Budget Busting Tips For Sunday Lunch

I've been talking about slow cookers a lot over the past few days so I was really interested to learn that the cheaper, more traditional cuts of meat are making a comeback, which is great news for anyone trying to make their pennies stretch a little further. More information and advice from the Netherton Butchery below.

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Tightening the purse strings doesn't have to mean economising on taste, thanks to the Netherton Butchery at Hinchliffe's Farm Shop, which is helping cash-strapped customers continue to enjoy a Sunday lunch - with a twist.

Alongside its succulent fillets and roasting joints, the butchery also offers more traditional cuts - such as brisket and braising steak - at cut price.

"It's the finest pie meat known to man - it breaks down beautifully," says Craig Midwood, talking about the beef skirt, which has been especially popular at the Huddersfield based shop during the recent cold snap. 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!)

With expert butchers like Craig 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.

One man particularly pleased to see these older cuts of meat return to popularity - and build on his father's ethos of the best quality and value for money - is Charles Hinchliffe, the almost 90-year-old head of the business, which was set up by his father in 1929.

"Eating habits have changed but older cuts such as brisket, pot roasts and braising steaks are coming back in. The customers are boss, they are watching the money and they want value," he says.

Charles's Tips

• 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 tenderize 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 homemade 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.

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I love the idea of great chunks of meat that get melt-in-the-mouth tender in the slow cooker, but I have to admit, I may have to draw the line at offal !

Other reviews you may be interested in :

A Couple of Slow Cooker Recipes to inspire you

Morphy Richards £4 Slow Cooker Challenge

Crock-Pot Sauté Slow Cooker

Recipes to use with your Crock-Pot Slow Cooker

John Torode's Beef and Other Bovine Matters