Was watching a news item and journo said that a driver told him how they all moan about delivering to Morrisons because they take so long with their checks and even reject poorly documented loads. That contrasted to other places who sometimes even sniff the meat to see what's what and then take it in. Will look for linky if there is one.

This could be a much needed boost for Morrisons who are currently seen as being in a weak position with their lack of online shopping and town centre units. At jest they appear to give a damn about some things. I don't usually shop there by the way. Wrong side of town for me!

Waitrose is good too.
http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/busin...vals-1-5401779
Marks & Spencer are supposedly not involved in this scandal either. I'd be pretty annoyed if I was paying their prices and only getting knock off horsemeat!!

My local butchers do the best and the best mince too as you can see them mince it up and you know it's lamb or chicken or beef going into the machine not donkey or horse! I'd never buy from a supermarket, meat in plastic packaging is all wrong.

You win! Waitrose now withdrawing products from sale!!

That won't help them with the frozen food, they still sold the lasagna

We live near a Morrisons processing factory. The abbatoir they use is about 12 miles away. At certain times of the day you can see a convey of lorries going through our town. So unless there is a problem with that particular abbatoir all their own label stuff is OK.

The only answer is be like me, buy fresh meat from a good local butcher with a reputation, even from Waitrose's fresh meat counter. All this pre-packed food I look upon with suspicion as it can apparently can come from any source.

People will buy ready-made burgers, just how long would it take even for the most useless basic cook to make their own — 10 minutes tops and they would taste far better and you would know what they are made with.

Do you though? This is what horse meat looks like

http://www.exoticmeats.co.uk/images/...se_meat_uk.jpg

I'm not convinced I'd know the difference if somebody shoved a label saying 'beef' on it.

I know this sounds ridiculous, but I don't buy meat from a butchers BECAUSE it's not in plastic packaging.

Meat from supermarkets have best before dates, whereas meat from butchers don't. I never know how long it is safe to keep them in my fridge before I need to use or freeze them.

You can talk to the butcher. The one I use has great advice and now that I have been using them for years I get great discounts and freebees, all lovely stuff.

Now going back to Morrisons, I used to hate delivering there too. Took ages to answer the gate and when you got in would shut the gate and often then would go on a break and leave you stuck. Out of about 7 I delivered too one of them was good.

isnt it just the basement stuff thats being withdrawn? the cheap essentials range?

My mate works at Morrisons and he's told me that all the meat in the butchers section is butchered on site by a qualified butcher.
It is basically a butcher's store inside the Morrisons.

Our local Morrisons butcher counter is superb just now, cannot fault it, the Square Sausage slice is lovely, as is the Scotch Minced Beef. Damn i feel hungry now..

Wish they could sort their fish as well it stinks in our local morrisons, no way is it fresh.

they hang meat for ages in a chiller cabinet before they cut it. the longer the better.

meat will last a decent time in a fridge.

Yeah. Waitrose and Morrisons were obviously forced to bring in value ranges to compete but it looks like they've been buying stuff from the same dodgy distributors as the other chains. At least Marks and Spencer has steered clear of the low end value market.

This is it, make your own grub and you know what's in it.

M and S food isn't actually that dear for the general, comparable to other supermarkets sort of food. eg their marinated, raw chicken meals that all the supermarkets do, in the foil trays to go straight in the over, M&S are 2 for £6, Asda are 2 for £7 and look like they've been thrown together in the dark. Their 3 for £10 is better value and quality than other supermarkets too.

It's only their OTT fancy stuff that is genuinely, noticeably dearer.

I buy sirloin steaks from my butcher, cut from a huge piece on the bone. The bones have a 2inch covering of a white fungul mould like this http://luma-dac.com/en/aging/process/

They're the best steaks ever! You don't get that in the supermarkets

A friend of mine never buys any meat from a supermarket, in fact she buys very little from Supermarkets. All her meat is from a Butcher, she got a couple around town which she goes to a lot.
Veg is from our local market, fish is also from local market or a butcher in the next town that now also got a fishmonger department.
Herbs and spices is from a small shop in a side street and bread from a baker in town.

TBH, i don't blame her, I am starting to go that way and I work in a supermarket.

Essentials is a range introduced to have a selection of staple items consistently packaged and at lower prices. M&S introduced a comparable range 'Simply M&S', last year.

Sure, they are designed to compete with the big four but neither are a comparison of Tesco Everyday Value, Sainsbury's Basics, Asda Smart Price or Morrisons Savers (which has always existed in some form).

The "food scare" from Waitrose is not exactly the same as from the other supermarkets (barring Morrisons who do all their own stuff and good for them).
They withdrew 2 batches of Essential beef meatballs because some of them had traces of pork - and even then most of the meatballs were fine.
It does show how careful retailers have to be - and they are only as good as their weakest link in the food chain.

I was just about to go on a rant about people wanting cheap food but not considering how it was possible to get cheap meat in a world where commodity prices were rising remorselessly, but then thought better of it.

Basically, I just wish that everyone had access to a good butcher and ate a bit less meat but that meat was of a better (and therefore more expensive) quality.
I know of what I preach because for 8 years of my life my husband and I were struggling to make ends meet and with 3 small children it was not easy to feed them well if we were to eat meat every day. So we did not. Rather than compromise on quality, we just ate less meat and a heck of a lot of vegetables, lentils etc.

I do know that many people are time poor and energy poor so that they would have difficulty in cooking cheaper cuts of meat for a long time in an oven - but quality mince from a butcher takes a short time to cook, as does lean lamb finely sliced etc.

Perhaps it is time to take action - boycott processed food and cook for yourself.

What you are saying is its cut up in store, doesnt mean the meat is any good, look at the meat on the shelves then walk up the road and look in the butchers window, i know which one i would buy.

There is a local butcher around the corner from me. They don't have much choice and are not that cheap - They don't even sell smoked or streaky bacon.
I have bought in bulk from there before and they do shot a bit of stuff in for free or round off prices etc. so that's a bonus.
Also they will cut to suit, so if I want a 2" sirloin for the BBQ they will do it and if I want ribeye like bacon rashers for a Philly cheesesteak then they will do that also.

Best steak i've bought though is ASDA Extra Special range.