Comments on: River Cottage Meat Book Review

By: Lou

Lou — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:54:01 +0000

I would love to use a butcher, instead of a supermarket. Unfortunately, when I once asked my local butcher whether they stocked free range eggs or chicken, they looked at me like I had just landed from outer space. Since then, I’ve chosen to buy my meat and poultry from a supermarket, because at least I can confidently choose free-range.

By: Barry

Barry — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 08:09:08 +0000

Supermarkets have spent decades selling us over-priced, manufactured, packaged foods. We get shrink-wrapped “convenience”, while they get to suck as much profit as possible from the supply chain, up- and down-stream.

I very rarely buy meat from supermarkets, but then I am lucky and have a superb butcher who gets most of his meat locally.

Sadly, most people don’t care about animal welfare and supermarkets exploit that consumer apathy to the full.

More power to Hugh’s elbow!

By: John

John — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 22:25:07 +0000

Hi Chris – I edited the rude word from your post. I don’t argue the butcher is expensive, I argue quality meat is dearer than intensively reared meat wherever purchased and that the supermarkets have dominated the market to the point where most people don’t visit a butcher any more.

By: Chris Norton

Chris Norton — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 20:14:08 +0000

I work for a small family butchers (I won’t say who to not advertise) and the cost argument in favour of the supermarket is rubbish. We are in the main a pork butcher and are cheaper than Asda for most things porky. Sausages may not be but they are produced from shoulder and nothing else and not snouts and rubbish as some of the ones are.

Take a visit to your local butchers and be surprised.

By: John

John — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:12:32 +0000

Hi Allan – I bow to your much superior knowledge of cattle. On butchers, my main point is most people don’t ever visit one. The out of town supermarkets sell them the pre-packaged products and that’s all they see.
There’s also the psychology of meat – we’re becoming so divorced from the source that the traditional butcher scares off consumers who think meat appears in joint sized chunks wrapped in plastic.
I’ve even heard someone say they don’t want dirty home grown vegetables that have been in soil, they want the clean ones from Asda.

By: Allan

Allan — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:35:59 +0000

I have to agree with most of your comments about Hugh .
But one thing i have to disagree with is the cost of the butcher against supermarkets . I have recently started using local butchers as I have realized they seem to charge similar prices and have MUCH better quality . Chicken for instance has much more taste and less water!! Now me being a livestock farmer with sheep out in the fields and Bull beef in the shed, I am one of the places that the little black and white calves end up on so that every one can have there milk in there tea. I know that it may seem that all cattle should graze grass but rest assured people would not step into the countryside if these sort of cattle were in the fields, Me included!! . So please don’t abandon all the meat in favour of the grass fed cattle .
Just to add my cattle are fed on a barley/beans/protein diet with as much round bale haylige they like .

By: jacqueline

jacqueline — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:00:04 +0000

Breaking news?
Now, Val really has upstaged you as a media-personality, John, – with her breaking news.
So sorry about your accident, Val. How frustrating!
That controversial book “Honest to God” by the Bishop of Woolwich (circa 1970?) was apparently written when he was confined to bed with a bad back.
So,any chance of you writing a controversial best-seller for the 2000′s Val?
Best Wishes for a speedy recovery.
p.s. We find the web-site entertaining and really useful. Thankyou.