Yabby,
I agree with you, but I would not say 'extremely' cheap, I would prefer to say relatively cheaper compared to other foods. I am amazed at how much people tend to spend on buying lunch daily and morning tea.

The neck chops is a good example at $8 k and serves 4 adults. The $25 lamb leg should give 8 adult meals. 4 as roast and 4 as sheperds pie the next night, and the dog gets the bone. I was being over generous earlier when I said 5 servings.

Although I don't think very highly of Ginx, he is right to say people need educating to use the cheaper cuts. Crock pots are good for this and there is not many things nicer than the aroma coming from the pot when arriving home late afternoon. I once managed a property for a retail butcher and on many occasions he would bring me whole lambs necks to feed the dogs on. At first I was appalled but he could not sell many neck chops. He also got in whole, vacume packed, rumps and loins from NZ to suplement the beef carcases he used. Thus indicating the higher demand for grilling cuts. It would not surprize me to find NZ lamb being imported because of limited local supply because of the drought.

All in all, I think spending $5/day per adult for meat is reasonable. Unless one only uses lamb loin chops and the better grilling cuts of steak.

I don't know the reason for starting this thread but I suspect he was interested to find what people thought about meat prices and he just might get some info that could help his business. I have no problem with that.

Very little hogget is now used and even less mutton. If meat prices get really dear, as some here are suggesting, then butchers will get a demand for hogget and mutton, like they used too.

Banyo
You are right. I do have a couple of retail butcher shops and I find shoppers spending habits quite amusing at times

You see like it or not, food has now become a 'less-essential' item. What I mean by this is that many people buy their lotto, cigarettes, alcohol etc then they try to feed their family on what's left. Of cause they blame meat prices and it's always someone else's fault.

Often these same people think nothing of paying $30 or more for a pizza meal for one night. They justify this by saying "it's ok, I have a voucher".

As for Ginx, you just can't convince some people. Often when people have no answers or are backed into a corner they resort to name calling, did I see the name 'rectum' or was this just a 'typo'. They say sarcasm is the lowest form of whit.

Back on topic.
I started this thread because I was curious as to what people want and look for when buying meat. It is also one topic that I do have a wealth of knowledge in and appart from my mate Ginx, most posters have added genuine input.

Just remember, when I was a kid the ekka cost 20 cents entry. Now $12. That's 5901 times as much yet people still pay it and spend an average of $300 per head while there.

Believe me, meat is cheap when you use this as a comparison!

Yabby please don't be so tiresome. You do yourself a disservice, not me, by coming out with what I did NOT say.

(I wondered whether to put the 'rusty' thing btw; I knew it would leave room for a shot, but it was the best word I could think of.)

Tell me:-
Where did I refer to a meat meal three times a day?
Where did I refer to serves being 500g?
Where did I indicate that I thought vegetable/fruit were cheap?

You men ARE determined to push the cost comparison issue to the hilt.
I am equally determined to push the shopper view to the hilt.
$5 PER SERVE of meat per day IS too expensive for the average punter.

How sad this is. I am a staunch advocate of meat in the diet. I KNOW about the cost of fruit and vegetables;- but the thread was about meat!

And Yabby;...........God knows what deal you've got going with the supermarkets, but I STILL believe the farmer is being ripped off by the large retailer in particular.

Your turn.

I too enjoyed the thread, and understood the reason it was posted.
I learned rehctub was a butcher during the thread, it was not news that ginx gets a bit stroppy and that rectum was no mistake.
I am of your vintage rehctub and yes meat is cheap, Banjo speaks well of how we manage our buying.
Do you know I have little need to care about price , just me to feed but if only I could get my childhood favorite now!
16 kids got little meat but if money came we got a sugar bag of corned mutton flaps!
Loved it! about ten cents and boy was it good!
No butcher will do them for me but I dream of them.
No intent to provoke anyone but a post from yabby including the real numbers of live cattle this country exports was truly interesting to me.
I have farmed cattle as a side line in hard and good times but that information was good to have.
thanks for the thread and ginx enjoy your posting.

*$5 PER SERVE of meat per day IS too expensive for the average punter.*

Given that an average serve is 170-250g, 1 kg = at least 4 serves.

For 5$ a day, you could thus afford to pay 20 bucks a kg,
ie things like grain fed rump etc.

If you average it out, between chicken, snaggers, various average
beef cuts, if you are watching your budget, then 10$ a kg is
all you would need to spend. So $2.50 a day will do it for
you, which is very reasonable.

Gertrude, perhaps you need a Muslim boyfriend, then you can talk
about halal all day and night :)

All in all, I think spending $5/day per adult for meat is reasonable.
Posted by Banjo, Friday, 14 March 2008 11:15:49 AM

For Christ's sake grow a brain you stupid man! The quote wasn't mine.

(No wonder I get stroppy!! So Rectum's a butcher. That makes sense of someone who makes very little.)

Yes-Banjo- I would like to see mutton and hoggett in the shops again.