General Chat

We used to buy half a lamb direct from the farmer just a few miles from here. It was very reasonable compared with shop prices and so fresh.
I know there were new regulations regarding the transportation of the animals and the angle of the ramp which allowed them access to the transport, so I don't know if these extra costs mean this farmer will have to sell his meat in a different way...
Perhaps many of them have had to cover extra costs too.

Gwyn

Anninglos........I hope I didn't sound like I was gloating about being so fortunate about being given lovely cuts of lamb. I know how lucky I am that my s.i.l is so generous and that it a great saving in my weekly outlay. He also buys other meats from suppliers at the market and gives some to me. As for mince although he could buy in beef mince he has leg or shoulder of lamb from his own stock minced by a company there and it is delicious and just as versatile.

Gwyn in Kent.

The rules and regulations regarding transportation and refrigeration of meat have been really tightened up over the past 10 years or so. At one time meat was left hanging on hooks in an open market with all and sundry passing by. Nowadays it is unloaded straight into a controlled temperature area for chopping and cutting. Even the vans have to be refrigerated for transportation.
Jo

" Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey" !!! :-0 :-0 :-0

Wotchoo lot going on about?? :-S

Anyone got a toof pick handy?? :-D

you're too young to know kid :-D

Throws Prickly Holly a tooth pick made from one of our lambs bones :-)

Not sure if it was from Lamby, Choppy, Minty, Saucey or Blacky :-D

They were bottle fed until old enough to have grass and lambs pellets/nuts

Sorry if this offends but it's true :-)

Our last pigs were called Babe, Gordon and Streaky:-D

Delicious :-D

When I was growing up we ate mutton, lamb was a bit of a luxury because the joint would'nt last the family for that number of days! I was thinking of trying to get some again - but if I do have any of you any special tips about how to cook it? I
don't think I ever have.

Many years ago my Mother bought two lambs ~ with the intention of raising them, then eating them!

When the time came, she didn't have the heart to eat them.

So she did a deal with the local butcher.

She swapped two live lambs for two packed ready for the freezer lambs!!

What's the difference? She said she couldn't eat one that she knew. lol

Doesn't worry my Mum-in-law ~ they go into the freezer labelled with their names. Leg of Danny, chops of Freddy etc lol

Some great posts on here.

Elizabeth........isn't mutton dressed as lamb? ;-)

Yet you can buy a pizza with loads of meat on it from Farm Foods for £1 and an Admiral's Pie with quite a lot of fish from same place for 75pence. And a 10% discount if you spend more than £25. Doesn't make sense to me.

We always had either lamb, beef or pork for Chistmas lunch when I was a boy in 1950's, and it wouldn't have been very expensive. The treat was chicken, which was much more expensive than the other 3.

Yes John, but there is meat and there is meat. The meat that is sold ie. in the butchers shop or supermarket, has to meet a certain criteria. But the meat that goes into made up foods etc., are the pieces that cannot be sold over the counter. And that is the polite version.

Julia in Derbyshire

Jo, no I didn't think that you were gloating. I just thought how fortunate you are and how good of your SiL.

This brings back a few memories, I was in the Mercant Navy from 1949-59 and on

one of my trips to OZ in 1950 we were berthed at an Abattoir in Brisbane and were

loading up Lamb Carcasses, I decided to buy one to take home, it cost me £1-2-6d

(1.12p) the problem was that nobody in our road had fridges at that time, so my

Mum had to cut it up when it had thawed and then shared it out with the neighbours.

I reckon they thought all their Christmases had come at once, as meat didn't come

of ration untill about July 1954. I can still remember those Lamb Stews mother used

to make.


F

A few years ago a truck loaded with meat went to a dog food factory in Australia.

The inspector at the factory said the meat was inferior quality and refused to take it.

The driver contacted base, and was told to go to another factory.......... where they made meat pies for human consumption!! They took the meat.

True story.

I rarely eat meat pies, and I make my own veggie pasties.

My father in law used to buy the most wonderful meat in the 1980's. It was from a meat processing plant in North Wales. The supermarkets used to take all the fresh and low fat carcasses, he used to pick up the meat that the supermarkets thought was unfit for human consumption. He did not have to spend much.

Usually he brought home high fat lamb and beef. And when that is cooked up, it is a million times tastier than supermarket meat :-D :-D

John, I for one do not buy supermarket meat.

Julia in Derbyshire

John

'unfit for human consumption' ? Surely not !

I can only speak from my own slight knowledge of the meat trade and I can assure everybody that any meat found as John described is now condemned by hygiene inspectors and is full marked with purple dye before it is transported out of the market for disposal.

Jo

PigletsPal, I did not know that, but I am glad I know it now. I will not feel guilty when we are having a non-meat evening meal, and my little dog has to have some tinned meat.

Many Thanks

Julia in Derbyshire

Don,t forget the Mint Sauce, :-D :-D

I am enjoying all the stories.

The way things are going, i think we will all be eating Spam by Christmas! :-(

All the meat We have is Aberdeen Angus,delivered from Scotland ready frozen all you have to do is de freeze and cook it,no waste at all,and if its not up to the standard you like, they will replace or refund your money.that can,t be bad, I also get Salmon from them plus other things,a bit costly but not too. :-D :-D