Cheap ingredients justify the 'rizty' ones?

Sorry , but what do you mean by 'real' salmon. Not in a tin?
We have smoked salmon and salmon steaks at least once a week. Tinned salmon in sandwiches. I don't 'trade ' it with anything. I just buy what we like.

If the chicken isn’t free range, I’d feel guilty about the chicken, in fact I wouldn’t buy it, it’s difficult to buy ‘ free range’ salmon though, most of it is farmed somewhere in the world.
I’m trying to buy UK only products , especially Lamb as NZ lamb is all Hallal, (probably spelt that wrong). But that is difficult too. But I’m trying to buy British for a year and see how I get on.

Sorry , buying British is difficult, not sourcing British lamb...

Yes, I too was wondering what the OP means by 'real' salmon. I eat salmon steaks a couple of times a week - they're not expensive by any standards. I usually buy a whole side of salmon at a time and cut it into about 8 pieces - these are normally around £15 at Tesco, but a couple of weeks ago they were selling them at half price, so I had 8 salmon steaks for £7.50. I seriously don't think I need any strategy to assuage my guilt for that purchase .
Like BBbevan, we always just buy the food we like, and never feel we have to set a cheaper meal off against a more expensive one.

I think she might mean buying wild salmon - huge difference in colour, texture,taste and price. It is always a much darker colour and has no fat lines all through it. Most of the salmon available is farmed and a pale colour with white stripes through it because of the poor quality food it is fed while being raised.
I try to by all wild fish rather than farmed.
If I have food over and manage to put stuff together to create another meal I always consider that a ‘free’ meal!

Wild Atlantic - like this www.goodhousekeeping.co.uk/institute/the-institute/ghi-approved-products/iceland-fish-market-4-atlantic-salmon-fillets
And yes I'm trying to buy UK - shocked to find the chicken pieces I'd had from Iceland came from Thailand. No need for that! I think the offsetting is a habit from when I had to make a fiver last.

Not really I juts buy what we need and like. Would like to buy all organic but I do baulk at some of those prices and there is no proven health benefit as far as I am aware.

The health benefit is for the animal.

I think the health benefits are what isnt in the food. Less chemicals and artificial feeds. The ‘mad cow’ disease, which decimated the British beef industry (and it is an industry) wouldn’t have happened if they hadn’t artificially fed animal remains to herbivores like cows.

I only eat organic free range aminals. Yes, it’s marginally more expensive so we eat less of it.

The urge to produce cheaper and cheaper food is immoral when animal welfare takes a back seat.

I saw a photograph of a diseased farmed salmon (in the tank) on an @NatGeo Instagram feed and that was the end of me ever buying farmed salmon. I believe that "Sockeye Salmon" is the best quality you can buy, and it is expensive.

Ooh learning a lot - I don't think I buy NZ lamb but I'll look carefully now. Didn't know it's all halal - horrible thing to do. And salmon is not as simple as I thought either. Free range chicken - yes - and not at all the same bird as the soapy stuff. Worth every penny and more. I make a big 'coq au vin' or other casserole, we eat it 2 days and freeze the rest - usually 2 more meals.