When was the last time you bought meat from a butcher’s shop? They seem to have mostly disappeared from the high streets, haven’t they? That doesn’t mean that you can not get fresh meat from a butcher online. I was given a voucher for Swaledale Butchers to try them out and share with you.
Why choose Swaledale butchers?
Swaledale is a butcher with a difference. A specialist butchery team has a whole-carcass, nose-to-tail philosophy for nutrient-dense meat with immense flavour. This is great, in my opinion, as it means less is wasted and as such, it is much better for the environment. Read on to find out what I think to this online butcher review.
Swaledale states their meat is “Exceptional, native breed, grass-fed meat from animals slow grown on small, sustainable farms on the Yorkshire Dales. Expertly butchered and delivered fresh.” so we were keen to try it out
All their meat is fresh and never frozen unlike some online butchers and because of this you know it is safe to freeze it if needed at home. All meat is butchered to order, vacuum packed, and shipped in recyclable packaging to arrive safely insulated and ready to enjoy.
What did we buy?
As we were having a bit of a heatwave when I was making my order I chose a BBQ meat box for this online butcher review which includes the following items:
- 2 x 250g Ribeye Steaks,
- 1 x 400g pack North African-Style Kofta Kebabs,
- 1 x 480g pack Yorkshire Breakfast Chipolatas,
- 1 x 540g pack Chicken Drumsticks,
- 1 x 600g pack Korean-Style BBQ Beef Short Ribs,
- 1 x 600g pack Rindless Pork Loin Chops,
- 1 x 600g pack Steak Burgers, and
- 1 x 650g pack Chicken Breasts.
We also ordered some Texan-style hot links sausages which are sold in a pack of 4. Do be aware, however, that these are big sausages so will go further than you imagine.
What did we think of the meat?
When the meat arrived it was well packaged and using cool blocks had been kept cold. Each item was vacuum-packed and labelled clearly. Despite the cool blocks, the labels were still well intact and could be read with ease. I have found with previous companies that labels can go soggy during transit making reading them difficult!
Initially, I was unsure about the value for money as each pack didn’t contain as much as I am used to from the supermarket however I soon realised why.
The 650g pack of chicken breasts contained just two chicken breasts however they were absolutely huge. It was nice to see they were not pumped full of water and were genuinely huge chicken breasts. I get so frustrated with supermarket quality. I had never seen an online butcher review of meats that looked good before.
As a vegetarian, I have to take Stuart and Ben’s words for the taste but as a cook, everything seemed of brilliant quality. They loved everything they tried and said that each was full of flavour and the quality was evident in the taste.
The photos throughout this article are of the products and meals, I made with them.
Overall thoughts of Swaledale Butchers
If you are looking for quality good size cuts of meat to impress and would like to order them online then I would definitely recommend Swaledale Butchers. Has this online butcher review tempted you to try them?
The meats were full of flavour and it has made me consider grass-fed meat and look at more sustainable options, such as Swaledale when choosing meat for Stuart and Ben.
Have you tried online butchers like Swaledale before? Let me know in the comments below.
