Veggies look away now... - Dylan's Ride Blog

Somebody at work was bemoaning the lack of taste of supermarket meat, and the disapearence of traditional butchers. As good food is something of an interest of mine, I was able to reel off a list of places I knew about that sold good quality meat. I thought I'd stick it down in my blog, as mountain bikers are pretty fond of a good roast dinner.

• MK Philip, Bishopthorpe Road, York. Friendly butchers selling local meat, also sells game.
• Tony Neary, Clifton Green, York. Local meat and Aberdeen Angus beef.
• Derek Fox, Malton. Butchers with all the usual stuff, cheeses, and a varied selection of game, including stuff you'll rarely see elsewhere.
• G Scott, York. Specialist pork butcher, who make really, really good sausages. Not cheap, but if you stop and think what's in sausage, cheap isn't so good.

There's plenty more places, so if I have missed somewhere, add it to the comments. Small towns like Kirbymoorside and Pickering still have decent butchers, so you can buy some meat on the way to the ride (the meat isn't going to spoil after being left in the car for a few hours in winter). Farmers markets also sell meat, but they are only in town once a month.

Incidently, if you've never tried game, this is the season to do it. The pheasant season starts on the 1st of October, and autumn is the time when a lot of game is in season. There's nothing quite like a brace of pheasants, roast spuds and fresh brocolli as a satisfying, locally sourced, seasonal meal after a long muddy ride. Once the clocks go back there's plenty of time after you get home from a ride to cook, and put dinner on the table at a sensible time; so why not support the local economy and eat proper food?