Rubbish British Meat ?

[Dinger2]

My 91yr. old Mum, a great cook,has for the last 3 years,in spite of having great respect for British meat, has become disgusted with the quality of said meat, She is convinced that claims of meat being hung (to relax it ) for 28/35 days whatever are a pack of lies as regards to the "Cookability" of said meat. Can anybody tell me how and why this major drop in quality has occurred ??

[SpikeyBush]

Is she shopping at Asda? Their prices may be keen but the quality of their fresh produce in my opinion leaves a lot to be desired. My meat is procured from the local butcher who has his own abattoir. He's not the cheapest on the manor but you get what you pay for.

[baza]

Local butchers cannot compete with the big supermarkets on price but the quality is much better, support your local butcher if you can.
20 years ago we had 3 butchers in the village, now we have one open 3 days a week, we also have an ASDA within a couple of miles, taste went out when the supermarket moved in.

[Buenchico]

As well as the above points, it's worth remembering that farmers generally use breeds (of cattle, pigs, sheep, etc) that produce large animals with relatively little fat in the meat (because many shoppers won't buy 'fatty' meat, or regard it as 'low quality').

So supermarkets are far less likely to sell Aberdeen Angus beef (unless they charge premium prices for it) or, say, Gloucester Old Spot pork than some traditional butchers might do. Our local butcher sells excellent quality products but at £45 per kilo (for T-bone steak) he ruddy well ought to!!!

[baza]

^^^ At that price I would expect him to cook it for me with the mushrooms and French fries. Served up by a lady in a French maids uniform.

[ummmm]

I don't agree that butchers sell the best meat. I always feel let down when I shop at the local butchers.

Tesco sell the best steak, imo.

[EDDIE51]

Good quality meat costs a lot. You have to pay over £25 a kilo for top quality roasting beef. You can't expect a supermarket 'special offer' at say £8 a kilo to match it!

[EDDIE51]

ummmm with independent local butchers it is down to each one how good their meat is. You need to find one with a good reputation, there is one 5 miles from me and there is always a queue waiting outside . People turn up an hour or more before he opens to get a place in the queue. He is normally sold out within 2 or 3 hours.

[woofgang]

I usually get my pork and beef from a Waitrose butcher counter, chicken and turkey from Waitrose or Marks. We have got a local butcher but the meat is rubbish and expensive.

[ummmm]

Eddie....I don't have a car. We have a local butchers but I don't rate them (although they are good if you want something specific like venison)

I'm not a meat lover though.

[Old_Geezer]

Is it just the meat ? Surely it's a change in culture, everything done cheap as possible, on time, maximised pofits, quality irrelevant and blameable on the paid staff. It's not the same society as it was. Some bits obviously better but much lost along the way too.

[pastafreak]

As mentioned,too much meat is raised to be lean,as people have been told for 30+ years that it is "healthier". Removing fat removes flavour and the meat is likely to be dry...no matter how it is cooked.
My local butcher in the city centre market has the most gorgeous belly pork...still on the bone and full of flavour. The supermarkets trim all the fat off...no crackling. :-(

[237SJ]

It`s the breeds they use nowadays as well. My Dad used to breed pigs during the summer and they were nothing like the huge animals you see these days. Likewise with cattle. My grandad used to breed Devon reds but it`s all Charolais cattle these days for the simple reason that they are huge (lots of yield) and they grow fast but the flavour isn`t there.

[vulcan42]

Interesting replies but a friend of mine buys his meat from one local butcher. The butcher in turn buys from one farmer who has one breed of cattle. The butcher prepares his meat the same way and yet the quality can vary enormously. Sometimes the meat will almost melt in the mouth and sometimes it requires considerable chewing. I've heard it said that some animals can be more stressed than others and this contributes to the quality of the meat.

[jennyjoan]

I cooked Sirloin steaks yesterday from a great butchers and they were absolutely beautiful - actually tastes like steak. They were dear tho but you get what you pay for.

[Xeronema]

JJ: I had a nice cut of venison from the butchers last week, it was dear.