Chicken matters…

There is a standing joke that if a good friend asks what we’re having for dinner the chances are it will be chicken! For many years famous chefs have exhorted us to buy the free-range, well-flavoured chickens sold by butchers rather than the mass produced birds found in all the supermarkets. I did this recently, paying a huge sum for quite a large chicken – my goodness, it needed to be good! We were expecting a delicious bird, tender, without too much fat…..you get the idea. All I can say is that we were extremely disappointed. It took ages to cook, was tough and tasted very”gamey”, not nice at all. So now I buy from the supermarket – whichever one is chosen that day – and feel no anxiety about my choice. More recently a trip to a local shop resulted in an amazing deal. They were offering 3 for £10 – not big chickens, but British and perfect for my plans. Each of these would make an inexpensive meal for a family, with two in the freezer for later perhaps in these straightened times. So, we need to buy according to our tastes and pockets without being critical of others and whilst ethics and policies matter, let’s buy what’s right for us without being browbeaten and feeling guilty.