Taking a stand to use your local butcher.

The meat I used for Britain’s best dish came from my local butcher as I wanted absolute first class quality meat. It’s funny how subconsciously we know what’s good and bad and make a decision based on that but still get drawn in to the supermarkets because it’s easier!

Nowadays, with the superstores selling everything under one roof and internet shopping and delivery, it’s so much easier to get your shopping stress free and fuss free with our fast pace of living.

However, with the demands we make on these services, it makes the stores need to feed our buying habits. With these demands, the stores have had to change the way in which they provide these to us.

We’re talking about meat and if you’re an avid meat eater like my self it’s the stuff that makes our chicken curries, steak and kidney puddings, toad in the holes and all the other exotic sumptuous foods we’ve come to expect and enjoy.

It’s true that more cattle and fowl have to be reared to meet our demands. But not only that, changes have been made to plump up the meat, to make it look fresher, last longer and seem more plump and juicy.

So what have they done to make this happen?

To start with they inject saline into the flesh of meats. This only makes the meat look plumper, it serves no other purpose. Have you ever wondered why, when cooking your chicken breasts or bacon rashers, there has been so much water? That’s because during the cooking process this water is expelled, leaving what was the original piece of meat. It’s only cosmetic.

And here’s the outcry:

That water (saline) that’s injected into the meat to make it look more appealing and plumper (along with preservatives that make it last longer on the shelves and in our fridges) also adds weight to the meat at the checkout. You pick up two chicken breasts. Normally they will weigh, say, 300g and cost about £2.00. They have been already been injected with saline (and preservatives) and now weigh 315g making you pay more for nothing. You think you’ve got a bigger piece of chicken and so you pay for a bigger piece of chicken. It’s only until you get home and see the water that’s expelled from this piece of chicken and realize (or not, as the case may’ve been – until now) that you’ve paid more money for absolutely nothing.So, even if you weren’t supporting your butcher because it’s too far out or your local one has closed down due to poor sales, please start now.

Butchers are proud to offer you local cuts of meat, they’ll cut them to your desired specification and you will get none of the unwanted additives, the only unwanted bits are what you’ll find naturaaly in the meat – fat and bones, which we all know, make fantastic stock. And above all, you’ll get that personalised service that we have become so used to living without, a bit of conversation and – well, we may actually learn something in the meantime!

I’m not saying all supermarket meat is bad, I've picked bits and bobs up when in a hurry, but the majority of my meat comes from a butcher instead. I’ve found that the best selling point for differentiating prices between the grocery store and the butcher shop is stressing the dry aging of meat, which 99% of grocery store meat departments don’t or can’t do.


For one thing, supporting local businesses is brilliant, it’s a terrible old adage but "use them or lose them" etc.

Also, visiting your butcher, generally, they care, they can give advice, they will cut it to your requirements. You can go in, not really knowing what you want, but tell them what you are cooking and they will suggest the best cut and what to do with it. Totally invaluable!

So are you supporting your local butcher and community? And they way we are all blogging about food these days I think there will always be a market for fresher, higher quality meats. A butcher shop usually charges more per pound for their meat, but I’m willing to pay for the higher quality.

So please, get supporting your local produce, local farms and local shops now, before it’s too late. One day they might be gone for good – just because it was a little too easy to go to the supermarket.





Also look out for the Q Guild at your butchers. The Q Guild represents the finest quality independent meat retailers in Britain. Butchers carrying the Q Brand send out a strong message that they are one of Britain's best butcher’s shops. Here are ten good reasons why you should shop at your nearest Q Guild butcher's shop:

· Traditional butchers craft skills
· Support the British Farming Industry
· Independently audited butchers
· Membership is an endorsements of excellence
· Total accountability, trust and confidence
· Award-winning meat products
· Outstanding choice
· Dedicated to the development
· Advice on cooking, cuts and recipes
· For friendly, personal and knowledgeable service.

Q Guild butchers have a reputation for unsurpassed product quality, provenance, innovation and customer service and adhere to the highest standards.



My butchers are one of the best and are one of the 147 butchers in the country to hold the Q Guild of excellence.

It’s a family run business since 1970 with Dad Brian working their 57 years and finally taking over the shop. His son Stuart now helps his dad in the day to day running of the business and I have to say what a good job they do too. It’s got that oldie world feel that shops used to have when we were kids. All the staff stood there in their pristine uniforms proud as punch and a display that makes your mouth water with over 95% of it made in house.

From melt in your mouth pork pies, homemade sausages to in house aged beef there isn’t anything in the shop that isn’t the best quality money can buy.

Just standing there and listening to what their customers say and how they know everyone by name is very nostalgic and hard to find in most communities these days.

I like to take this opportunity to say thanks for providing me with Britain’s best winning cannon of spring lamb and putting my masala lamb on sale in your shop.

If you’re ever in Leeds and want to pay them a visit here is the address and don’t forget to take a few quid as you will want to buy everything.

J B Meays

20 Gill Lane, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS19 7SF

Tel 0113 250 3093