Local meat is better from the butcher than the supermarket #wheresmyfoodfrom

Warning – this post contains pictures of meat. I eat meat. Not often, but sometimes and this post is about sourcing meat that is local to where I live and affordable. If you are vegan, vegetarian or offended by pictures of meat in Tuppaware then please do not read any further. I have chosen a picture for the post that has no animals or meat in it so I don’t offend you. This is not a post about the ethics or sustainability of meat production. FYI I don’t eat halal meat, I try to get organic when I can afford to.

I’m taking part in the Live Happerley Challenge to know where all my food comes from. Part of the challenge is to #namethefarm so if you are the sort of meat eater who doesn’t want to acknowledge you are eating dead things, you might find this hard.

I buy meat about once a month and I try to go for cuts that are cheaper, they slow cook really well and work out very economical, even for organic meat when you can find it.

I used to get whatever was on offer in the supermarket which was usually 3 recyclable plastic containers with a non recyclable absorbent layer and a non recyclable film top.

3 for £10 supermarket offers.

What is good about the local butcher?

I can take my own container and be zerowaste.
The meat is from Somerset, which I know is closer than a vague ‘UK/Ireland’ on the supermarket labels.
It works out much cheaper.
You can get meat with bones in to make broth and most supermarkets don’t sell them any more.

This is what a tenner from the butcher gets you

For my tenner in the local butchers I got:

Minced beef
2 big chicken legs
4 slices of pork bellies
Large chunk of beef shank with bone

That is a lot of meals. The beef shank is in the slow cooker now with a tin of cherry tomatoes from Approved Food, I’ll add some veg in a minute. The pork and chicken will be slow roasted and the mince will make a chilli or cottage pie.

Our local butcher doesn’t sell organic meat but more upmarket areas will, and I bet it is still cheaper than buying from a supermarket.