Cheap meat?
As with most things in life, you 'pays your money' and since moving to Devon we have been impressed by the range and quality of west country produce primarily available to those resident or holidaying in the south west. Although TV celebrity chefs namely Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fernley Whittingstall have embarked on their own personal TV crusades regarding food provenance, we feel the masses are somewhat still in the dark regarding the food they eat. This 'ignorance' may be a conscious or subconscious denial or in any event driven by 'economic' priorities. It is clear to us that product labelling and marketing techniques are as clear as mud, with a range of official and unofficial bodies, quality organisations, organic standards, product stamps, wiley butchers, health & safety red tape etc. Now in 2009 it would appear that the big supermarkets reign supreme. Powerful domain lords who are masters at 'trompe d'oeuils' and wholesale buying power on a global scale. In search of world domination, they already have the meat eating masses in the palm of their hands. Like the demise and fall of village pubs, post offices and corner shops, farmers and butchers are on the same 'Pacman path' as we all live an increasingly commodotised existence dictated by the supermarket giants.
On this page are links to sites which may make you re-consider your meat buying attitudes.