I made a cost saving discovery this weekend which I want to share.

I went to my local butcher this weekend for a shoulder of lamb.  He went out back and came back with a large joint that needed preparing – he off took some bones (mainly ribs), weighed up the remaining joint and priced it up for me.  As he went to clear away, I asked him for all off-cuts which he bagged (thought I’d make a stock for gravy out of it), and he let me have the carrier bag full of “waste” for nothing.

I got it home, and found this wasn’t just bones – there was a lot of meat on the “left-overs” which I roasted to make stock out of – and once roasted I reckon that I picked off a generous two portions of meat that I’ve frozen for another time (they’ll probably end up in a curry soon!)  And the rendered fat made the most amazing roast potatoes and parsnip!

I’ve found similar going in to butchers for cuts that aren’t popular.  I’ve been in to buy something else but asked if they pigs trotters (popular in days gone by and getting more popular in restaurants but not exactly flying off the shelves) – they had them ready to throw away so just let me have them for nothing.

So if you are the butchers and they are preparing something for you, if they cut anything away, consider asking them to give that to you rather than throwing it away – bones and sinew can make fresh stock (infinitely better than cubes) and often the fat can be rendered for roasting.

[Incidently, the joint itself also went a long way – a roast on Saturday, lamb with bubble-and-squeak and pickles on Sunday, and plenty left for the freezer.]