Where do you buy your meat?

[Deeishere111]

I find that there is a big difference in taste when the meat is really fresh. I buy a lot of my meat from a store that actually kill their own animals. It’s a local specialty store that mainly sells organic beef, pork, in season vegetables and honey. The meat is so fresh. After they process the meat, they pack and freeze it. The flavor is rich and bold. I think it makes a difference in how my dishes comes out.

 

[aquaticneko]

I have been fortunate enough to be able to buy pork and chicken from a supplier that lives near to me. I even go by to help him at times and he gives me eggs from his chickens! However, I can't always rely on him since he has his top priority sellers. I get eggs all the time though. When I don't I head to a local butcher. I always buy local if I can. I love that the culture here allows me to see the meat being butchered. I KNOW for a fact that it is fresh. I refuse to buy meat behind glass displays since I have no idea what to look for then.

 

[Rosyrain]

I purchase my meat from the grocery store right now, but would like to buy it fresh from the butcher at some point. There are not many around though, so you really have to do some searching.

 

[classic33]

I suppose I've been lucky. I've been able to go from field to table, two and four legs(always within easy reach). Can't get much fresher than that.
Other than chickens & turkeys which have been bought frozen/frozen from a supermarket. Poultry I'll watch where it's bought. The same with meat. I've three local butchers whose judgement I'd trust, if I were to hand them a list to be picked up later, not to give me a bad piece or overcharge. Weight wise, I'll always say go over rather than under and no need to be exact.

Many of the butchers from the local market have gone since 2001. Many being farmers they couldn't leave their land. 2001 being the year of the last major Foot & Mouth outbreak over here.

 

[epicuric]

Local traditional butcher, although if I haven't time to get to the market I sometimes buy from the supermarket. Our local butchers are very hot on traceability, and the meat mainly comes from local farms, whereas supermarkets are not always transparent about where there meat come from. I does amuse me though when standing behind someone at the meat counter who is trying to choose the brightest red piece of beef thinking that freshest is best. My butcher will wink at me, knowing I shall be doing the exact opposite - going for the darkest, oldest piece of beef he has!

 

[MrsDangermouse]

We buy from a variety of sources. Usually Costco and supermarkets for "everyday" meat for convenience and price reasons but if we want something special we buy from the local market where a local farmer has a stall. He doesn't have a huge range as he is only small but what he does have is very good and you know exactly where its come from. His red meat is always well hung (@epicuric - I totally agree with you on that!) and he has a fantastic range of homemade sausages - we're gradually working our way through them all LOL. We also got out Christmas turkey from him: free-range and well hung - it was the best turkey we've ever had and it cost far less than the supermarket equivalent.

 

[classic33]

All meat has to fully traceable, by the customer, in the UK. And that means back to the farm.

 

[epicuric]

All meat has to fully traceable, by the customer, in the UK. And that means back to the farm.

Mmm. Try asking that question in Tesco/Sainsbury/Morrisons let alone Aldi or Lidl. Grab a leg of New Zealand lamb out of the chiller and take it to customer services to enquire which particular farm it came from. Better still a joint labelled "butchered in the EU"

 

[kgord]

I buy my meat from a grocery store. Where I used to live, I wasn't too far from a butcher shop but I rarely used it. The meats were lovely, but they were quite high priced. Some people around here will sell beef by the quarter and this is fresh locally sourced stuff, but since I don;t have a large freezer, that is not practical for me. I might try to get a freezer though if I can't sell my house.

 

[Morning Glory]

Local traditional butcher, although if I haven't time to get to the market I sometimes buy from the supermarket. Our local butchers are very hot on traceability, and the meat mainly comes from local farms, whereas supermarkets are not always transparent about where there meat come from. I does amuse me though when standing behind someone at the meat counter who is trying to choose the brightest red piece of beef thinking that freshest is best. My butcher will wink at me, knowing I shall be doing the exact opposite - going for the darkest, oldest piece of beef he has!

If only I had a local butcher... or a local fishmonger, for that matter!

 

[classic33]

Mmm. Try asking that question in Tesco/Sainsbury/Morrisons let alone Aldi or Lidl. Grab a leg of New Zealand lamb out of the chiller and take it to customer services to enquire which particular farm it came from. Better still a joint labelled "butchered in the EU"

Never been one to shy away from asking questions, second from the bottom.
https://www.cookingbites.com/threads/cooking-in-the-dishwasher.5174/
What answers did you get?
New Zealand lamb wouldn't be slaughtered in this country anyway. Costs too much to transport livestock. Paperwork is a nightmare, cards to travel with the Master of the ship.