goodness me, chicken is dearer than steak

[Two_Sheds]

I bought Mr Sheds his month's worth of meat, and the free range chicken was �13.50 a kilo, while the sirloin steak was "only" �11 a kilo.

is someone profiteering from our insistence on free range chicken?

[Rhona]

Yep. I noticed that since the HFW thing, it's got lots more expensive. It's to make people balk at the cost, buy the battery vile chicken, so Tesco can turn around and say - "look, we told you this is what people want." It's almost priced out of many people's reach to prove the supermarket's point and keep the �1.99 chickens being produced.

I'm very rarely cynical but that's what I think anyway!

[di]

I'm as cynical as you about it Rhona!What bugs me more tho is that Free Range only means access to outside~Still don't need to have the room to roam & truly be free range as I'd consider it should mean!So personally think supermarkets are taking us all for a ride~still producing "fairly" cheap birds but by allowing them a small space outside getting away with popping FR on the label & charging us a small fortune!From my understanding the only way to guarantee a bird has had a decent life is to go organic as well~& then you're talking way out of our price range!

[Hilary B]

Until the 'battery' rearing revolution, chicken was always a relatively expensive meat. I can remember my parents being horrified that "beef is now more expensive than Chicken!". Seems it has turned full circle.
The other reason free-range (even half-hearted free range) is so much more expensive is that the factory farmed birds have nothing to do but eat and grow fat, their environment is temperature-controlled and since the lights are on all the time they eat a lot. This means that they grow to slaughter weight fast, and use less total feed doing so, but yes, there is an element of rip-off about it too.
I only buy chicken when 'reduced for quick sale'. The free-range then becomes affordable, and if it is the standard stuff (which is OK in a curry, occasionally) then I can salve my conscience with avoiding waste, since if I don't buy it, probably no-one will (we do our shopping just before closing time).

[di]

Do they ever close?!

[Bephlam]

I love chicken as well

We've taken to buying a whole small organic chicken (which if you're lucky you can pick up in T**** for �10) and trying to spread it over a couple of meals. It sounds sad, but it's the only way we can enjoy it guilt free, and still ensure it's 'affordable'. So, it's roast chicken one night...chicken risotto the next (of course the actual meals are changeable)!

The bonus to that is you know what you're having for a couple of days in a trot...so you can get excited about it!! (that is if you get excited about eating...I know I do!!!)

[Hilary B]

Our supermarket closes at 8 on 4 days a week, 9 on Friday, 7 on Saturday. The only one in this town is Waitrose, pricey, but better than most of the rest on all the welfare and similar issues. I am not about to start using a supermarket 15 miles away for lower prices and lower moral standards....... (although we occasionally buy bread in ASDA if we are nearby anyway. They do wonderful 'tiger bread'...)

[HayleyB]

I prefer farmers markets really, but unfortunately our farmers market is only once a month, my local farmer friend delivers my beef and lamb in bulk but doesn't do chooks.

I do buy a free-range chook from T...o occasionally and as there are only 3 of us it does roast one night, then curry, then chook sarnies as a rule. They were doing organic drums/thighs two packs for �5 recently and I bought loads.

[TonyO]

Our supermarket closes at 8 on 4 days a week, 9 on Friday, 7 on Saturday. The only one in this town is Waitrose, pricey, but better than most of the rest on all the welfare and similar issues. I am not about to start using a supermarket 15 miles away for lower prices and lower moral standards....... (although we occasionally buy bread in ASDA if we are nearby anyway. They do wonderful 'tiger bread'...)

I love their tigerbread too... been trying to get the recipe for ages - no luck so far.

As I live alone, i buy chicken portions or "steaks" & roast them in the oven, but i have noticed even prices for these heve creeping up over the months...

[Snadger]

I'm not usually a big fan of Tesco's, but as one of there Hypermarkets is very close to me I do quite a bit of shopping there. (Wed evening only, can't get moved any other time!) I feel they used to have 'cheap chicken' then very expesive chicken with nothing in between! They now seem to have got an in between free range but not organic chicken,(even my chooks aren't fed with organic feed which is twice the price!) and these are the ones I go for.
They ARE only one or two pounds more than the cheap chicken and are quite tasty.
Hopefully if and when my eggs hatch that I have in the inccy, I eventually will be able to comment on home reared chicken meat, but until then, Tesco's mid range does for me!

[coomber]

We stopped buying supermarket meat a long time ago, We use a local farmer/butcher he is cheaper than any supermarket, everything is proper free range and he cuts and prepares all the meat in front of you - oh and it tastes a million times better too

[Nicos]

You should see the price of meat over here!

Actually- I've noticed that although meat is served with every meal, the portions are MUCH smaller...and therefore the cost is probably the same.
-lots of eggs and cheese seem to be eaten which boosts the protein intake.

I've begun to realise that we eat far too much meat in the UK...maybe now is the time to step back and take note and eat the 'normal' amount per day (4oz)...and therefore be healthier as well as saving money????

I always used to allow just under 1/2 lb meat per adult for the evening meal ( in addition to any had at lunch)....not any more!!!!!

[Hilary B]

The only time I would consider more than about 4oz meat per portion is something like a steak, and that is because it is a treat. Plenty of vegetarians stay healthy with no meat at all, and there is a fair bit of protein in a lot of food that we eat for other reasons (bread in particular, but all grain-based 'starchy' food has significant protein levels).

Chicken always used to be expensive before the intensive-farming movement got going, so perhaps it is only realistic that it has now become expensive to buy it if produced the 'old fashioned' way.

[Alice]

Yes, you're right Hilary. Chicken was expensive when it was all free range. When I was a child chicken was something we had for Christmas and birthdays.

I buy from my butcher. Great quality everything. It's expensive but we cut down on the quantity to enjoy the quality. There's no need to eat meat every day.

[Rhona]

We probably eat meat four or five days a week but in tiny quantities. I will use a small amount of meat of a pot of chili or ragu or something and lots of vegetables. I usually buy organic/free range, but cooking meat this way also means we're not consuming too much. I try to balance things by having a couple of veggie or fish meals each week.

We have a lovely butcher nearby, and he will get most things we need, but Abel and Cole are also worth a look if you don't have a decent butcher/fishmonger on your doorstep.