Can I still buy cheap cuts of meat? | Kitchen Aid

Which profitable cuts of meat should I buy?Joe, Liverpool"Much of the meat price increases we've seen over the past eight months have gone into the cheaper segment of the market," says Ian Warren, of family business Philip Warren Butchers in Cornwall. That's not to say you can't save money on meat; it's is just more a case of what's cheaper, as opposed to really cheap. For example, Warren suggests "a nice piece of pork. Yeah, it's probably had the biggest rise, but it's still a hell of a lot cheaper." The Beef at Three Compasses in Farringdon, London, next week, suggests trying the forequarter, or "parts down the shoulder and up near the neck". It's excellent in herb stews. (sage, rosemary, thyme), cider and pig's trotters, which he says "are always cheap , and add a nice fat".

Next you have kidney, heart, and liver, but they divide: "People often say they don't like offal - until they try it," says Jonathan Woolway, Chief Executive of St John's in London, which recently opened a new location in Marylebone. If you fancy trying them, Harris suggests sautéing onions and garlic with lots of black pepper and a few herbs, tossing them with coarsely ground pork, finely ground liver and kidneys, and breadcrumbs, then bind them with eggs. Roll into balls, place on fried onions spread on a buttered roasting pan, season and cook: "It's like a peasant meatloaf full of sweetness." If that seems like a step too far, Woolway suggests opting for pork cheeks and braising them low and slow, because “they're more accessible. Have stock on hand, large vegetables, a little wine - nice, but not essential - and serve it with a dash of mash.

lamb breast too. Harris mixes "breadcrumbs, herbs, fried onions and garlic with black pepper, maybe a chili pepper and lemon zest," then spreads it into a boneless lamb breast. Roll it up and gently braise it until tender.

Lerato Umah-Shaylor, meanwhile, favors the neck of lamb over the os, which is “wonderful” with the lamb shank in his “celebratory lamb, known as mrouzia in Morocco – a tagine, if you will”. Africana browns her meat (which has been marinated in ras el hanout, turmeric, salt, pepper), adds onions, garlic, ginger, broth and North African spices, cooks for three hours until the sauce is "rich and thick and the meat is falling off the bone", then add raisins, apricots and honey towards the end. "Boneless lamb neck is often sold diced, which is great for stews, or neck fillet, which is best cooked short and pointed, and is wonderful in salads, wraps, and stir-fries."

Poultry prices have also risen, "mainly because of feed costs," Warren says, but drumsticks are still a "simple and affordable" dinner. Otherwise, use whole poultry: “Roast a chicken, do lots of vegetables, maybe a pasta gratin too. Everyone can then have a nice helping, but don't offer seconds,” Harris advises. "Tear every last shred of the carcass" and turn whatever remains into soups and stews, pies and salads. "I mix brussels sprouts, spring onions, chilli, ginger and mayonnaise, then spread them on shredded chicken. Put it all in a sandwich… Delicious. p>Do you have a culinary dilemma? Email feast@theguardian.com