Ever wondered where your meat comes from when you grab a pack of chicken thighs from the grocery store? How about when it hits your dinner plate? Is thinking realistically about your food and the conditions in which it was fed, raised and eventually served on your dinner plate a part of your life? It should be.

I’m not a big meat eater. Mostly because something inside me turns when I look at the multi packs of mushed chicken in the grocery store. And the steaks packed with antibiotics just aren’t very appealing. I grew up on quality meat. My mom always tried to source animal products through farms or friends who hunted. Growing up, we understood that the farm animals we met would eventually end up in our stomachs. It wasn’t morbid back then – the animals lived a good life and were treated incredibly well. My partner and I both enjoy having good meat about once a week. We limit our consumption and try to have a more plant based diet. We want to consume meat that supports local farmers who are going above and beyond to be ethical in their production. This is where Meatme comes in: Meatme is a delivery service that connects local, small scale, farmers to conscious buyers. You can choose from a variety of available cuts and have it delivered directly to your door with very little packaging involved.

How does it get to you?
Your meat is individual packaged from the farmer then sent from Meatme in an insulated, cardboard box (made from recycled cardboard). They actually use very little packaging which made me happy because there’s nothing more upsetting than endless amounts of wasted plastic. Meatme delivers to offices and homes in most areas in British Columbia. They use local courier companies and can deliver to all locations where next-day delivery is available.

What is the quality like?
Literally every piece of meat we tried was exceptional. It was fatty, flavourful and completely delicious. It tasted just like when I was a kid and the farm meat would show up. Our favourite was the Bacon from Giesbrecht Farm in Aldergrove, BC. It was absolutely amazing with sunny-side-up farm eggs. This bacon is currently sold out (because farms don’t continuously have the same cut on demand). 
“There is nothing like this nut-fed Berkshire bacon. As Farmer Brian says “this bacon speaks for itself!” Cured and smoked by our butcher partner Lepp in Abbotsford, it arrives nicely vacuum packed for you. This bacon has a healthy, traditional layer of fat.” – Meat Me

 

 Is it expensive?
I was surprised with how affordable Meatme is. It’s obviously more expensive than grabbing one of the products from a generic grocery store. But you are paying for love and quality. You are paying to support integrity, a local farmers livelihood and to keep ethical practices alive – so in the end, worth it. The best way to shop with Meatme is to order over $185 to get free shipping. That can be enough meat in your freezer for a month or longer.

What did we try?
We had a variety of cuts for our first box. We got bacon, chicken thighs, lamb bratwurst, wild Pacific halibut and savoury beef sausages. We spread out each item over a month and made tons of delicious dishes. We made a jambalaya using the lamb bratwurst and it was one of the best I’ve had – thanks to my partner, Pearce, for his exceptional chef skills.

We slow cooked the chicken thighs in garlic, lemon and spices and used the rest of the meats in an array of yummy dishes.

 

I will be ordering from Meatme again and probably for as long as I can. I’d love to go check out some of the farms and am doing my best to spread the word to other locals. When you start connecting to your food you eat and feel better. When you start to care about the treatment and quality it’s worth the extra effort. Check them out and place your first order today!

🖤Meatme.ca🖤