Lamb for sale & butchered

J.O. Farmer

paddysdream wrote: »

But that's what I am telling ye ie there is no fortune in it.If there was the sort of money that some people on here think there is then why are butchers shops closing on a regular basis?

In our town we always had 3 proper butchers shops plus one or two in supermarkets.Now its down to 1 real butchers stall and he tells me that to sell meat you may keep up with all the latest trends and provide something different each week.
Wouldn't be too well up on the auld shopping but he says that normal roasts,legs of lamb,etc are very hard to sell and its mainly easily prepared chicken,beef and bacon that sells all year round.If you don't do the cuts with the different sauce's,oven ready cuts, etc ie the sort of thing that you can bung in the oven for 40 minutes after coming home from work, then you won't sell a lot.

I don't doubt that your butcher will sell you a lamb for €150 and I'm not going into butchering myself but if your butcher sells every lamb across the counter as a leg to 1 person and a few chops to somebody else he will struggle to stay in business.
I don't know the retail price if you buy individual cuts but let's assume my figures are the costs against the lamb as I outlined and others claim there's a €100 more in it that has to cover other costs.
There's electricity business rates maintenance of the premises and a lot more I can't think of. That hundred euro will get very small very quickly. While the butcher might sell a whole lamb to one person in one sale for labour money it's hard to see how he could afford to do it in dribs and drabs.
That said butchers going out of business might explain that's what's happening.

ford2600

Conmaicne Mara wrote: »

Fair play, you know what's good for you

Ask after the age of the lamb next time. Dad kills a few around the 10 months to a year age, if you want taste, there it is.

10-12 months is the age he kills at.

For a man rared on beef, mainly stew, lamb is now my firm favourite.

Had a slow cooked neck of lamb, 12 hrs, about a month ago. Nicest meal this year

Conmaicne Mara

ford2600 wrote: »

10-12 months is the age he kills at.

For a man rared on beef, mainly stew, lamb is now my firm favourite.

Had a slow cooked neck of lamb, 12 hrs, about a month ago. Nicest meal this year

Glad to hear it

moy83

paddysdream wrote: »

But that's what I am telling ye ie there is no fortune in it.If there was the sort of money that some people on here think there is then why are butchers shops closing on a regular basis?

I'd say rates and rent is a killer on alot of shops lately . Probably pressure from supermarkets selling meat a bit cheaper than the local shop can afford to is edging them out too .
There was a good documentary on an old retired galway butcher last year on rte . I think he said there were over 30 butchers shops in galway city alone when he was trading . There are only 3/4 now in the city

ford2600

What's killing butchers is most people haven't a clue about real food.
lamb is high in fat so it must be avoided etc etc

reilig

ford2600 wrote: »

What's killing butchers is most people haven't a clue about real food.
lamb is high in fat so it must be avoided etc etc

+1

Media has created a load of sensationalism around food. It tells us that high fat is bad for us, that we should be eating all low fat food, that processed butter made by heating up oil is better for us than real butter etc.

Nothing could be further from the truth! It's not helping people that sell unprocessed and natural food.

But the tide is changing, people are slowly realising that the rise in obesity, cancer and type 2 diabetes are all linked to eating the food that is hyped by the media.

Muckit

Feck it even if broader society don't get it, at least with the few acres we'II be able to keep ourselves well fed.....and know exactly what we're eating! I think it'II soon be time to go back milking a cow for the house.... now where's me peak cap and three legged stool??