A very disappointing lunch. Should pubs and restaurants be more honest.

I rarely choose a meat dish when eating out because unless it’s labelled British free range, outdoor reared, etc (a selling point) it won’t be. I choose a fish or vegetarian dish instead. I imagine that any attempt to get details of provenance added to menus would be hotly contested by the hospitality industry.

Fair enough. your opinion. I don't agree- we should know what we are eating and if it is cooked in house or not. It does not have to be complicated- a list of accepted codes. Why always talk about extremes? Who mentionned hand-picked.

As said, we know where to go to get excellent pub, café and restaurant food locally. It would be nice to know when you are away from home too. I think it would actually improve business, not t'other way round.

Fleurpepper

Agreed- but why should we be left to guess? Make it Law that is had to be stated, with code (code can be printed at the back or bottom of menu). Much better- honest, and then we can choose accordingly. Price is not necessarily an indication btw.

www.gov.uk/guidance/food-labelling-country-of-origin

So you could ask at the restaurant, pub, cafe, if you are concerned about the provenance of the meat, fish or seafood they offer on the menu.

Do catering establishments need more red tape?
Some are struggling as it is.

As said, we know where to go to get excellent pub, café and restaurant food locally

TripAdviser etc are useful sites
Locally, word of mouth is often the case.

There's a pub near us that used to be very good but since some time before Covid the food got worse.
Now, if we drive past in the evenings, we can see that there is hardly anyone in there.

I had a wild boar ragu in my little Italian cafe the other week. It was delicious and hand cooked. I didn't ask where the boar came from, how wild it was, or who killed it. It tasted good and wasn't too expensive .
I do wonder why meat is such a priority. Arguably fish is a much more important subject. I wonder if anyone asks if the fish on a menu is certified by the Marine Stewardship Council? I know I always look for the label in supermarkets but don't ask when I eat out. www.msc.org/uk

I didn't ask where the boar came from, how wild it was, or who killed it.
They're pretty wild round here 😁

I've never tasted it!!

Callistemon21

^I didn't ask where the boar came from, how wild it was, or who killed it^.
They're pretty wild round here 😁

I've never tasted it!!

It's a bit like venison- sort of gamey beef.
I've no idea where there are any wild boar.
I'll try anything. Although I find game less appealing now than when I was younger.

I like to know the provenance of meat because so much cruelty is involved in intensive farming in the UK, let alone other countries.

Germanshepherdsmum

I like to know the provenance of meat because so much cruelty is involved in intensive farming in the UK, let alone other countries.

Yes, this. And live transport, and low standards of feeds, husbandry, use of antibiotics, etc.

And of course, support for our local farmers, or at least UK ones.

But fishing is so much less easy to control and there are real problems with sustainability. By all means be concerned about your food but the idea that meat (which is becoming less and less important to our diet) is the only problem is just wrong. Over a third of global fisheries have been over fished beyond sustainable levels. There has been a 49% decline in marine populations since 1970s.
Why aren't you concerned about fish?
You can find out if your local chippy sells sustainable fish here www.msc.org/uk/what-you-can-do/msc-certified-fish-and-chip-shops-uk-ireland

Good post. I hesitated to include fish provenance in my post. To simplify things, but also because I don't eat fish myself.
But good points made, thanks.

My main concern is cruelty to animals.

Germanshepherdsmum

My main concern is cruelty to animals.

Indeed.

I'll feed you vegan fare...

I am very concerned about fish Glorianny. It is very important to our economy here in Devon and Cornwall. When out for lunch I often have Brixham landed hake. Nearly every restaurant and chippy I know mentions the provenance, like Newlyn landed John Dory or plaice, or Brixham crab meat. Our plump and tasty mussels, usually served with chips, come from the River Exe and this is stated on menu cards. (And I don't just mean in restaurants like Rick Stein's).

Joseanne

I am very concerned about fish Glorianny. It is very important to our economy here in Devon and Cornwall. When out for lunch I often have Brixham landed hake. Nearly every restaurant and chippy I know mentions the provenance, like Newlyn landed John Dory or plaice, or Brixham crab meat. Our plump and tasty mussels, usually served with chips, come from the River Exe and this is stated on menu cards. (And I don't just mean in restaurants like Rick Stein's).

That's a good point. And nothing to stop anyone describing their lamb as "Cumbrian" or their Beef as "Northumbrian". But it doesn't need to be compulsory.

Joseanne, as said, I don't eat fish or shell-fish. Are you not worried about all the sewarage dumping that has been going on? It would worry me.

Yes, I'm worried about the sewage dumping, but not enough to put me off eating fish or shellfish two or three times a week. The only thing I will draw a line it is oysters because of the way they feed. I was in Brittany for many years and the oyster producers were often blaming outbreaks of gastroenteritis on sewage that had not been properly treated. I think they were campaigning to set a larger distance between the sewage outfall and the oyster farms.

there are wild boar in Kent and Sussex and in the Forest of Dean off the top of my head

JaneJudge

there are wild boar in Kent and Sussex and in the Forest of Dean off the top of my head

I hit one a few days ago, he dashed out so suddenly it was unavoidable. I instinctively got out to see if he was badly injured but took one look at his huge tusks and malevolent gaze and thought better of it . He seemed to trot away OK and there was no blood, so think he was unharmed which is more than I can say for my bumper.

Normandygirl

JaneJudge

there are wild boar in Kent and Sussex and in the Forest of Dean off the top of my head

I hit one a few days ago, he dashed out so suddenly it was unavoidable. I instinctively got out to see if he was badly injured but took one look at his huge tusks and malevolent gaze and thought better of it . He seemed to trot away OK and there was no blood, so think he was unharmed which is more than I can say for my bumper.

Oh wow! That could have been lunch for the next year!

JaneJudge

there are wild boar in Kent and Sussex and in the Forest of Dean off the top of my head

Yup, Gloucestershire.

They like playing football:

Oh, the picture didn't appear

Oh, weird, it did but took time!

Weird! It's a different photo too Callistemon21