Tightening the purse strings doesn’t have to mean economising on taste as there are plenty of tasty and clever options to make a magical meal at the top of the week. It’s easy to look for the classics, the cuts that come with the price to celebrate the Sunday lunch, but opting and looking for the more traditional fare could be just as rewarding, and on occasion, even nicer. Take beef skirt, it’s the finest pie or stew meat known to man – it breaks down beautifully and forms and marries perfectly to all the accompaniments.
This delicious cut of beef comes from below the diaphragm of the animal and is wonderful rolled in flour and slow braised with winter root vegetables (it’s also the traditional filling for Cornish pasties!).
Talk top your butcher – he’s the expert on hand, you’ll always be able to get help and advice, not just about what less recognisable cuts are, but how to get the best flavour from them. And, with traditional cuts of meat often coming on the bone, and ideal for slow cooking casseroles, that flavour is amazing.
Eating habits have changed but older cuts such as brisket, pot roasts and braising steaks are coming back in.
Here’s a few popular butchers tips and some helpful advice to get the best for what you want.
Traditional cuts won’t be as tender as more expensive loins, breasts or fillets – so take a different attitude to cooking. Slow cooking and casseroling are the order of the day to bring out the flavour and tenderise the meat. The best cuts for this are beef shin, feather steak and mutton.
Brisket is a great alternative to more expensive roasting joints and as long as you cook it slowly (around four hours at 140°C/Gas Mark 6), and baste it regularly with the juices, it will keep its wonderful depth of flavour.
Chicken thighs and legs have a lot more flavour than breast and are ideal for adding something special to pot roasts stuffed with seasonal veg, pulses and beans.
Be a culinary historian. Old, classic recipe books are often stuffed with money saving dishes designed to make the best on a budget.
Bones and carcasses are great for making meat go even further. Making stock isn’t rocket science and home-made is far better than from a packet or a cube…and saves money at the same time!
Buying cuts from nose to tail helps sustainable farming – so consider some trotter (great for long-cooked stews), Oxtail (rich flavouring for soups), or hock (lovely for terrines).
Don’t be afraid of offal! Real food lovers rate sweetmeats and similar delicacies above the best steaks. If you want a gentler introduction, think velvety pâtés and robust liver and onion dishes
