Buying meat in the local butchers Vs the supermarket

[homeowner]

I often hear from people that they prefer shopping in their local butcher than a supermarket and I dont get it.

I have tried it a few times for sausages, everyday meat like pork chops or chicken fillets and for larger items like meat for a sunday roast and I cant see the advantage.

My main problems are these:
1. Sausages are typically small and packaged in some celophane, the same sort of sausages you see in alot of butchers. There is no indication of sell by date so you have no idea how long they have been sitting there and there is no ingredients indicating % pork.
Dunnes (simply better brand) and tescos (finest brand) sausages in my opinion are far superior than any sausages I have bought in a butchers and you get more in the packet for roughly the same price and you know when you have to eat them by.

2. Chicken fillets and pork chops are the same price as tescos and dunnes as in the butchers give or take 10c here or there but again no sell by date in the butchers and you dont know how long they have been sitting there in the open all day. The same ones are put back in the open the next day. At least in supermarkets they are packaged and covered. I have tried meat from both places and cant tell the difference, especially with chicken fillets which are generally pretty tasteless. For all I know they come from the same factory.

3. For joints butchers put the price per kilo not per joint, but I dont know unless I ask what a particular joint weighs and I would feel embarassed to ask and then walk away if I thought it was too expensive.

In general I end up spending far more in the butchers than the supermarket and I feel I am in control in the supermarket whereas I feel I am dependant on the butcher to feed me information while other people are waiting to be served.

If anyone has some tips that would be much appreciated.

 

[Abbica]

Re: Buying meat in the butchers

The reason why you think dunnes own brand, tesco sausages etc are better is because they are less healthy, way more added salt etc etc than butchers sausages, they have more meat, less slurry so to speak, hence can be a bit more expensive.
I wouldn't worry about sell by date in the butchers, everything is way more fresh in the butchers, anyway, you can just ask how long in the fridge but in general, if I am not eating something within 2 days, it goes in the freezer anyway. I would never buy supermarket mince, the taste is unbelievably different, butchers equals better quality, better cuts if you ask for them etc instead of cellophane quess work!

Agree with you on the joints though per kilo, remember once I was having a dinner party, asked for fillet of beef for 7, price was fluctuating, all the butcher could hear off me was ahhh, oohh thats better, ahhh €70, ohhh, €35, ahhh, €60.. it costs €53. very expensive but would be embarrassed to walk away seen as it is my local butchers and they know me.

 

[RMCF]

Re: Buying meat in the butchers

Well I often buy my meat in the supermarket when doing a big shop, but sometimes if I don't need to visit the supermarket I go to my local butcher and I do find that their meat is better quality than the big retailers.

Admittedly it is slightly more expensive.

I appreciate too that the likes of chicken fillets from the butchers will also have water pumped into them, but they don't seem to have as much, as they do taste better and are a more natural colour.

 

[truthseeker]

Re: Buying meat in the butchers

I prefer to buy meat in a butchers rather than a supermarket.

The main reasons for me are:
Quality - the quality of the meat in my local butchers is far superior to the quality of the meat in any supermarkets. I also like that my local butcher can tell me exactly where the meat has come from - in some cases he can tell me the farm it has come from. Sausages - these are not a good comparison for meat quality, the contents of sausages varies widely, Id be far more inclined to judge quality on his t-bone steak or roast joints. Chicken fillets similar - bland no matter where you get them unless they are organic. I do notice a massive difference in water content between chicken fillets and pork chops from the supermarkets - much higher from the supermarkets.

Packaging - I hate the amount of cellophane and plastic trays you end up with from buying meat in a supermarket - I just think its a waste.

Knowledge - my butcher gives me tips on how to prepare and cook meat to its best advantage, which I find extremely useful. He also tells me what will freeze well, what meat tastes best served with what etc...

Amounts - I can buy 1 sausage off the butcher if I need to, whereas I am restricted to an entire package from the supermarket.

