Not sure that I’ve mentioned this, but I’ve been badgering Hubby for a while now about chickens. I want some. Okay, I know I’m not exactly Farmer bloody Giles (don’t think pink Hunters count here) or Hugh Fearnley Whatsisface, but can’t a girl have just a couple of chickens in her life? It’s not much to ask. My big brother, a (sometimes) serious, important, often besuited managing directory sort of chap has chickens in his garden, and they’re entertaining and surprisingly intelligent little fellas, so why not? After all, we live in the country and as long as we sort out the initial problems (Bert springs to mind - we don’t want any midnight expeditions ending in feathery hiccups now, do we), I think we’d make perfect chicken owners.
Talking of Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall, me Mam emailed me a link to his delightful ‘Chicken Out’ website. I like Hugh, he has values and he’s not afraid to eat the odd placenta, making him an innovator in my book. This latest campaign (apparently there’s a TV programme too: ‘Hugh’s Chicken Run’, but we don’t get Channel 4) is aimed at one of my particular pet hates, the flaccid £2.00 (or €3.99, whatever) supermarket chicken.
I know we’re very lucky here in Ireland to have decent butchers that not only sell good free range chickens but can also tell me where they’ve been brought up and how, but our supermarket chickens are a disgrace as well. Most ‘value’ chickens lead a miserable, often painful life in horrendously overcrowded conditions and, honestly, when you look at the value chickens huddled under plastic in our supermarkets and selling for a ridiculously cheap price it’s just plain sad. As Hugh so rightly says, ‘is that all the life an animal, born and raised to feed us, is worth?’? Let’s face it, the supermarkets make enough money from us. Isn’t it time we put our money where our mouth is and demand that they pack in these ridiculous price wars and pay decent farmers, decent money for decently reared chicken?
I love my family, and as you know I take pride in producing good food for our table. I’m perfectly aware that money doesn’t grow on trees and that free-range chicken costs more. But frankly I’d rather have an excellent free-range chicken once a week, than three meals made from cheap crappy chicken intensively bred to go from egg to slaughter in under 40 days.
So here’s the thing. I don’t often ask much of you, but I’ll ask you this. Log on to the website, add your voice to the throng, and next time you’re shopping, ask your supermarket manager, nay, badger your supermarket manager, about the quality of the chicken he sells. Now if I can just convince Hubby about those chickens….
Comment by Mum — January 8, 2008 @ 9:27 pm
Note to hubby: To Mr. EM,
Go on, give EM her chickens. Think of the blog fodder she’d have for us all!!! Oh and delicious goodies she could cook for you with those fresh eggs (we all know those chickens would have no worries with any meat providing duties!)
Give EM her chickens, Give EM her chickens…..
Comment by Sandra in Maryland — January 8, 2008 @ 10:03 pm
Comment by Wee Jen — January 8, 2008 @ 11:33 pm
Comment by Susan B — January 9, 2008 @ 12:42 am
Comment by Susan B — January 9, 2008 @ 12:48 am
Comment by Conortje — January 9, 2008 @ 9:49 am
Sandra: we’ve got railway sleepers on order to make a raised veggie garden here - can’t wait! I’ll pass on your comments to Hubby too xx
Wee one: I have to edit my post (or add a new one) as I did actually manage to watch the programme last night and he did exactly that: proved that you can make a free range chicken do not only a roast dinner, but a risotto for 5 the next day! xx
Susan: I see your point, but wouldn’t you rather eat chicken safe in the knowledge that it had a decent life in natural surroundings (outdoors, with room to walk around) rather than stuffed in with thousands of others, pecking each other raw, getting sores from the amonia in the filthy soil and pooing all over each other? Tell you what, I wish you could have seen that programme. Incredibly sad. Which brings me neatly on to your next comment - could I/would I be able to bring myself to eat the birds? Methinks not! xx
Con: It’s difficult to say without popping down to Tesco, but on their website, their value chicken (min 1300g) is €4.49, which they say is €3.46 per kilo, and a Moy Park Organic Whole Chicken is €12.89 per kilo. But then I guess that’s an unfair comparison as that’s comparing the lowest of the low value chicken with a brand name, organic one. There’s no Tesco’s own free range chickens for sale up here.
On the English Tesco site, a value chicken (1.4 - 2kg) will set you back £3.87 (or 2 for a fiver) and a Tesco Free Range (1 - 2.4kg) will set you back £7.38. Trouble is, the £3.51 difference isn’t that the free range one is expensive, it’s that the value one is artificially low.
Comment by englishmuminireland — January 9, 2008 @ 12:35 pm
Ooh, you’re in for a treat WHEN you work your convincing magic on Hubbs!
Our Aunt Norah has a pile of the Fattest, most Spoilt chickens in the World and Omigod, the eggs are Fabulous! Scrambled, they’re so flavoursome and golden… (Oops! Drooled on keyboard…)
Irinically, down the lane from Norahs Retirement Home For Fat Spoilt Chickens is a ‘deep litter’ chicken farm. These poor souls are so thin and bald that even the greyhounds can’t be bothered to lick their chops at them.
Sign me up for the Crusade, Missus!
Comment by Jennynib — January 9, 2008 @ 12:47 pm
Comment by Moon — January 9, 2008 @ 6:23 pm
Moon!! Bienvenu, darlin. Oh, and you’re not allowed to call him that, you have to say Hubby.
People: I’d like to introduce you to my wonderful cousin, Moon, currently residing in the arse end of Canada. Don’t ask me why he’s called Moon, I can’t remember - something to do with not being about to pronounce Simon?? It was a few years ago.
Comment by englishmuminireland — January 9, 2008 @ 6:28 pm
Sorry … Hubby, get her the damn chickens !!!
Comment by Moon — January 9, 2008 @ 7:37 pm
Comment by englishmuminireland — January 9, 2008 @ 8:05 pm