Arrrgh - Tesco and Beef!

Again, Tesco has substituted some unknown cut of beef (euphemistically called "roasting joint") for my kilo and a half of brisket order.  I did not notice the substitution while the driver was here - unfortunately.

Now my plans to make Brisket in Ale to have for supper tomorrow and for canning for future use are shot. I've got a lump of generic beef out there that I have no clue as to its cut. Rump? Shoulder? Sirloin (hah, hardly)? Without knowing the type of cut, I don't know the best cooking method. So, the "roasting joint" is most likely going to be cut up for stew meat. But it won't be as good in stew as it is very lean, with almost no connective tissue that I can see (important for flavor). I guess I could slice it and make jerkey - it's literally that lean, with only a bit of fat around the outside that could be trimmed off. But it's darned annoying. Not as bad as the time they sent chicken when I ordered beef. But annoying just the same.

I did send them a message saying that I usually click "do not substitute" on my meat, and asked if they could check the order to see if that was the case. (You can't see that info once it's delivered.) And that the meat was unsuitable, but I didn't realize it wasn't what I ordered until it was delivered.  It will be interesting to see what they say.

It might be silverside?

Fingers crossed they refund you and you can still use it for jerky. 

Based on my experience,  they will normally refund you and let you keep the item.  It's not worth it for them to come collect it.  You'll find something nice to do with it, I'm sure, and you can pop down to the butchers or to Waitrose this afternoon and get a nice brisket so you can go ahead with your plans. 

I’m sorry that’s annoying. This is the reason I’ve been put off from trying online shopping and delivery service.

They usually just don't have any meat in the order if the one I requested isn't available, which is my preference, and normally I'm happy with Tesco's delivery.  Been using them for almost two years, and only had trouble with them a handfull of times.  But every now and then they do something like this. And what is it about calling something a "roasting joint" and not identifying the cut of meat? Seriously, different cuts require different cooking to come out well. 

So there's a very lean lump of dead cow out there, and yes, I'll find something to do with it. I could walk it back to the nearby Tesco for a refund, but then they'd just throw it out - and wasting food is a sin. So.... I sent a snark-o-gram via email and will see what happens. There was no brisket available at Waitrose today. The butcher's was all out, but could get me one later in the week. It's odd, in the States brisket was a low-value cut of meat, but here it seems to be much more highly-thought-of and in demand. Go figure?

So instead I spent the afternoon canning the Musquee de Provence pumkin that the Daughter bought for a table decoration for her Thanksgiving dinner thing. It was not a very large pumpkin, but I got five good pints out of it.  Also put up five pints of chicken in broth, two pints of chicken in fajita seasoning, and two half-pints and 3 quarter-pint jars of cranberry sauce. (Sort of homemade ready-meal components.) Plus the dozen and a half improvised muffins (containing the leftover cranberries, the leftover pumpkin, some leftover coconut from the Daughter's White Mountain Cake escapade, the last of the raisins, a handful of chocochips, etc. - using up the baking supplies leftovers). Which came out pretty good, actually. And the pumpkin seeds are now in the cooling oven so the Hamster will have a nice Christmas treat.  I'll just have to do the beef some other time.

And the pumpkin seeds are now in the cooling oven so the Hamster will have a nice Christmas treat. 

I love this!  . How is little Thor? 

Thor is great! All grown up, and the mohawk is now just a stripe. (Which is too bad, as it was darned cute. Thor is, of course, a "she" and not a "he" - the Daughter laughs and says we mis-gendered the hamster. But she's doing well.) I hear her in the wheel late at night, and when I'm out watching tv she comes to the corner of the cage for sunflower seeds and some attention. We are not allowed to pick her up ("NO TOUCHY!!"), but she will climb on a hand and lick it, periodically. And climb up on the bars and wait for her tummy to be tickled.

Unfortunately, Thor is a little bit miffed with me - I could smell "hamster funk" in my livingroom yesterday morning so I totally nuked out her cage. Wiped the base and corners down completely.  I threw away all her bedding, and emptied her old potty corner where she had started to stockpile her food (ewww).  I scrubbed out her wheel, threw away the old sand and put new sand in the bowl, etc., etc., etc.  The cage is really big, and I've fitted it with several "floors" made of cardboard so she has lots of rooms to explore and move around in, and I left those as they had her scent on them. I left her various chewy toys and boxes (I save small boxes from tea, etc., and put them in there. She likes to have places to go into. And she's got a hanging coconut with a ladder up to it. That kind of thing. So all of those things got put back in, but all the nasty bedding got thrown away. I had to put her in her exercise ball while I did all that, and set the ball in her sand dish so she couldn't go on unsupervised walkabout.