Im unconcerned about the meat being in the refrigerated units in the butchers, so long as there is proper stock control this shouldnt be an issue, they do not put meat back out that is out of date etc...you are only as good as your last sale, and if a butcher sells something off he will find he loses business very quickly, by contrast Ive had off meat from a supermarket - dont forget many supermarkets can repackage the sell by date info on meat so you cant really trust it.

Im not a bit embarrassed to ask the butcher to weigh things and take a bit off because its more expensive than I thought - sure you have to do that ina butchers - they expect it.

I have a long standing relationship with my butcher which I dont have in the supermarket where staff change frequently and there seems to be far less specialist knowledge.

And finally, my butcher will do odd bits for me that I just cant have done in the supermarket, if I phone him on saturday morning and ask him to bone, roll and stuff a chicken - he will do so and itll be ready for me to pick up later on when Im out and about - you dont get service like that in the supermarket. He will also source specific items for me that may not be on show or in stock - I only have to ask.

 

[PyritePete]

Re: Buying meat in the butchers

+1, its all about service that you dont get in a supermarket.

 

[Celtwytch]

Re: Buying meat in the butchers

When I want a joint of meat, only one from the butcher's will do. I made the mistake of buying a joint of beef from the supermarket once, and it was as tough as old boots. Now I always buy it from my local butcher, and it tastes perfect every time. The chicken fillets he sells are much bigger than the prepackaged ones in the supermarket, and the sausages are far tastier. He also does some interesting bits and bobs, like chicken wraps or chicken fillets with assorted fillings.

As others have said, you cannot beat the personal service you get in a butcher's shop. Don't ever be afraid to ask questions, or to say that the joint of meat he's weighing costs a bit more than you'd like to pay. In fact, you can even specify how much you'd like to spend, and the butcher will indicate how much meat that will buy you. Plus you don't have to buy the entire slab of meat you see in the fridge - the butcher will happily cut a piece of any size for you.

 

[Rois]

Re: Buying meat in the butchers

Only buy meat about once a week, but I always go to my local butcher. I don't have a large budget, but there is no comparison between the meat I buy in the butcher's and supermarket meat.

As mentioned already the butcher will do little extras for you as well i.e. trim off any fat, or dice chiken etc. I also know that the beef and lamb comes from his own farm and are always fresh and tender.

As an added bonus he fills up a bag of marrow bones for my dogs at no charge.

Same goes for the local fishmonger - I would never hesitate to ask him how best to cook the fish etc.

I also prefer to support these small local shops.

 

[Caveat]

Re: Buying meat in the butchers

+ 1 to truthseeker.

However I will say that rashers are the one thing I rarely buy in a butchers. I find 'normal' rashers in a butcher far too salty and a bit basic for want of a better word. I usually buy those hickory or maple cure type ones in the supermarket.

For steak alone though it's well worth a visit to a good butcher - proper, inch thick well hung sirloin with grey/purple flesh and yellow (yes, yellow - remember yellow?) fat as opposed to the supermarket bought water sodden bright pink sterile specimens that look like some sort of lab sample.

 

[Mpsox]

Re: Buying meat in the butchers

Personnaly speaking we never buy meat in the supermarket, only from our local butcher. There are a number of reasons for this

Quality is far superior to anything you get in a supermarket. Sausages taste like sausages should and not preservatives and salt

There is a clearly identified farm to butcher identification in my local butchers, mainly because they farm some of the meat themselves or if not, they identify the local farm it comes from, and they kill it all themselves. You won't get that in supermarkets and remember some "Irish" labeled meat in supermarkets may not be Irish, but may simply have had some sort of post processing done in Ireland. Much of that imported meat may be substandard, for example, the IFA ran a campaign last year against the importation of Brazilian beef on the grounds that it failed to meet EU standards.

