[Stove Fan]

We have lived here nearly 2 years and will be returning to the UK for personal reasons but the thing that is so dissapointing is the quality of meat or lack of.

We have bought from Tesco, Garveys and Lidl and have to say it's been mostly either tasteless or pretty tough when cooked.

We like a roast dinner and today had a New Zealand leg of lamb from Lidl and it was appalingly tough. It was cooked properly and everything as normal and my Grandparents cooked it so have 67 years cooking experience.

Last week we bought a fresh chicken from Garveys and put it in the fridge to use the next day and sniffed it before cooking and it had gone off
Took it back for a refund.

We have not found a decent place to buy quality meat. We just love Waitrose in the UK or Asda for good deals.

My relative in Western France says the Irish leg of lamb was superb and so cheap at 4 euro on promotion. Saw a freezer lorry with Tralee on the side.
Is it the case that the decent quality meat gets exported?
Spuds we only buy the baby ones from lidl otherwise they just turn to mush.

Where do you go in Kerry for good quality meat and spuds? We love the big spuds for going in the oven.

Thanks Stove Fan

[Darkginger]

Why are you buying New Zealand lamb in Ireland, when we're surrounded by home-produced lamb that's totally wonderful? I've been here almost 13 years now, and rarely buy meat from supermarkets - unlike the UK, Ireland still has a lot of local independent butchers (and fishmongers and greengrocers) and that's where I choose to spend my money. You can build up a great relationship with local suppliers, ask them what's good/in season, what will work with a given recipe, get them to order in special stuff for you. I can honestly say that the meat I eat here is of far better quality than I had access to in the UK (Mayo here, Brighton there, if you're interested).

Seriously, there are many things I can (and do) complain about regarding food in Ireland (mainly to do with not being able to get Ras El Hanout or similar at 11 pm on a Saturday night in the far rural west, nor having anywhere that delivers cardboard pizzas!), but the quality of meat is not one of them. I think we have some of the best meat in the world!

[SunnyDub1]

Emmmmmmn a butchers

[Cardinal Richelieu]

Originally Posted by Stove Fan

We have lived here nearly 2 years and will be returning to the UK for personal reasons but the thing that is so dissapointing is the quality of meat or lack of.

We have bought from Tesco, Garveys and Lidl and have to say it's been mostly either tasteless or pretty tough when cooked.

We like a roast dinner and today had a New Zealand leg of lamb from Lidl and it was appalingly tough. It was cooked properly and everything as normal and my Grandparents cooked it so have 67 years cooking experience.

Last week we bought a fresh chicken from Garveys and put it in the fridge to use the next day and sniffed it before cooking and it had gone off
Took it back for a refund.

We have not found a decent place to buy quality meat. We just love Waitrose in the UK or Asda for good deals.

My relative in Western France says the Irish leg of lamb was superb and so cheap at 4 euro on promotion. Saw a freezer lorry with Tralee on the side.
Is it the case that the decent quality meat gets exported?
Spuds we only buy the baby ones from lidl otherwise they just turn to mush.

Where do you go in Kerry for good quality meat and spuds? We love the big spuds for going in the oven.

Thanks Stove Fan

Actually heard the opposite from relatives and friends who live in the UK, when they come to Ireland they fill up with meat before heading back on the ferry because they consider the quality of some of the cuts are pretty bad in the UK. Each to their own.

[Fart]

I'm currently living in the U.K. and the quality of food here is not up to the standard as it is in Ireland.

Food can be bought cheaply and because of that, the quality is pretty bad.
Even when it comes to restaurants and pub grub, it can be so cheap and put a smile on your face but when eating it after a while, you realise how bad quality the food is.

Many that have grown up in the U.K. don't even realise it. They go on about quality British beef ,and other meats yet it's utter crap. (In most cases anyways).

I can't wait to come home this Summer.

[Stove Fan]

I will try a butchers but always worried about hygiene whether here or the UK.

I just love the harvester restaurant. Very good and reasonable price on the early bird. Get to Waitrose for meat. Pleasure to shop there.

I don't eat beef because of the mad cow outbreak in the 90's.

I certainly wouldn't stock up on food in Ireland to take back to the UK.

Every country has its fors and againsts and I don't want this to become this, it was simply where do you buy your meat?

Stove Fan

[whoopsadaisydoodles]

Meat in most supermarkets is pure muck.
Superquinn meat is beautiful, super valu can be good too. But yeh, butchers!

[emeraldstar]

Originally Posted by Stove Fan

We have lived here nearly 2 years and will be returning to the UK for personal reasons but the thing that is so dissapointing is the quality of meat or lack of.

