As a butcher, I hope more of us resolve to eat less but better meat in 2022 – iNews

After the days of sheer decadent hedonism that we lovingly refer to as Christmas, January always invites us to question what we wish to decorate our clean new year slate with.

Generally the big headliners are shopping and food, and our resolutions are invariably linked to our diets. According to new polling for the New Statesman by Redfield & Witton Strategies, 34 per cent of people wish to consume less meat in 2022.

Consumption is at the forefront of our minds, especially after multiple Christmas dinners and seeing friends we havent seen in an age because of Covid. Some of us may have had smaller Christmases but with an even bigger sod it mentality on food and drink. Its no wonder we are now questioning what we should eat in the coming weeks and months.

In an ideal world we all want to eat well, feel better and allow treats from time to time. How do we navigate this in terms of priorities?

As a butcher, I can only really answer this question in terms of meat. Despite my job, I think cutting down on the amount of low quality meat you eat is a noble aim, both for yourself and for the planet. But its also important to think hard about what meat you do eat.

If you swap cheap supermarket meat for high welfare and locally sourced meat bought close to where you live, youre giving a lot back ethically and economically.

Locally sourced food cuts down on food miles drastically. Besides food moved by airfreight, which creates around 10 times more carbon emissions than road transport, if youre heading out of town to big supermarkets youll clock up around 135 extra driving miles a year. When you reinvest in your local economy, your money doesnt just go to butchers; it goes to farmers, feed suppliers, abattoirs, their workers and their drivers.

Its important to note that as well as farmers working every hour God sends to ensure the survival of the animal, they also have to work the land and ensure levels of management in terms of renting or owning the fields and hedges themselves.

So we should make sure none of their animals go to waste. Naturally, I am biased. I have an independent butchers shop in the North East of England. We are fortunate to have some of the best farms in the country on our doorstep, and I work closely with the abattoirs to ensure welfare and quality standards are high and pricing is fair.

You can actually feed between 1,000 and 2,000 people from one beef carcass thats from the prime cuts all the way down to offal and stock from bone broth that can be made. Independent butchers like to keep waste to an absolute minimum not least because they have to pay for it.

Buying meat from a butcher is better because you can also get the exact quantity you need rather than bulk buying, and you also get fresher meat. We get the full carcasses in, which means that we do not process anything so that it can sit on a supermarket shelf for a few days whether thats gas-flushing packaging or adding extra sugar, salt or preservatives.

The start of every new year is a chance to break some of our habits and I think balance is the best course of action. Of course, we should all consume less. This is Januarys annual confessionary sermon.

If you want to shop and eat ethically Id suggest supporting your local butcher, baker, milkman, coffee roasters and independent shops. Most operate a delivery service, or can work around your working hours, or give you advice on how to store their product so it keeps.

With the climate crisis looming ever larger, eating less meat but better meat is a simple change that makes a big difference. And not just in the world at large, but throughout your local community.

Your local butcher will get to know you and can help you establish this relationship with moderation we can mediate between the natural farming world and what youre cooking for dinner, ensuring you know more about your food.

Charlotte Mitchell is the owner of Charlottes Butchery

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As a butcher, I hope more of us resolve to eat less but better meat in 2022 - iNews