Dinner time has come and I have decided to enjoy a good steak. I buy my steaks from a wholesale distributor that I discovered a few months back. Essentially this distributor sells excess meat that has been produced for restaurants and other large scale catering operations. I buy in bulk and freeze. This process of buying meat saves a lot on plastic packaging as I do not visit the store on multiple occasions buying individually packaged meat. The cut I buy is striploin which is form the short loin part of the cow and is a tender muscle the cow rarely uses. The cows in England are grass fed and largely left to graze and roam the fields freely. Most meats are of high quality and this is reflected in the price allowing the farmers to properly nourish and raise their cattle. Cattle are transported from their respective farms to local slaughter houses. When they arrive they are cleansed and then undergo the stunning process as to minimize suffering. The next step is the bleeding process where they are hung and bled. Each cattle has a tag which essentially acts as a passport allowing for quality control if a certain bacteria develops with a meat cut. After the  hyde is removed using careful peeling methods. This is an important step as you want to avoid contamination with the meat. After unwanted bowels are removed the meat is inspected for consistency and level of tenderness. After that the meat is sent to the boning room where it is sliced into the specific cut wanted. Meat production is quite regulated in the UK and every process involved is reviewed to ensure it is hygienic and ethical. I ensure my meat is grass fed as this gives it a more rich flavour in my opinion.

(link on slaughter process of cattle)

I buy my potatoes from my local market and they are organically grown in the northern part of the country by a small scale farm that utilizes all natural soil fertilizers.The potatoes are not packaged in any particular way apart from the re-usable bag by which i put them in. I try to be as eco-friendly as possible with my shopping and as you can tell from this blog I am a fan of smaller scale operations and local markets.