| Beef the best? |
By: Rebecca Hubbard
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Posted: Thursday, August 19, 2010 9:59 am
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Beef has come out on top in a recent survey to find Britain's best loved meat.
The poll, run by online meat retailer WestinGourmet pitted beef against traditional favourites like pork and chicken and trendier, continental fare including pancetta, chorizo, salami and prosciutto.
It revealed that despite the huge choice now on offer, 39% of us Brits still remain loyal to our traditional cuts, opting for beef over all other meats.
From the summer months when burgers fill our barbecue grills to the roasting joints which dominate our ovens during the winter, beef has been a constant on the British dinner table for hundreds of years.
Despite this, chicken is still the best-selling meat on the butcher’s counter with consumption of poultry having doubled over the last 20 years, while red meat and pork consumption has been a constant on the British menu. Our favourite bird, chicken, came a close second in the survey, charming 24% of the voters.
Westin Gourmet is an online retailer offering gourmet cuts of naturally reared meat at prices the supermarkets can only dream of. In their survey of 500 meat eaters, beef came out number one, stealing 39% of the votes.
Butcher Phil Ward from Westin Gourmet has more than 20 years experience in the industry and has seen changes in buying patterns first hand.
He said: “When I first started out my customers came to me for their sausages and traditional joints of meat, but over the years I’ve seen more and more Brits shopping for chicken breasts and duck.
“However my experience has shown me that despite all the newcomers to the market, we still love the meats we've grown up with. The traditional beef roast dinner is certainly here to stay.”
Phil continued; “Men and women voted differently in the poll with beef steaks being the top choice for the gents, with the ladies opting for a healthier chicken breast fillet as their favourite meat. In my experience women have always preferred poultry whilst the men stick to the red meats.”
Lamb followed chicken into third place in the poll, winning 18% of the votes. Another Sunday lunch favourite, lamb joints and chops have remained in Britons’ hearts and retained their popularity due to the recent arrival of lamb burgers and kebabs onto the dinner table.
Surprisingly, pork only came out as our fourth favourite meat claiming a measly 10% of votes. With sausages and pork chops relegated to such a dire position for voters, are Brits really moving away from their bangers and mash heritage?
Phil said; “Sausages will never disappear from the butchers counter. I have seen a dip in the number of customers buying sausages but its so ingrained into out national cuisine, it will take a lot to oust it.”
Duck picked up 5% of the votes with turkey picking up just 3% after being tagged a Christmas meat.
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