We have bought from Tesco, Garveys and Lidl and have to say it's been mostly either tasteless or pretty tough when cooked.

We like a roast dinner and today had a New Zealand leg of lamb from Lidl and it was appalingly tough. It was cooked properly and everything as normal and my Grandparents cooked it so have 67 years cooking experience.

Last week we bought a fresh chicken from Garveys and put it in the fridge to use the next day and sniffed it before cooking and it had gone off
Took it back for a refund.

We have not found a decent place to buy quality meat. We just love Waitrose in the UK or Asda for good deals.

My relative in Western France says the Irish leg of lamb was superb and so cheap at 4 euro on promotion. Saw a freezer lorry with Tralee on the side.
Is it the case that the decent quality meat gets exported?
Spuds we only buy the baby ones from lidl otherwise they just turn to mush.

Where do you go in Kerry for good quality meat and spuds? We love the big spuds for going in the oven.

Thanks Stove Fan

None of this really makes sense. You're complaining about the quality of meat in Ireland, when you're buying your meat from international supermarket chains who often source their meat from various countries, even giving an example of being disappointed by the New Zealand lamb that you bought from a German store...

Then you seem surprised that your relative in France finds Irish meat great. But it seems you're not actually buying Irish meat, or trying particularly hard to make sure you are, if you're only limiting yourself to supermarkets. If you're as interested in getting good quality meat in Ireland as you say then why not go into a butcher's and buy local Irish meat?

[BaZmO*]

Originally Posted by whoopsadaisydoodles

Meat in most supermarkets is pure muck.
Superquinn meat is beautiful, super valu can be good too. But yeh, butchers!

Yeah, if you have to buy meat in a supermarket Superquinn is yer only man.

[Stove Fan]

Originally Posted by emeraldstar

None of this really makes sense. You're complaining about the quality of meat in Ireland, when you're buying your meat from international supermarket chains who often source their meat from various countries, even giving an example of being disappointed by the New Zealand lamb that you bought from a German store...

Then you seem surprised that your relative in France finds Irish meat great. But it seems you're not actually buying Irish meat, or trying particularly hard to make sure you are, if you're only limiting yourself to supermarkets. If you're as interested in getting good quality meat in Ireland as you say then why not go into a butcher's and buy local Irish meat?

The chicken we are buying is Irish as it says who is the producer but yes some of it isn't Irish. Unfortunately superquinn is an hours drive each way!!

Yes we will try the butchers. See previous comment on why we didn't go to the butchers.

[Drake66]

Originally Posted by Stove Fan

I will try a butchers but always worried about hygiene whether here or the UK.

I just love the harvester restaurant. Very good and reasonable price on the early bird. Get to Waitrose for meat. Pleasure to shop there.

I don't eat beef because of the mad cow outbreak in the 90's.

I certainly wouldn't stock up on food in Ireland to take back to the UK.

Every country has its fors and againsts and I don't want this to become this, it was simply where do you buy your meat?

Stove Fan

. In a butcher???

Do yourself a favour and don't buy cheap poorly cut meat from hypermarkets. Meat existed a long time before they came up with cellophane packaging. Go to a butcher.

[Cardinal Richelieu]

Originally Posted by Stove Fan

I will try a butchers but always worried about hygiene whether here or the UK.

I just love the harvester restaurant. Very good and reasonable price on the early bird. Get to Waitrose for meat. Pleasure to shop there.

I don't eat beef because of the mad cow outbreak in the 90's.

I certainly wouldn't stock up on food in Ireland to take back to the UK.

Every country has its fors and againsts and I don't want this to become this, it was simply where do you buy your meat?

Stove Fan

Do butchers not get inspected like other food premises like the harvester restaurant?

[BaZmO*]

Originally Posted by Drake66

Meat existed a long time before they came up with cellophane packaging.

and meat nappies!

[Mrs Fox]

Originally Posted by Stove Fan

See previous comment on why we didn't go to the butchers.

You worry about the hygiene of Irish butchers?
And not with the leg of lamb that travelled all the way from New Zealand? God knows what happened along the way

[Stove Fan]

Originally Posted by Cardinal Richelieu

Do butchers not get inspected like other food premises like the harvester restaurant?

Yes they do, but I can't see the food being prepared/cooked like in the harvester. I worry about the hygiene in butchers here and the UK When I watch the environmental health inspector programs going round restaurants in the UK, it really puts me off what filth they allow the person to trade with.

I would imagine the leg of lamb was in deep freeze all the way here but I take your point.

Maybe we should get our own pigs to slaughter etc and quarantee the hygiene:DLOL.

There is a new butchers that has opened 20 minutes away, so all new equipment etc so will go there

Stove Fan