I’ve recently been weighing up the pros and cons of buying meat online as opposed to the hassles of visiting the local supermarket or butcher. I’m greatly inspired by the wealth of information I’ve ingested and thus motivated to write a little something here.

Online Meat Ordering – It’s Less Hassle All Around

By ordering meat online you’re actually saving yourself some valuable time and money. No hopping in the car to drive to and from the shops so you’re saving on fuel; no hassles with parking or parking fees for that matter; no miserable shoppers attempting to grab that last piece of sirloin steak before you do, and finally, no more queuing in long lines at the check-out!




I buy meat online from Westin Gourmet, an amazing company who not only offer free-range and organic meat but do so at prices cheaper than you’ll find in the supermarket. Fresh from the butchers’ block Westin Gourmet state they cut and pack your meat on the day the shipment is sent to you to offer the freshest cuts of meat possible. They also frequently have special deals of which I’ve taken advantage many times – amazing deals such as the Westin Gourmet new customer special offer pack, also other great deals on minced beef, sirloin steaks to make your mouth water, corn fed hens and the most delicious tender chicken breast I think I’ve ever tasted. It’s such a treat when the box arrives and you unpack all the goodies you’d forgotten you’d purchased!

Quality Meats from Westin Gourmet

Gourmet is definitely the word for this online butcher who offers an immense selection of high-quality meat sourced from reputable farmers in the UK, Europe and further afield, but only those who show care and concern for the well-being of their livestock in an effort to offer us, in their words, ‘the juiciest most flavoursome cuts’ of meat. They freeze nothing so everything arrives on your doorstep fresh from the farm via the middle man in recyclable or reusable insulated packaging. They promise to deliver within 24 hours of dispatch but their specially designed temperature controlled shipping boxes allow the contents to remain cool for as long as 72 hours!

How does Free-Range Red Meat affect your health?

Let’s take a little look at how your body is affected when you include free-range red meat in your diet. For years, there has been the back and forth from doctors and medical organisations about how good red meat really is for us. The scare of heart disease and various cancers relating to meat consumption have all increased our concern for not only our health but also keeping a trim physique. Should we indulge in that delicious tender and juicy steak, or even the traditional Sunday Roast for that matter? When did it all become so complicated?

Well, worry no longer, breathe a sigh of relief and let yourself taste-buds go… don’t go crazy but go ahead and enjoy the many benefits that a cut of free-range red meat has to offer but do so in moderation.

Red meat is a great source of Iron, Vitamin B, Vitamin D and Zinc:

• Iron is required to create our red blood cells which in turn move Oxygen around the body. It also aids in the function of the muscles, the immune system and the white blood cells.

• Vitamin B1 – Thiamine – Good for the nervous system, digestion, muscles, and heart.

• Vitamin B2 – Riboflavin – Aid with growth, the skin, nails, hair, lips, tongue, eyesight, and helps breaks down protein, fat and carbohydrates.

• Vitamin B6 – Pyridoxine – Helps with nerve problems, aids the body in absorbing protein and carbohydrates.

• Vitamin B12 – Cobalamin – Is good for the formation of the nerves as well as coloration of the blood red.

• Vitamin D – Is good for the development and maintenance of the bones.

• Zinc – vital for brain functions, the immune system, and for breaking down protein, fat and carbohydrates. The iron that meat contains is haem iron and differs from that of vegetable/plant products in that the body finds it easier to absorb.

Red meat consumed as part of your low-fat diet will help to reduce your risk of heart disease as can the addition of fish and plant oils to your diet. The monounsaturated fats found in meats are actually ‘good fats’ and nutritionists say that fat from food products account for approximately 40% of our energy requirements for the day so it is clearly a necessary inclusion.

The priority here is to eat free-range and organic meats that are not only low in fat content but more importantly for the taste-buds are high in flavour and the best quality cuts.




Most doctors will recommend we choose an organic or free-range meat product that has been reared on a natural diet rather than mass farmed livestock which is pumped full of chemicals – those chemicals will ultimately be going straight into your system as you chow down on your next ‘farmed’ steak.

There are several definitions of free-range for meat products and these include grass-fed, humanely raised, pasture-raised, free roaming, etc. However, my general understanding is that free-range refers to the meat from an animal who has been allowed to roam freely during its lifetime.

Previously there was no guideline for Pork but according to the RSPCA the label of free-range is now given to pigs who have been raised outdoors their entire life.

There has been much speculation and discussion about the consumption of red and processed meats and their links to increasing the risk of bowel cancer but like so many things in life, if eaten in moderation free-range red meat has an extremely positive nutritional value as part of a balanced diet that will ultimately bring you good health. Remember not to overcook or char meat as this has been thought to be a likely cause of bowel cancer.

Healthy Livestock = Less Fat and Calories

Silently in the background, our farmers have been doing all they can to produce more healthy livestock that contains less fat, and it seems they’ve achieved their goal. According to a Readers Digest article about what role meat plays in a diet – these days pork contains 31% less fat, and beef contains 27% fat than 20 years ago, thus cutting down the calories and cholesterol.

So now you know the facts I think you should feel assured that eating a regular serving of delicious free-range red meat will not only provide vital nutrients to your entire body but also give your mouth and stomach a special treat too! To further enhance your renewed appetite for red meat I strongly recommend you do so with a quality butcher who offers only the very best cuts of meat, so order meat online from Westin Gourmet for not only do they have a great reputation but so do the farmers they source from.