We are firmly in BBQ season, but many families will have been feeling the pinch when it comes to picking up the traditional burgers, sausages and chicken wings this year.
The price of groceries has climbed steadily over the last few years: over the past four years alone the price of a basket of groceries has risen by around 36%, while 71% of shoppers report that they are worried about the cost of food.
Eating nutritious and enjoyable food is central to our health, so how can we make our weekly shop go further?
Sarah Kelly, co-owner of the Village Butcher Shop in Ranelagh and Holly Dalton, chef, joined Claire Byrne on RTÉ Radio 1 to share their tips for stretching your weekly meat shop.
"The increase is shocking, really, how much it's jumped", Kelly said.
"Where people would have maybe come in with a rough idea of what they wanted and anything that was in front of them they may buy extra bits of this, bits of that, I came in for three things, I go out with six, that's gone now. They're definitely buying less and they're definitely being a bit more selective about what they're buying."
For Kelly herself, she said she's adapted to buying meat for the next two days rather than the entire week, to avoid wasting food and money.
Whereas in years gone by there were always the cheaper cuts or items you could fall back on, such as mince, Kelly said, "there's nothing cheap anymore".
If you're used to buying prime cuts, she said, you can save by switching to cheaper cuts, "but I wouldn't say anymore that there's cheap cuts. Food is not cheap, the day of cheap food - and definitely the day of cheap meat - is gone".
Roasting chicken legs is one way to save on buying chicken fillets, Kelly noted, adding that seasoning them well makes them even more delicious.
Steak has become especially pricey, particularly if you're trying to feed a family, but there are other more affordable cuts of steak that can take its place. Bavette steak is cut from the abdomen and very soft, though a bit sinewy, Kelly said. It needs only a quick sear with just a few minutes on either side, so is well suited for a BBQ.
Flank and skirt steaks are also from the abdomen of the animal and need a bit more cooking, but very affordable. Marinating them well will help soften the meat, Kelly said, such as using baking soda in your stir fry marinade.
Chef Dalton added a tip for making mince go further: adding lentils to the mix.
"When people mention lentils, people turn off the radio then", she joked but added that lentils are "texturally similar to mince" and work especially well in a Bolognese sauce.
Dalton also noted that while we're used to using beef mince in our cooking, adding in stronger-flavoured meats such as chorizo, nduja sausage or even lamb can bump up the flavour of a dish without adding much more meat - and saving some money.
Taking inspiration from mapo tofu, a classic Szechuan dish, Dalton suggested adding tofu into your mince mixture to bulk it out.
Think of your meals, she suggested, "as an ensemble cast": "You're going to have your lentils with your mince or your tofu with your mince, these two things complement each other well."
To listen back to the full interview, click above.
