Meadowfresh - Chesterfield

What can I say, I came all the way from London to Salford and HAD to stop here. The steak family pies for £9.99 do feed 4. I'm a fatty so it's for 2! The pasties, tarts, cakes and chutneys are well priced and delicious. Cherry bakewell are a little thick but I still recommend them. The meats and butcher section is fantastic and the prices for the marinated meats, kebabs and others is really good and the quality is fantastic. Never had a bad experience in 10 years and now they deliver, happy days!

We shopped at the Dobbies branch at Barlborough last weekend. Bought Meat and Potatoe Pie which was OK and plenty of meat in the pie though quite dry. The bacon we bought was OK too though upon frying in zero oil there was plenty evidence the bacon had been soaked in brine as this was ejected from the meat as it was cooked. The lamb shanks however were awful, we bought three at £6 each and I can only analogise that it was like chewing rubber. The shanks were well roasted, so no excuses there, and I nearly choked when I swallowed a piece of meat (even though I chewed very carefully ! as the piece was still attached to another piece in my mouth with a small but very elastic piece of sinew. Will not be shopping there again.

I thought Dick Turpin died years ago but he is alive and well at the Meadowfresh butchers at Arrow Farm. I ordered my usual Xmas Turkey special, the same as I have had for several years, last years price was around £40. Now I accept with the current inflation, things would be more expensive and I was expecting about 50 quid or so. Imagine my astonishment when I collected the order today and was asked for a few pence short of £80. I quizzed Dick and was told there was noting he could do! Now with a family depending on this turkey and it being too short notice now to shop elsewhere I paid and left. My advise is this: Unless you are a millionaire with cash to burn, steer clear of these rob dogs, I certainly will never use them again.

I bought a steak and ale slice today. It’s like god himself has given these guys the recipe. The best piece of pie, I’ve ever had. Please never change the recipe. Ever.

I visited the Meadowfresh branch at Dobbies to purchase a joint of sirloin to feed 15 people. I asked the butcher that I needed a piece for Xmas day and to ensure it would be fresh. The butcher said no problem and explained he had the perfect piece. On Xmas day I took the piece of sirloin out and noticed this awful smell and it was very obvious the meat was now off and not suitable for Xmas day! This left me with no meat to cook! I won’t be visiting this place again and wouldn’t recommend it either! I spent £45.00 on this joint which had to go straight in the bin!