advertising meat direct off the farm. Some will be local to you and deliver to your door. Look under your county.

Beef - you want native breeds - longhorn, aberdeen, hereford etc which is mainly grass fed, and matured for a min 3 weeks.
Lamb again you want mainly grass fed, store lamb can be very fatty and lack taste. You want to be paying £60 plus for half a lamb. Some are cheap but the lamb is tiny!
Pork again £60 for quarter, either pure breed or crossed with pure as it wonted have much taste. You will see Predigree gloucester old spot or GOS crossed. Sometimes crossed to keep the fat down as some breeds are shockingly fat. You want outdoor again (check not outdoor barned).

Pop you yr local farmers markets to speak to the farmer and you can do more bargining.

Donald Russell is well known but not particualy brilliant in taste. In essence its a large industrial set up to acheive this amount of meat. Not good for food miles either.

I get 2 lambs from the farm next to my parents every October.

The farmer takes them to slaughter then we collect them a few days later, cleaned but whole: you can have them ready butchered but we do that bit ourselves because then we can get the cuts we like.

We then package them in bags and frezze in a chest freezer.

I chose them because it is Scottish Blackface breed, unfattened straigh off the hill, so very sweet, tasty meat, and local!

I would recommend it as you then know exactly what you are getting. You do get very inventive at using up scrag end meat!

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