Your local butcher will also do things there for you if you ask him. For example, our one does lovely stuffed chicken breasts, if they are not in the shop fridge, they'll make them up there for me. They'll cut fresh chops/steaks in front of you if you ask them. Why be embarrased?, they're glad to do these things, it's what makes them money at the end of the day

 

[liaconn]

Re: Buying meat in the butchers

I find meat in the butchers is much cheaper than supermarkets. Particularly chicken fillets which are nearly twice as dear in Tesco (You get 10 for €11 in many butchers and they are usually much bigger). Butchers will also mince some lamb or pork for you if they don't have any on display. Superquinn refused to mince steak for me the one time I asked them.
Truthseeker, do you mind me asking which butcher you use?

 

[paddyc]

Re: Buying meat in the butchers

I have 2 good butchers near me, lots of different offers on every few weeks- 10 large chicken fillets for €10 was there about 2 weeks ago.

 

[Tomodinhio]

Re: Buying meat in the butchers

I often hear from people that they prefer shopping in their local butcher than a supermarket and I dont get it. I have tried it a few times for sausages, everyday meat like pork chops or chicken fillets and for larger items like meat for a sunday roast and I cant see the advantage.

My main problems are these:
1. Sausages are typically small and packaged in some celophane, the same sort of sausages you see in alot of butchers. There is no indication of sell by date so you have no idea how long they have been sitting there and there is no ingredients indicating % pork.
Dunnes (simply better brand) and tescos (finest brand) sausages in my opinion are far superior than any sausages I have bought in a butchers and you get more in the packet for roughly the same price and you know when you have to eat them by.

Disagree, apart from superquinn i find my local butchers sauages to be a lot nicer then the supermarkets. This i am sure depends on the butcher you go to. Sell by dates dont enter into it cause i normally freeze most of my meet and take out what i want the night before. I am sure however the butcher can inform you about most of your concerns re sell by date, % of pork etc.

2. Chicken fillets and pork chops are the same price as tescos and dunnes as in the butchers give or take 10c here or there but again no sell by date in the butchers and you dont know how long they have been sitting there in the open all day. The same ones are put back in the open the next day. At least in supermarkets they are packaged and covered. I have tried meat from both places and cant tell the difference, especially with chicken fillets which are generally pretty tasteless. For all I know they come from the same factory.

Also have to disagree, i get 12 good qulaity chicken brests in my butchers for 12 euro, thats a bargain at 1 euro a breast. They are completely left in the open... well i have had no side affects as of yet.

3. For joints butchers put the price per kilo not per joint, but I dont know unless I ask what a particular joint weighs and I would feel embarassed to ask and then walk away if I thought it was too expensive.

Can't coment as i have never actually bought a joint from the butcher.

In general I end up spending far more in the butchers than the supermarket and I feel I am in control in the supermarket whereas I feel I am dependant on the butcher to feed me information while other people are waiting to be served.

If anyone has some tips that would be much appreciated.

If you feel that the supermarket offers you better value then go to the supermarket. Personally i find the butcher great value. I'm sure different butchers offer different values so it could pay to check out a few to see if they beat your supermarket. Also dont be affraid to engage your butcher in conversation regarding his products, im sure he'd be happy to tell all about his meat. Maybe try go during quite times so you dont feel pressured by other customers.

 

[homeowner]

Re: Buying meat in the butchers

Maybe its just butchers near me that arent very good. Some of you mentioned about sausages. Can I ask if they are pre-packaged or are they loose. All the butchers near me they are the same brand in almost all of them from some farm/factory (?) down the country, its not like they are made by the butcher themselves and the quality is very bad. I live in Dublin by the way, perhaps its different in other places.

I have never seen 10 chicken fillets for E10 or anything like it.

I didnt know you could phone the local butcher and ask him to do things like bone a chicken and prepare it for you - thanks for that tip!

I am not a big meat eater to be honest and I have a very good tesco and dunnes near me, maybe other branches have inferior meat so people's local butchers are better.

Thanks anyway for the replies, I'll give the local another shot and make a special request for something to be stuffed to see how I get on.

