Where to buy meat

[SaligoBay]

When I told my neighbour last night that I was looking for a butcher for roti de porc, she said she gets all her meat from supermarkets, because there's a higher turnover, so you're less likely to get old or bad meat.  They're also obliged to adhere to at least some hygiene standards.

What do you think?  I suppose it's true that butchers must have less custom now, with everyone piling into the huge supermarkets.

Her cooking ALWAYS tastes good.  Am I wasting money by paying the higher prices chez le boucher?  Not that I go there often, can't get the hang of random opening-hours!

[LesLauriers]

I always buy steak from the butcher in the village plus occasionally other meats too. The steak is far superior at the butchers. However, other meat such as chicken, pork and minced beef I always get from the supermarket.

I do sometimes wonder about how many people have suffered from food poisoning from the butchers when I see trays of raw meat right next to cooked foods such as slices of pizza, often with the foods overlapping , no washing of hands between cooked & raw and using the same knives on both, or is the UK too sterile these days?

 

 

[Deby]

I disagree in general, when you find a good butcher - they are artisans - they really know how to look after meat and get the best from it - our butcher actively encourages that you take her advice when purchasing meat, she will often ask what am I going to cook and if she thinks that particular meat/cut is not up to it she will tell you so.

Butchers rely are their return-trade, if there wares arent up too much the business will fail - it is their liveliehood.

Yes I do buy supermarket meat as it is often cheaper, but I do also support my local butcher too.

[Alexis]

I have always bought my meat at the supermarket.  The suppliers of the supermarkets also supply the butchers.  I have seen their lorries/vans delivering.

This might not be true for chickens or other poultry but it is certainly true for pork and beef where I live.

[Patf]

While on the subject of meat, can you buy rolled brisket in France? If so, what's it called? Pat.

[Mpprh]

Hi

There are some skilled local butchers.

One near us, buys his beef on the hoof.

They use an 80 yr old buyer for this. He visits farms he knows and selects the next weeks animals for slaughter.

The prices are not much different from the butcher section in our local supermarket.

Peter

[SaligoBay]

Where's he then, Peter?

Got my roti from the one in Restinclières the other day, first time I'd been there.

It was most impressive, he got this HUGE bit of pig out of the big frigo and did magic things with a big knife and a ball of string, and hey presto, a lovely roti de porc.  And very good it was too.

Price was 16 euros a kilo, is that good?

Bought some of his rillettes fait-maison too, but (sorry to say this), the tubs of Bordeau Chesnel from the supermarket are much tastier.

[Teamedup]

That SB, is hugely expensive for a Roti de Porc.

[Hoddy]

I buy superb meat from a butcher’s van which calls at my house each week. In between I sometimes visit their shop in town The name and address of the farmer who raised the animal is always shown as is the abbatoir and the date of slaughter. On a rough guestimate I think its about double the price of supermarket meat. I do find though that we eat less of it because the quality is so good - it doesn’t shrivel to nothing like supermarket meat does.

In any event it’s only the children’s inheritance that we’re spending !

Hoddy

[opas]

Thanks TU,I thought it was just me,We recently picked up an offer in Intermarche......2.95 per killo! needless to say that we practically emptied the butchers tray.....very tasty even after being frozen, we always look for promotions when out and about,only thing now is perhaps we could do with another freezer!

[Mpprh]

Hi

SB ............. it is the butcher in Boisseron, who is the son of the butcher in the main street in Sommieres, who both use the same old boy to buy the cows.

Of course, MRS MPPRH only goes to places that give big bones for the dog.

We also have a butchers van ....... Does he come your way ?

As a price indicator : Beef fillet is Euro 26 per kg in Intermarche, and much the same in Boisseron.

And if you want exclusive meat ......... you sometimes see a certificate along the lines " this animal met an honourable death yesterday. Name of animal, Kgs, name of matador, name of arena." I've seen it in Lunel . It is countersigned by the vet of course!

Peter

[SaligoBay]

Clearly a higher being (a deity, DickSmith, who knows) is telling me something.

Either that I should revert to vegetarianism, or that I should make more effort to be organised and not forget important things in the supermarket like The Main Food for Tonight's Guests.

But then I've never listened to higher beings before, so why start now?

Opas, I want to make your bourgeois beef, what do I do?  I followed a real French recipe once for coq au vin, and it tasted exactly like what it was, chicken in a bottle of red wine yuck!  Took ages too! 

I'm pretty good at TU's Dauphinoise/Gratin potato thing now, that's a dream of a dish, that one.  

Merci,

SB