She was pretty ticked off with me when I put her back in the cage. 

And darned if my livingroom doesn't smell like hamsterfunk again tonight, already! She's like doing it on purpose! Or, perhaps it's time to replace the cardboard.

Poor girl, she had it just the way she liked it and you cleaned house! 

Yeah, she had spent quite a bit of time making her nest. And crapping just outside the door of same.

I’m sorry that’s annoying. This is the reason I’ve been put off from trying online shopping and delivery service.

You shouldn't let that put you off.  Even if they get it wrong, they always give you a refund without problem.
I prefer click and collect cause then you choose the time. 

Nan, did you look on your receipt to see if it was an actual substitution?  The drivers are supposed to tell you about changes when the order is delivered to give you a chance to turn it down.  If there's no substitution on your order,  the person pulling your items messed up and grabbed the wrong thing (it totally happens).  Either way, they messed up and you are due a refund.  Please demand it.  Make Tesco pay!

(What?  No... I don't have a personal vendetta against Tesco.  I don't know what you're talking about.)

They usually just don't have any meat in the order if the one I requested isn't available, which is my preference, and normally I'm happy with Tesco's delivery.  Been using them for almost two years, and only had trouble with them a handfull of times.  But every now and then they do something like this. And what is it about calling something a "roasting joint" and not identifying the cut of meat? Seriously, different cuts require different cooking to come out well. 

So there's a very lean lump of dead cow out there, and yes, I'll find something to do with it. I could walk it back to the nearby Tesco for a refund, but then they'd just throw it out - and wasting food is a sin. So.... I sent a snark-o-gram via email and will see what happens. There was no brisket available at Waitrose today. The butcher's was all out, but could get me one later in the week. It's odd, in the States brisket was a low-value cut of meat, but here it seems to be much more highly-thought-of and in demand. Go figure?

So instead I spent the afternoon canning the Musquee de Provence pumkin that the Daughter bought for a table decoration for her Thanksgiving dinner thing. It was not a very large pumpkin, but I got five good pints out of it.  Also put up five pints of chicken in broth, two pints of chicken in fajita seasoning, and two half-pints and 3 quarter-pint jars of cranberry sauce. (Sort of homemade ready-meal components.) Plus the dozen and a half improvised muffins (containing the leftover cranberries, the leftover pumpkin, some leftover coconut from the Daughter's White Mountain Cake escapade, the last of the raisins, a handful of chocochips, etc. - using up the baking supplies leftovers). Which came out pretty good, actually. And the pumpkin seeds are now in the cooling oven so the Hamster will have a nice Christmas treat.  I'll just have to do the beef some other time.

Nan, in the future (if this ain't from today) you can just call the Sainsbury's number and tell them something is wrong. I've noticed my raspberries were moldy after the fact or that the chicken satays I ordered were all freezer burned and they refunded the money to me.

Usually the delivery person tells me when something is substituted, I wonder why they don't also do that up North?

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They refunded. But did not respond to my request to know what cut of beef the "roasting joint" was.
So it will be chilled very thoroughly, then sliced as thin as I can get it, and packed for future use in stir-fry (etc.).

Stopped at Rodgers Butcher shop, and asked if they usually stocked brisket. They do, at 14pounds and change per kilo. But that they 'didn't have any spare' right then. I asked if I needed to pre-order one, at any time other than the Holidays and they said no.  They couldn't take an order for next week as they are up to their eyeballs in orders right now. So that's ok - We'll do the brisket in ale in a few weeks.  They are more expensive than Tesco, but I'm betting the beef will be a better quality.

These posts highlight a good few reasons here for NOT ordering groceries on-line.

Personal preference - I like to see the meat, fresh vegetables and fruit that I am buying. If it works for you, then go for it, but my on-line grocery shopping will remain limited to Libbys canned pumpkin from Amazon.

These posts highlight a good few reasons here for NOT ordering groceries on-line.

Personal preference - I like to see the meat, fresh vegetables and fruit that I am buying. If it works for you, then go for it, but my on-line grocery shopping will remain limited to Libbys canned pumpkin from Amazon.

This is why I prefer going to the shops. But, I have limited mobility some days and physically can't lift the bags... So if I didn't have my husband to do the lifting it would be grocery delivery for me. especially when it's cold!

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