The Student Room Group

Cheap meats

What meats would you guys say are cheapest? Ideally ones I can buy in larger quantities and freeze (such as chicken) Also ideally it lasts several meals. I got 5 chicken breasts for £5.00 and that did me about 7/8 meals
Original post by AzureCeleste
What meats would you guys say are cheapest? Ideally ones I can buy in larger quantities and freeze (such as chicken) Also ideally it lasts several meals. I got 5 chicken breasts for £5.00 and that did me about 7/8 meals

I’d recommend you go to one of those smaller supermarkets, they are usually Arabic related with really nice food, there butchers would be a good place to get cheaper meats
Chicken thighs and legs in Aldi are £1.89 for 1 kilogram, pretty good value. Turkey mince is cheap in there as well.
I think the cheapest common meat would be a whole chicken.
Cooking Bacon can be lower than £1.50 per kilo.
Actually loving some of these responses.
Thanks for some of the ideas though, anything other than chicken which is cheap?
Original post by therealmarsbar
Chicken thighs and legs in Aldi are £1.89 for 1 kilogram, pretty good value. Turkey mince is cheap in there as well.


and they don't charge extra for the norovirus infestations. but seriously if it's that cheap something must be wrong, and who eats turkey mince??
Original post by AzureCeleste
What meats would you guys say are cheapest? Ideally ones I can buy in larger quantities and freeze (such as chicken) Also ideally it lasts several meals. I got 5 chicken breasts for £5.00 and that did me about 7/8 meals

Please don't eat cheap meat. If it's cheap it's low welfare, intensively farmed/reared and usually relatively flavourless. It's an insult to the animal. Good meat is expensive, because it takes time and money to rear the right breeds for slaughter.

You can always try eating less, better quality meat and having good protein combinations at other times, like beans and cereals, eggs, pulses etc.

I'm not giving you a lecture, just giving you my opinion :smile:
Original post by Reality Check
Please don't eat cheap meat. If it's cheap it's low welfare, intensively farmed/reared and usually relatively flavourless. It's an insult to the animal. Good meat is expensive, because it takes time and money to rear the right breeds for slaughter.

You can always try eating less, better quality meat and having good protein combinations at other times, like beans and cereals, eggs, pulses etc.

I'm not giving you a lecture, just giving you my opinion :smile:


I need to eat meat though. Right now I'm a student and don't have the ability to spend a lot of money on meat, occasionally I do buy a slightly more expensive cut but I can't always do that.
For me meat is an important part of my meal and the meals I have centre around them. I can't simply substitute them for beans or cereals in most cases. Additionally in the case of eggs I'd be buying the cheaper ones which again will be from the more intensively farmed hens? That doesn't seem that fair on the animal again does it?
Original post by AzureCeleste
I need to eat meat though. Right now I'm a student and don't have the ability to spend a lot of money on meat, occasionally I do buy a slightly more expensive cut but I can't always do that.
For me meat is an important part of my meal and the meals I have centre around them. I can't simply substitute them for beans or cereals in most cases. Additionally in the case of eggs I'd be buying the cheaper ones which again will be from the more intensively farmed hens? That doesn't seem that fair on the animal again does it?

Well no - and I wouldn't suggest eating cheap 'barn' eggs, either.

As I said, I've got no intention to lecture you so I'm not going to judge your choices. I was merely offering you a different view on it: that rather than trying to have meat at every main meal (or even every meal), it is possible to have higher-welfare meat on a budget by making choices. In the end, of course, it's up to you what you buy and what you're comfortable with. :smile:
Original post by Reality Check
Well no - and I wouldn't suggest eating cheap 'barn' eggs, either.

As I said, I've got no intention to lecture you so I'm not going to judge your choices. I was merely offering you a different view on it: that rather than trying to have meat at every main meal (or even every meal), it is possible to have higher-welfare meat on a budget by making choices. In the end, of course, it's up to you what you buy and what you're comfortable with. :smile:


I don't have meat with every main meal or even every meal. I have it for dinner normally 3 times a week, but I still want to save my money. Plus when I say cheap meat I can get chicken still which is good quality etc. but it's cheaper than say duck. I'm more wanting to know which meats tend to be cheaper.
I don't eat meat, but definitely recommend Aldi and Lidl - also ask at your local Tesco when they reduce stuff :smile: might have to fight and push a little, but the deals can be worth it, depending on the store aha.
Original post by saffronmae
I don't eat meat, but definitely recommend Aldi and Lidl - also ask at your local Tesco when they reduce stuff :smile: might have to fight and push a little, but the deals can be worth it, depending on the store aha.


Thanks!
As others have said, chicken thighs are some of the best value. I would also add in burgers. Any kind of mince used sparingly will work, though know what % fat you should get for which purposes and how to divide it in the freezer. Hot dogs can be quite cheap though obviously this isn't the best meat.

Fish is a bit more expensive, around £1-1.50 for cheaper portions.

To be honest, if you need to save this amount of money per week then you have bigger problems. Over the academic year this is maybe a £50 difference for you at most. You can easily cover that with a couple of short, low paid shifts at a local supermarket, or even helping out with a one-off event at your uni or nearby.

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