We are delighted to have stumbled along a review about us on the blogging site Milo Rambles. It is a great article and I have copied what he said about us below but you can read the article in full here
Online Butchers Reviewed Part 2 – Macbeth’s
It’s been a month since I took my first look at online butchers and I’ve managed to make enough room in the two freezers – or should I say I’ve eaten my way through copious amounts of steak, sausages, venison, pork, fish …. – to be able to place a couple more orders and look at two new companies.
This week I’m looking at Macbeths Butchers and Andrew Gordon Butchery, both incidentally from Scotland. One of the things that stood out this time around was the impressive customer service, more on that later as I look at each company individually, but once again I look at the food, the service, the delivery costs and my overall impression comparing the results with the first three companies I reviewed in March.
Macbeths Butchers
Whenever I mention the name to colleagues, friends or people on social media, it brings about a small grin. There’s something about the name that shouts Scotland – I wonder why! Macbeths is another butcher I stumbled upon while researching over a month ago. The website is friendly, inviting, easy to navigate and packed with great looking produce, produce that includes regular sausage, steaks, quail eggs, Wild Rabbit and a game bird or two!
Customer service was impressive to say the least and together with prompt and informative replies via email and social media – another butcher embracing twitter – the standard is to be envied – certainly from my experience. More than happy to answer any questions you may have about their produce Macbeths are eager to help in any way they can.
This order was by far the biggest order I’ve received to date and when the cool box duly arrived I couldn’t quite believe the amount of food the package included. One of the things I absolutely love about ordering online compared to buying from the supermarkets is that everything you receive – more often than not at least – is individually packed and vacuum sealed to keep the freshness in. Another plus is that the produce is well labelled which makes it so much easier when it comes to storing in the freezers. Best before dates are given for both cool and freezer storage so you are never in any doubt if the meat is within the correct dates.
Produce – Burgers (Lamb & Mint, Steak and Venison), Sausages (Pork, Beef and Farmhouse), Steak (Rump, Sirloin and Feather), Rolled brisket, Lamb Noisettes, Pork Steaks and Gammon Steaks.
I haven’t had the opportunity to eat my way through all the produce of course but what I have tasted – Sausages, Pork Steaks, Gammon Steaks. Sirloin and Lamb Noisettes have been remarkably good with absolutely no wastage. I cooked the sausage for guests one weekend and they all raved at the quality. It’s amazing how a good sausage helps make even the simplest of meals – sausage sandwiches in ciabatta bread and crusty rolls – a gourmet feast!
The pork steaks were succulent and moreish, easy to cut and consume and are quite easily on par with the steaks I ordered from Donald Russell last month. The thing I do like about Macbeth’s steaks are their irregular shape and sizes! Having said all that, the one thing that has been a monumental success in this household has been the Lamb Noisettes. I’ve never had the opportunity to cook Noisette’s before but the taste, accompanied by some homemade mint sauce, was full of flavour and once again incredibly succulent. I could have eaten these all night, I just wish I’d ordered more now!
Delivery and packaging – Once again another Macbeth’s is a company that knows how to package its goods. The box arrived in great condition and the food chilled, thanks to the accompanying ice sheets that were still frozen on delivery. The order arrived, as most do, before 12pm which allowed me to sort the produce and get on with my day. Delivery costs are reasonable although you do have to spend a fair amount to balance it out. Delivery is free on order £125 and above, £4.95 for orders in excess of £85. There is no minimum order with Macbeths however if your order, and your order is less than £20 then you will be charged £12.50 for delivery, for orders £20 – £85 a delivery charge of £9.95 is applicable.