Jamie's Fowl Dinners Buying chicken and eggs

Date Published:

11/01/2008

In Jamie's view there are currently four levels of chicken, with organic at the top, free-range underneath, higher-welfare birds next and then the standard chicken at the bottom. Here are some tips on how, and what, to buy

Hi guys,

For all of you who have seen the recent press in the UK about chicken farming, here are my tips on what you can do to make a difference and some things to think about when you are buying your chicken and eggs.

Jamie's tips

Try to buy the best welfare bird you can afford. Just make sure it's farmed in Britain. If you live in another country, support your local farmers there. Local farmers need local money and support to survive. In my opinion the poultry industry in Britain is in danger of not existing in 20 years time if we do not make changes now.

Look out for the RSPCA’s Freedom Food logo or an equivalent higher-welfare bird - see 4Food's story on jargon busting for more information. I’m really hoping supermarkets will introduce the standards of RSPCA Freedom Food to replace what we call the “standard bird” which currently represents 95% of chickens consumed in this country.

You don’t have to eat chicken every day. In Britain we eat meat six-to-seven times a week while many other some European nationalities only eat meat three-to-four times a week. So consider cutting down on the amount of chicken you consume and just have better, nicer chicken when you have it.

Try buying a whole bird. Most chicken in this country is consumed via pre-packed food like chicken breasts and _ I cannot stress this enough _ this is the most expensive way to buy chicken. If you buy a whole chicken then there are million things you can do with it. You can probably get two meals out of a bird that feeds four people. That’s eight whole portions of dinner from one bird, which is really good value! Check out this 4Food forum for ideas about making multiple meals out of one chicken.

You don’t necessarily have to spend more when you buy chicken. You could be clever and use cheaper cuts like the legs and thighs which are absolutely delicious. Free range or organic chicken legs and thighs are often pretty close in price to intensively reared chicken breasts, so look for them.

When it comes to buying eggs I definitely don’t think anyone should be buying eggs from caged hens. There is barely any difference in price at all between a standard egg and a free-range egg, so buy free range or organic eggs, it’s the right thing to do!