Hi,
I am a butcher, was self employed, but got out (another story lol ). I work for a game dealer now, and I do farmers markets up here in North Yorkshire. I make about 20 different sausages, all made by hand, and include wild boar and pork, pheasant, wild duck and venison
A butchers gross profit margin, as far as "market van" are concerned, is made from volume sales, and a lot lower % profit margin than a high st shop. The meat is all genuine stuff, bought from the abbatoir/meat markets, and is sold very fresh, hence it may not be as tender as a "familybutchers".
I am a strong believer in "hanging" a carcase for quite a few days, so as it starts to decompose, the acids in the carcase break down the meat tissues, making it a lot more tender, but all that comes at a price. As said carcase is hanging in a coldroom/fridge, it is loosing weight by the day, and therefore money is quite literally oozing away lol. A lot of the major supermarkets know this, and as a result, say, Asda, hang there meat (or rather their wholesale butchers do) for a minimum of 21 days.
Support your local family butcher, he knows his stuff, and try and support your local farmers markets too, as the meat they retail comes from the farm direct, slaughtered in a small abbatoir, hung well/matured and has been butchered with care before been sold to you, the customer
Peter
Ox Close Traditional Fine Foods
Wetherby
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Topic: Market meat.... (Read 4674 times)