Green tip #9 : Taste test supermarket and butcher's meat
Posted by DavidM in Green tips | 13 December 2006
Next time you’re having friends round, try a test test to see if they can tell the difference between supermarket and butcher's meat.
Cook the meat simply and give them a piece of each. See how much each piece shrinks during cooking, how attractive it is on the plate and how rich the taste is. Usually, they’ll be surprised how much better butcher’s meat is.
We started using a local butcher last year but recently bought a cheap Tesco chicken and found it horribly tasteless and dry compared to the birds we had got used to. Similarly, having previously eaten frozen supermarket burgers we tried burgers from the butchers - also frozen and only 60p each. It looked like a real meat patty, the taste was astonishing and I don't consider 60p to be expensive.
Unsurprisingly you do usually have to spend a little more for good meat but the richness of the flavour and improved life of the animals makes it well worth it.
