Your local butcher....

rascal said:
I'd love to market shop every day like you do.
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I don't go every day, in fact, I hardly go at all. My wife goes to the open evening market twice/week and once/week to the covered afternoon/evening market.
 
If we want something special we get our meat from a local smallholding who sell at the local farmer's market. Apart from that, we tend to use the meat counter in the local supermarket - they are pretty good at special requests and even have more unusual cuts such as shin of beef (which can be quite difficult to find).
 
We have two local butchers. One has new owners and now stocks only pre-packed meat and poultry. It is good quality but they only have the most common cuts and joints. The other one is a good old-fashioned family butcher, and his meat is superb. He will cut or mince meat for you as well. I went to him when I wanted some meat for a Gulasch when that was in one of the CB challenges and that was cut to order - it was also cheaper than the equivalent cut in the Tesco supermarket, which impressed me. The only problem is that it is a bit of a trek on foot or by public transport and difficult to find a parking place if you go by car. There is also a shop which does just sausages. The owner did animal husbandry when she was in prison and she gets glowing reports, but her shop is even further away. There is an organic butcher about 4 miles away, all reared on their own farm, but they only open a couple of days a week when I am doing other things. One day! There is a halal slaughterhouse nearby (who also sell pork!) but they have a minimum quantity in the slaughterhouse (they mainly supply local supermarkets and restaurants) and the their own butchers shop works out too expensive for me. Our local Tesco is good for lamb and pork, and Sainsbury's do low-fat beef mince which is also good, but as I don't eat a lot of meat I usually treat myself to an organic meat box from Riverfords once or twice a year.
 
Due to this thread I checked if there will be a quality butcher in my next village, and there will be. It's a great looking butcher from the website and also merged with an artisinal bakery and cheesemonger so sounds like I will spend a lot of time there 😄
 
Apart from butchers, we do have several places that specialize in processing deer, since deer hunting is very popular here. They'll usually also handle any kind of livestock you bring them - unload Bleaty off the back of the truck in the morning, pickup packages of lamb chops and roasts and ground meat at some point later. They don't operate like a butcher's, though - no meat case to buy ready meats from.
 
TastyReuben said:
Apart from butchers, we do have several places that specialize in processing deer, since deer hunting is very popular here.
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There are all sorts of rules and regulations regarding hunting and killing deer in the UK. Most of the venison I get is that which is culled from herds.
 
I'm very lucky to have a handful of good local butchers close by, one being a friend of ours who cuts our pigs for us. However saying that, I prefer now to fill our freezer with local meet, from small holdings. I have just bought 1/4 cow, Hereford x Dexter, from just a few miles down the road. I dont buy meat from the supermarket anymore because I personally think the quality isn't great with commercially bred animals. I also like to know where my meat has come from and where possible know about the journey and welfare of the animals.
 
In the early 1990s my ex and I used to go to a little village in the Cotswolds for long weekends and holidays. We stayed in a B&B on a local farm. Bang opposite the house was a slaughterhouse, so while you were having breakfast you could watch the pigs one day trotting across the main road to the slaughterhouse, lambs the next, and so on. Some of the meat would be brought back to the farm and we'd have their meat or poultry for dinner. Some more would go into the local shop, which of course was owned by the farm, and others would go to local butchers. The lady of the house had a pet sheep - it was a lucky one that had escaped from the slaughterhouse and came home. When it died, it was buried in the field nearest the house.
 
Yes, I use two.
The one on the 'Bridge' which is the shopping centre in the north of the island near where I live.

And the one based at Forest Stores near where I work.

I go to them because I can get advice on cuts of meat, precise amounts (within reason.), nothing is too much bother.

Forest Stores

35407
 
Elawin said:
In the early 1990s my ex and I used to go to a little village in the Cotswolds for long weekends and holidays. We stayed in a B&B on a local farm. Bang opposite the house was a slaughterhouse, so while you were having breakfast you could watch the pigs one day trotting across the main road to the slaughterhouse, lambs the next, and so on. Some of the meat would be brought back to the farm and we'd have their meat or poultry for dinner. Some more would go into the local shop, which of course was owned by the farm, and others would go to local butchers. The lady of the house had a pet sheep - it was a lucky one that had escaped from the slaughterhouse and came home. When it died, it was buried in the field nearest the house.
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My late mum buried our pets as they died in the back yard, crosses and names. A bit weird?

Russ
 
Wyshiepoo said:
Yes, I use two.
The one on the 'Bridge' which is the shopping centre in the north of the island near where I live.

And the one based at Forest Stores near where I work.

I go to them because I can get advice on cuts of meat, precise amounts (within reason.), nothing is too much bother.

Forest Stores

View attachment 35407
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That pic reminds me of the two butcher shops we had in our block of shops. The block of shops was about 14 shops, two of which were butchers. There's only one there now, and he struggles. I still buy my meat there to help support him. He's been there 30 years. I still remember the brown paper they wrapped the meat up in. And the free cheerio/ little boys/ mini saveloys. These are called different names over the world.

Russ
 
rascal said:
My late mum buried our pets as they died in the back yard, crosses and names. A bit weird?

Russ
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We buried all our pets at the house. Kate (our current dog) will get cremated.

The current local town cemetery was laid out in 1850 or 1860, something like that, and includes a corner for pets, which isn't a recent addition, either.
 
The old fashion butcher shops are hard to find unless you live in a big city. Having been in the meat business for decades I know a good cut of meat when I see it. Not many people have that knowledge. We do have a Fresh Market about 20 miles from here that has a meat counter. Plus for me, the manager used to work for me years ago
 
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