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Original poster

Where do you buy your meat ?

29 replies

purple15 · 05/08/2013 18:27

I have got really fussy, I will not buy from Asda or Tesco ( or any supermarkets ) but I will buy from Marks and Spencers.

We used to alternate between the local butcher and Marks, but the butcher has recently passed away and the butchers has remained closed.

Money is quite an issue and I seem to be spending a fortune at Marks, really I cant afford to shop there.

Where do you get your meat ?

OP posts:
WeAllHaveWings · 05/08/2013 18:52

Have you tried a farm shop. We go to one about 40 mins drive from home and buy and freeze about 6 weeks worth at a time.

Great value and quality, we get a box of 20-25 fresh large chicken breast for around £23; a block of lorne sausage for £5 which has about 23 slices of sausage; steaks, links, diced rump steak, mince etc etc (prices are cheaper in the shop than online).

The shop has been there for years, but we only heard about it around 2 years ago and now hardly buy any supermarket meat at all. Try a google or ask around to see if there are any near you.

Itsjustafleshwound · 05/08/2013 18:55

What are you fussy about?

knickernicker · 05/08/2013 18:57

The 2 for £7 steaks at ASDA are reliably good and way tastier than anything from Tesco. Large ASDAs have good meat at the counters too. I also like some of Morrison's steak. They have some dry aged beef on their counters,
I think the ASDA 2 for 7 must be loss leaders. Trust me - I'm a food snob with a love for Waitrose and Booths.

Original poster
purple15 · 06/08/2013 10:59

I think I am just a snob.

When I have purchased mince from say Asda, the taste Is not a patch on the butcher, the taste and the gristle.

Knickernicker I will try the steaks 2 for £7.

OP posts:
mrspaddy · 06/08/2013 11:04

I get my meat from the butcher.. they usually have deals on and I get the deals.. they change every week so I stock up - pork chops and chicken one week, mince and stewing steak the next.. have a large variety in.
If I am organised I get to ALDI/LIDL to buy veg and cook batches of meals while the meat is still fresh that day.
I buy my salmon from LIDL - black box pack of two. It is lovely.

Original poster
purple15 · 06/08/2013 19:06

Mrspaddy What do you think of the meat from Aldi.

I think I read somewhere that a lot of the products are from the same factory both Marks and Aldi.

OP posts:
ShoeWhore · 06/08/2013 20:08

Butcher mainly although they don't do free range chicken so I get that from Sainsbury's. We are on a budget so we eat less meat.

IDismyname · 06/08/2013 20:13

I think the meat and fish from Costco is pretty good value.

We also have our own pigs, so free range pork is always in the freezer!

AnneEyhtMeyer · 06/08/2013 20:13

Costco mainly. Really great meat there.

I used to use the local farm shop but as they got busier their meat went downhill as I think they were buying stuff in from cheaper places.

YellowCanary1 · 06/08/2013 20:16

We're really lucky an rear all our own meat including chicken, beef, pork, lamb and rabbit. DH also shoots game. May just be a psychological thing but I think it tastes much nicer!

LITTLEGEEK · 09/08/2013 13:30

WeAllHaveWings I use that farm shop, it's fab. Highly recommend.

fussychica · 09/08/2013 14:42

Waitrose for beef & venison, Morrisons for pork and chicken from wherever has an offer on. Only buy chicken from Asda as have always been very disappointed with their other meat. No Tesco, M&S or Sainsbury close so rarely buy from them.

On returning from abroad it was just great to have so much choice.

ShatnersBassoon · 09/08/2013 14:46

Morrisons for everything but FR chicken, which I get in Aldi for about half the price.

The three butchers in my town are all a case of style of substance. One of them has started wrapping the meat in greasproof paper

Arisbottle · 09/08/2013 14:48

Waitose, butcher and farm shop.

sparkle12mar08 · 09/08/2013 18:16

Waitrose for us. Can't afford £16 for a chicken from the butcher frankly. Used to buy from Sainsburys but stopped when they started pumping more water into their chicken - noticed it about two years ago, lots of white scum coming out of their middle range stuff. Def not fat, but watery scum, put me right off.

ShowOfHands · 09/08/2013 18:26

I go tothe local butcher on a fortnightly basis. We buy their meat boxes which are good value. I know the owner of the shop, he's a family friend and my brother worked with him for years. He has won awards and prides himself on his good reputation.

My brother (a butcher) currently works for a local-ish farm shop so we go there once every six weeks and buy stuff for the freezer. Good value if you buy in bulk and their stock is excellent.

Fish we get from the market or stock up with my Dad (a fishmonger) when we see him.

Rachtoteach · 09/08/2013 20:00

I feel the same as you OP. Waitrose for us too. The other day I bought tesco mid-range chicken and me and non-fussy ds(8) just couldn't eat it! It was chewy and just, well, yuck.

Tried Aldi once, bought the chicken breasts straight home and put them in fridge, opened them about 3 hours later and they stunk the whole kitchen out so went straight in bin.

So yes, can't afford to do whole weekly shop at waitrose but will make a separate visit for chicken and pork. Or stick to fish and quorn! I made a 'chicken' korma the other day with quorn, didn't tell the DCs and they said it was the nicest chicken they'd had in ages Wink

BoffinMum · 09/08/2013 22:51

You can get a meat box from Abel and Cole for about £25 - would that be an option?

VeryStressedMum · 10/08/2013 08:06

Chicken from sainsburys, tesco and asda can be the same as marks so any taste difference is psychological :)

sparkle12mar08 · 10/08/2013 08:24

Well I've never had nasty white scum come out of any Marks chicken I've ever bought, yet it's present in all the sainsburys chicken I've had over the past year or so, so I'd completely disagree there I'm afraid!

shockers · 10/08/2013 08:40

Sainsburys' mince is dire compared to Booths!

shockers · 10/08/2013 08:44

My friend goes half on a cow from an open prison farm, with her neighbours. It comes prepared into different cuts. There is a big waiting list though.

SoftSheen · 10/08/2013 08:52

I get most of our shopping from Asda or the market, but meat from Waitrose, M&S or Sainsbury's. Sainsbury's chicken is nice.

Waitrose essentials meat is good, and you can often get 3 packs for £10 deals. For us (2 adults and 1 toddler) this is enough for about 6 meals, which equates to about 2 weeks, since we don't eat meat every day. Waitrose also do the cheaper cuts of pork (such as shoulder steaks) which are very cheap even when you buy free range (though actually we don't eat pork very often).

VeryStressedMum · 11/08/2013 18:49

Chicken from marks can be the same as tesco value and sainsburys basics, as well as own brand, it's not that marks is lower quality just that the same chicken is sometimes used.

AnneEyhtMeyer · 11/08/2013 21:07

Actually that is true, Very, my friend used to work for one of the biggest poultry producers in the UK and they supplied virtually everybody, including KFC.