I have been interested in food delivery boxes for a while. I have become a Riverford veg box convert and find I eat so much better because the food is delivered to me. I work full time, write this blog, and like to see my friends, so I really resent time spent in the supermarket shopping!
I have been trying out different ways and places to buy my meat from. I have tried my local butchers, Morissons, Riverford meatbox and buying direct from a local farm. When Westin Gourmet approached me to try one of their boxes I was really interested to see how it would compare and if it could become my new regular meat delivery.
I have been trying out different ways and places to buy my meat from. I have tried my local butchers, Morissons, Riverford meatbox and buying direct from a local farm. When Westin Gourmet approached me to try one of their boxes I was really interested to see how it would compare and if it could become my new regular meat delivery.
Westin Gourmet graphic
Westin Gourment have gained awards from The Observer, Consumer Taste Awards and The Guardian. The company started life providing top quality meat for restaurants. Westin Gourmet now offer this wholesale selling to the general public through their website. By selling in trade quantities Westin say they are able to provide high quality meat at reasonable prices. The company explain that all their meat is bred responsibly, although I couldn't understand from the website if this meant organic and/ or free range meat.
I was very lucky to be sent a 'one time offer box' for review which contains:
- 1x 6oz Hereford Sirloin Steak
- 1x 6oz Aberdeen Angus Sirloin Steak
- 1x 1kg Packs of Steak Mince
- 2x 7-8oz Pork Loin Steaks
- 1x 1.5kg Whole Corn Fed Chicken
- 10x 4oz Gourmet Steak Burgers
- 24x Award Winning Cumberland Sausages
First up the box itself. I love the detail on the packaging. The box was delivered on time and is packed with lots of paddng, insulation and reusable frozen packs. Where possible Westin Gourmet have used recycled packaging but at the end you are still stuck with unrecyclable bubble wrap.
We couldn't resist the steaks and so these were our first meal. We marginally preferred the Aberdeen Angus steak to the Hereford but both had a really nice depth of flavour. They were as tasty as the steak we buy from the local farm. I highly recommend the steak especially if you are planning to serve it for a dinner party, great quality and it is brilliant to know you can get it delivered to the door.
We had the corn fed chicken for Sunday roast. The meal came complete with homemade Yorkshires as my sister insists on having these with every type of roast. The chicken was enough to feed three of us and we all agreed was extremely tasty and succulent. I will definitely be investing in the corn fed chicken again.
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Next up we tried the pork loin. I cooked this with a soy and honey sauce and it made a perfect mid week dinner. Once again the meat was nice and succulent and had real taste to it. The loins were also a really nice size fairly thick and nicely portioned.
For a Friday night meal we tried the steak mince. Greg's signature dish is bolognese and he kindly took over the cooking of this one. The mince separated out nicely when it was cooked and was definitely better quality than the supermarket mince we usually buy. No nasty grisly bits!
I have set aside the burgers and sausages to try at my friend's upcoming barbecue and so can't comment on these here. I'm afraid I couldn't eat the whole meatbox in a two week period!
My thoughts on the meat box
I found that the meat box was full of tasty meat and love the convenience of it being delivered to work or home. I am still a little unsure whether the meat was free range or organic. I do think Westin Gourmet need to explain their 'ethical sourcing' more fully and in terms that people recognise, and search for, when choosing their food. For example, the sausage's labeling does not detail what percentage of pork they contain, again this is a common way for people to identify high quality. It might also be a nice touch to print the name of the farm that the meat was sourced from onto the label. This would emphasis that the produce really does come straight from farm to customer.
Pricing
Westin Gourmet promises to beat supermarket prices when comparing the costs of meat per kilo and they even have a supermarket comparison guide.
Comparisons to buying meat elsewhere
I do find our local Morrisons pretty good quality and reasonably priced but I worry about animal welfare and fare deals for farmers. My local butchers is good but a little pricey and I don't like some of the seasoning they use, I find everything a bit too salty. The Riverford meat box was excellently packaged with all the packaging materials natural and recyclable, plus they pick up the packaging on their next delivery. The Riverford meat box is all organic but I wasn't blown away by the taste of the meat. My favourite place to shop is a local farm callled Send Hill Farm, however they don't deliver and several times I have turned up at the farm shop to find it has closed early or will not open that day.
Will I try Westin Gourmet again?
The meatbox has certainly whet my taste buds and I will be purchasing another box with a large order that can be split between the fridge and freezer. I hope that some better labeling and explanations of sourcing can be developed but I am happy to order another box. It will be good to see if this way of shopping works for me whilst providing good quality meat. As there are only two of us I may look into seeing if friends at work and who live locally would like to split a bulk order. All in all I recommend trying Westin Gourmet.
Have you ever bought your meat online or have you found a local farm to buy direct from? If you would like to try the one time offer box I am happy to be able to share with you below a £30 discount. Let me know what you think if you put in an order.
I found that the meat box was full of tasty meat and love the convenience of it being delivered to work or home. I am still a little unsure whether the meat was free range or organic. I do think Westin Gourmet need to explain their 'ethical sourcing' more fully and in terms that people recognise, and search for, when choosing their food. For example, the sausage's labeling does not detail what percentage of pork they contain, again this is a common way for people to identify high quality. It might also be a nice touch to print the name of the farm that the meat was sourced from onto the label. This would emphasis that the produce really does come straight from farm to customer.
Pricing
Westin Gourmet promises to beat supermarket prices when comparing the costs of meat per kilo and they even have a supermarket comparison guide.
Comparisons to buying meat elsewhere
I do find our local Morrisons pretty good quality and reasonably priced but I worry about animal welfare and fare deals for farmers. My local butchers is good but a little pricey and I don't like some of the seasoning they use, I find everything a bit too salty. The Riverford meat box was excellently packaged with all the packaging materials natural and recyclable, plus they pick up the packaging on their next delivery. The Riverford meat box is all organic but I wasn't blown away by the taste of the meat. My favourite place to shop is a local farm callled Send Hill Farm, however they don't deliver and several times I have turned up at the farm shop to find it has closed early or will not open that day.
Will I try Westin Gourmet again?
The meatbox has certainly whet my taste buds and I will be purchasing another box with a large order that can be split between the fridge and freezer. I hope that some better labeling and explanations of sourcing can be developed but I am happy to order another box. It will be good to see if this way of shopping works for me whilst providing good quality meat. As there are only two of us I may look into seeing if friends at work and who live locally would like to split a bulk order. All in all I recommend trying Westin Gourmet.
Have you ever bought your meat online or have you found a local farm to buy direct from? If you would like to try the one time offer box I am happy to be able to share with you below a £30 discount. Let me know what you think if you put in an order.
I was sent the One Time Offer box by Westin Gourmet and asked to provide an honest review.
