Hugh's Chicken Run, etc.

LOL! That's what I was thinking! We must really be overeating! 

I always do a LOT of potatoes and veg with the roast chicken as well, and maybe some stuffing, then have these if we want a second helping rather than more meat. It's always easy to use up left over veg if I've done too much.

Last night we had turkey soup (made with a pint of frozen stock from our Christmas turkey in which I cooked diced potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, some left over chopped spring cabbage and baked beans). With wholemeal bread it was incredibly filling.

I do pretty much all of these things, but... we must have bigger appetites than your lot!  Or are buying a smaller chicken, perhaps?

The only time we can make a chicken stretch that far is when we buy from the Chicken Guy at our farmer's market.  His chickens average 11-15 pounds!

I'm glad others can't stretch a chicken to many meals -- I didn't want to say anything in fear of outing DH and myself as huge pigs!  We only get one meal from a chicken -- I don't eat dark meat, so will eat one breast, DH has a breast and maybe a thigh, and the rest goes to the dog (which I suppose counts as another meal!  ).

Just venting...
I actually bought a chicken the other week to roast and I was looking over the Organic ones. But I was feeling particularly tight, so I bought a cheap one but feel really guilty about it now.
I can afford it and whats a few extra quid at the end of the day and the shopping trip?

Why won't people eat dark chicken meat? I think breast is pretty tasteless.

Why won't people eat dark chicken meat? I think breast is pretty tasteless.

I find a lot of people prefer dark meat, though I'm not one of them. To me, it's just too gamey tasting (but I don't eat red meat at all, so maybe I'm extra sensitive to it).

Heh. I used to not eat white meat at all and there's still nothing I find more dry and unflavorful than a plain old chicken breast - be it in a sandwich or served as a main with whatever to accompany it. If I eat white meat, it usually has to be cut up or shredded.

Why won't people eat dark chicken meat? I think breast is pretty tasteless.

I'm not as fond of the dark meat as I am of the breast portions, when just eating the the chicken as plain chicken alone.  But it's completely fine as part of an overall dish/casserole/soup/Tex-Mex/etc when it's all mixed up with other things.  Steve is an equal opportunity chicken eater though.  So the whole chicken definitely gets eaten at our house!

I stretch chicken like this:  depending on the size of the chicken -- we usually get at least two meals out of it.  One as the roast chicken the first night, then cooked as something else (soup, Tex-Mex, etc).  Then the bones/carcass are used to make stock.  Nothing is wasted.

Besides, it's not like undercover film, etc hasn't been shown of battery farming. But it's not reaching the public, is it? I can see how this seems hypocritical. But it also strkes me as HFW feeling like he needs to do something extreme to get people to pay attention.

the sad thing, though, is I think he went about it the wrong way.  The shows focused way too much on the welfare of the chickens and I think may people really don't care very much about the chickens.  This will sound harsh, but if he had talked more about the quality of the 'end product' - the quality of meat, the hygiene and health issues - then I think he would change more minds at the end of the day.

I think that this will work in conjunction with Jamie's show on Friday.  The guys on the estate did seem pretty upset by the way the battery chickens were kept, but Jamie will concentrate on the quality of the produce in his show tonight.

I found the whole think quite appalling.  Very effective viewing, and something which I think Channel 4 should be proud of.

Vicky

I still don't think it will work.... I think Joe Bloggs only cares about the price and they're not going to stop buying 2 for £5 chickens just because they think they were mistreated. I think the people who care (though well represented on this thread) already avoid intensively farmed meat. I hate to be a cynic, but I honestly think most people are only concerned with getting a good deal at Tesco or ASDA.... 

On a slightly related tangent, the Ch 4 programme last night was PANTS. They were so concerned with fat content that they said not one word about the fact that some of the so-called luxury brands might have had better quality ingredients, etc. - they only said that the value meals were often lower in fat. But then again I suppose that people who eat ready meals every day aren't the people who care about the quality of ingredients....

I think the people who care (though well represented on this thread) already avoid intensively farmed meat. I hate to be a cynic, but I honestly think most people are only concerned with getting a good deal at Tesco or ASDA.... 

I suppose I used to be more concerned with getting a good deal too, but once I learned about the they way the intensively reared chickens were treated, we have been free range or organic ever since.  Maybe it will be a catalyst and change some people. 

I suppose I used to be more concerned with getting a good deal too, but once I learned about the they way the intensively reared chickens were treated, we have been free range or organic ever since.  Maybe it will be a catalyst and change some people. 

Don't get me wrong - I really, really, really hope it does change as many people as possible. But to change the way things are done it's going to have to change a ton of people - the only way to get places like Tesco to stop buying this stuff in is if the vast majority of their customers stop buying it. 

On a slightly related tangent, the Ch 4 programme last night was PANTS. They were so concerned with fat content that they said not one word about the fact that some of the so-called luxury brands might have had better quality ingredients, etc. - they only said that the value meals were often lower in fat. But then again I suppose that people who eat ready meals every day aren't the people who care about the quality of ingredients....

I saw that show.  I spent the whole time yelling at the TV.  Of course the luxury brand has more fat.  They are supposed to taste better than the regular stuff they are not marketed as healthier, fat/sugar/salt all makes food taste better (to a certain extent of course).

Some of the comparisons were pointless too.  Museli has more fat in 100 grams than sausages.  Well, no kidding, but no one sits and eats 100 grams of Museli.  Unless they are planning to spend some serious time in the bathroom. 

That show really got me riled up. 

I saw that show.  I spent the whole time yelling at the TV. 

LOL! I'm glad I wasn't the only one!!!