BTW if anyone can recommend a good butcher in Dublin city centre or anywhere south or west dublin can you let me know. I have been to Downey's in terenure and got some really nice venison but they are too expensive for weekly shopping.

 

[Caveat]

Re: Buying meat in the butchers

...Downey's in terenure and got some really nice venison but they are too expensive for weekly shopping.

Staying in the general area, I'm sure there are a few good butchers in Ranelagh - again, might be pricey though. However, we used to go to one years ago - sorry no idea of the name - just off main street. He was good and not expensive.

 

[huskerdu]

Re: Buying meat in the butchers

BTW if anyone can recommend a good butcher in Dublin city centre or anywhere south or west dublin can you let me know. I have been to Downey's in terenure and got some really nice venison but they are too expensive for weekly shopping.

If you are anywhere near Stillorgan, go to Fenelons in the shopping centre.
The meat is very good quality and the prices are much better than supermarkets. It also has a very good fish counter which is very rare these days.

The place is staffed by real butchers who will give you proper advice and
prepare you any cut you want.

 

[NorfBank]

Re: Buying meat in the butchers

Our local butcher is a master butcher (does this mean anything btw - is there a butchery association that awards this title?) and his beef. pork, lamb is superb (from his own farm) but the chickens he sells are not free range.

Is this common for other butchers or do people care? Would they be happier to buy non free range from local butcher than free range from supermarket.

Tesco for example have corn fed free range birds for about €6. This must be impossible to beat for a local butcher.

 

[Celtwytch]

Re: Buying meat in the butchers

Our local butcher is a master butcher (does this mean anything btw - is there a butchery association that awards this title?) and his beef. pork, lamb is superb (from his own farm) but the chickens he sells are not free range.

Is this common for other butchers or do people care? Would they be happier to buy non free range from local butcher than free range from supermarket.

Tesco for example have corn fed free range birds for about €6. This must be impossible to beat for a local butcher.

I have never actually checked if our butcher sells free range chickens, but I do know that he was selling free range turkeys for Christmas (and for a lot less than any supermarket seemed to be doing). By the way, our local butcher is a Craft Butcher, so I presume there is some sort of association that gives these titles.

 

[truthseeker]

Re: Buying meat in the butchers

Truthseeker, do you mind me asking which butcher you use?

Liaconn - I use Tommy Redmonds up beside Supervalu in Firhouse, next to the hairdressers on the block that China House is in. Been using them since they took over there and never disappointed - did not really like the butchers that was there before them. Very helpful guys, very good quality meat, good prices etc... a lot of my friends locally use them as well.
They also do fresh fish on thursdays and fridays but i usually miss it cos i tend to do my meat shop on a saturday and its all gone. He offers some very good deals on things and is always willing to offer a bit of seasoning, cut whatever way you like, trim things etc....

I do think Superquinn do a lovely sausage - but probably only because I usually only get to have little tastes off the people doing the tasters!!

Actually Caveat - I agree on rashers, I like the maple ones myself, but I do love the butcher streaky bacon.

Ive also used the organic butchers in Terenure, beside Marios (cant think of name) and the meat was lovely - but it was pricey, mind you, I wouldnt be helping myself to wild boar ribs too often

 

[irishmoss]

Re: Buying meat in the butchers

Recently I bought round steak in a dublin supermarket @ 10.99 per Kg as opposed to €15.00kg in two different butchers in Westmeath!! I think that is a whopping difference , no difference in quality!

 

[Corcaigh abu]

Re: Buying meat in the butchers

I think that generally the meat is the same but the traceability is something that reassures customers. My local butchers have won awards for their sausages and i for one would vote for them. As an asthmatic who reacts to preservatives in food i have NEVER had a reaction to butcher sausages but have from the so-called brand name sausages - full of E numbers and salt. Butchers meat goes off quicker but i think that can only be a good sign of its lack of preservatives. Go on the local butcher!