egafd.com

I visited a eco-friendly farm this morning. I go there every year just before Christmas to buy some of their excellent products - such as beetroot, swede, parsnip crisps (2 quid a packet), organic pickle (1 quid a jar), smoked cheese (1 quid a slice) and their gammon steaks (2 quid each).

Whilst perusing the rest of their products I was informed that their free range turkey's have not been such a big sellar this year. According to the owner the public are concerned about bird flu and blue tongue affecting the birds. Despite reassurances from the owner that their flocks are free range and hand reared and clear of illness, the public are still not convinced.

And Sam, their free range geese have been selling well, priced at 14 quid a kilo!. The owner tells me that there has been a run on geese this year as more and more people turn back to this traditional bird.

The irony is that the car park at this eco-friendly, environmentally aware farm is packed with customers 4x4's! Me, I did my bit to save the planet by cycling the 4 miles there and back. !pleased!

I've had a packet of those beetroot hand made crisps - very nice too

Try the parsnip ones - mmmm, yummy. I'm eating one right now.

Well done Trumpy. Yeah ?14 a kilo is about average. I'm getting my 10lb goose for ?35, only because one of my uncles is best mates with a butcher, so we're only paying what he pays for it.

Those farmers cutting out the middlemen must be making a mint on 'em!

Sam Slater wrote:

> Well done Trumpy. Yeah ?14 a kilo is about average.

Seemed a bit steep to me !confused!

> I'm getting my 10lb goose for ?35, only because one of my uncles is best
> mates with a butcher, so we're only paying what he pays for it.

At this farm you'd pay 70 quid for that sized bird.

> Those farmers cutting out the middlemen must be making a mint
> on 'em!

I thought you have mint with lamb - LOL.

Free range means more land required. The birds are more vulnerable to foxes and birds of prey, and the farmers just can't rear as many.

Meat was always expensive in the past, and that's why the poor very rarely had it. It's only since the introduction of battery farms where fowl and game meat has become cheaper.

I guess it's not that free range stuff is expensive, but that we've had 50 years of unrealistically cheap meat.

Sam Slater wrote:

> Free range means more land required. The birds are more
> vulnerable to foxes and birds of prey, and the farmers just
> can't rear as many.

That's basically what the owner told me.

> Meat was always expensive in the past, and that's why the poor
> very rarely had it. It's only since the introduction of battery
> farms where fowl and game meat has become cheaper.

Free range birds taste better than the battery produced ones.

> I guess it's not that free range stuff is expensive, but that
> we've had 50 years of unrealistically cheap meat.

True.