When Buyacow contacted me to see if I'd like to try out one of their premium beef boxes, I was intrigued by their concept of 'crowdbutching' and how this could ensure a more sustainable way of consuming meat.
ABOUT BUY A COW.UK
In a nutshell Buyacow.uk connects you to local, ethical farmers (you can read all about the farmers on their website), who rear grass-fed & free-range cattle with no hormones, chemicals or preventative antibiotics. These in turn produce some of the healthiest, premium grade beef that can't be found in your high street supermarket.Their model helps you trace exactly where the meat you eat comes from and ensures it is environmentally sustainable as no parts of the cow are wasted (you can even request the offal and bones from the cow on a first come first served basis). Cutting out the supermarket also means you pay less for premium meat whilst helping small scale farmers earn more.
You effectively buy a share of a cow from a farmer and breed of your choice and once all it's remaining shares are sold, your share will be butchered, matured and delivered to your door in a meat-box.
TRACEABLE MEAT
The number on your meat box matches the ear tag number of your cow so you know exactly where your meat has come from. Buyacow.uk only sells British beef that is 100% natural - they don't add binding agents, sugar, dyes, preservatives or additives.
HOW DOES THE ORDERING PROCESS WORK?
You can choose the type of beef you would like to order by clicking one of the ethically reared cows shown on the homepage. You can opt for either a large or small meat-box and then alongside standard cuts, you can customise your preferred combination of minced meat products.
The cow you have 'bought into' will only be sent to slaughter once it has been 100% purchased and this currently takes about a week. It takes a further two weeks for the cow to be butchered and its meat matured for top taste and texture. The average time between order and delivery is about three weeks.
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| A slow cooker bolognese recipe I made with the minced beef |
THE MEAT BOXES
There are two meat boxes available. The small meat box contains 3.5kg of beef and costs £59.95. The box includes topside, rib eye, minute and rump steaks, stir fry strips, diced beef, steak burgers and minced meat in the form of mince, burgers and sausages. The large box contains larger quantities of the above and costs £99.95 (6.7kg). The meat boxes are currently available for delivery to addresses in England and the packaging is biodegradable and compostable.
RECIPES
Buyacow.uk have a handy recipe page on their website and I decided to make a variation of their barbecued philly cheese steak sandwich. These were really tasty and perfect for the footie on Friday evening!
I used the minced beef in my box to make a slow cooker bolognese and a beef keema (photo below). The beef was so tender with no gristly bits you sometimes get with mince! The burgers and sausages were lovely and meaty too and very well seasoned. They went down well with our guests at an end of summer BBQ. As for the other cuts, I've popped them in my freezer to use soon (all of the products are vacuum packed so fit neatly into a standard household freezer drawer). For a full list of the meat box contents have a look at their dedicated meat box page on the website.
WHAT DID WE THINK OF THE BUYACOW MEAT BOX?
Overall we were really impressed, both with the concept of 'crowdbutching' and the quality of the meat box contents. Delivery details were sent promptly and the box was delivered on time, well refrigerated and in excellent condition. If you care about the environmental sustainability of the meat you buy then buyacow is definitely worth trying, particularly if you don't have access to a local butchers.
GET 10% OFF YOUR MEAT BOX
If you would like to try out a meat box just enter the code BUYACOW_JAM&CLOTTEDCREAM at the checkout to get 10% off your order.
Disclosure: I was sent a premium meat box in return for this review. All thoughts are my own.
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