As a London online butchers, you may see this article coming from a biased source when discussing butchers vs supermarkets. However, we hope to highlight why it is hard to make a real comparison between a butcher and a supermarket.
When purchasing meat, you have two main options, heading to the butcher or to the supermarket. We tend to make the decision based on convenience, at a supermarket you can get everything you need in one place and in one trip, however, at a butcher, one thing you cannot dispute is the high quality of the meat you can purchase when compared to a supermarket.
While you may be able to save a pound or two at your local supermarket, we know you will be getting a fresher, higher grade of meat at a butcher.
Quality
Meat from a butcher is usually sourced from local farms, making the meat fresher and the journey from the farm to your plate considerably shorter.
Supermarket meat is packaged in a factory and will sit on the shelf until someone buys it or the date runs out. With butcher’s meat, your meat will most likely be cut while you wait, or the butcher will have pre-prepared cuts that very morning. This level of freshness is hard to compete with.
Cost
While you may pay more in a butchers vs a supermarket, you can rest assured that you are buying a higher quality of meat. As mentioned above, butchers are far more likely to stock fresher, locally sourced meat. As with many things, the higher the quality the higher the price. This being said, butchers are continually having to compete on price, so you should expect a reasonable price range depending on the quality and type of meat you select.
For example, premium butchers in London will have a higher price than a butchers in your local supermarket. This should be expected and considered when making your choice of where to shop. In a supermarket, you will more than likely receive a cheaper cut of meat from the supermarket for a bargain price, or a cut that is not grass-fed that is slightly lower in quality. Nevertheless, shopping at a supermarket still gives you a fair standard of produce.
Whilst butchers may also be more expensive, you'll purchase products in the knowledge that you're supporting your local economy.
Customer Service
When you go into a butcher's shop you are dealing with a group of people who are meat experts. They can offer you a knowledgeable and personal service, giving the best tips and tricks in the business from years (or in some cases generations) of experience, to allow you to get the best out of the cut. They may also be able to give you cheaper alternatives to other popular cuts if you are on a budget. Don't be afraid to ask questions and look for deals at your local butchers.Supermarkets also offer friendly customer service from trained butchers, but standardised measures across stores mean that the service may not be personal. Ultimately, whether you choose to shop at a butchers or a supermarket depends entirely on your personal tastes, budget, and location.
At Parsons Nose, we have retained the core values of a traditional butcher’s shop with staff who have a passion for food, ensuring that we showcase the best customer service, helping the customer choose the best cuts of meat and providing expertise on how to use it to it’s full potential in the kitchen. This is simply a side to the business you do not see within supermarket chains.
If you want to find out more about our products, including chicken, sausages, steak and pork, pop into one of our London butcher’s shops or buy our premium meat online serving the London area.
