Sourcing and eating better quality meat

Red meat, poultry, game and offal are all really good sources of protein. They also give us loads of other nutrients that your body needs – especially as it ages – such as iodine, iron, zinc, vitamins (B12 being key) and essential fatty acids. Whilst many of us are cutting back – or cutting it out altogether to adopt a vegetarian or vegan diet, it’s a good idea to eat meat and poultry every week as part of a healthy balanced diet. So if you’d rather cut back than cut it out, but want to get the best quality produce you can for your budget, here are a few places to go beyond the supermarket.

Farmers’ Markets

Farmers’ markets are great for bringing together local producers and growers, and it’s here that you can often find high-quality meat from small-scale farmers – farmers who take great pride in raising their animals ethically and sustainably. Just go online to search for farmers’ markets in your area.

Local butchers

Your good old-fashioned independent high street butcher can be a really great port-of-call for high-quality meat. Many will source their meat from small-scale farms, and will be happy to give you information about the origin of the meat and how it was raised. Plus, you can often get those lesser known cheaper cuts that make for delicious and economic meals …along with a few recipe ideas from the butchers themselves!

Online Retailers

There are several excellent online retailers that specialise in high quality meat – offering free range, organic or grass-fed produce. Do your online searches – and check out their delivery times to ensure you can be in to refrigerate the meat. A few places to check out are Farmison & Co, Donald Russell, and Abel & Cole.

Organic food stores

Many organic food stores stock high-quality meat from small-scale farms that pride themselves on raising their animals organically and ethically – however, do be prepared to pay that little bit more!

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

CSA schemes connect consumers directly with farmers local to you, and so, allow you to purchase meat directly from the farm. As well as being a really great way to support local agriculture and business, it also helps ensure that you’re getting high-quality meat.
Well-reared, high quality meat will, inevitably, cost more than mass-produced meat from the supermarket. However, it is likely to be higher in nutritional value….and a darn sight more tasty! So the advice here at Regenerated Me is eat it less, enjoy it more!