The kitchen storage

Meat storage advice

• If you are storing raw meat be sure to place it at the bottom of your fridge away from other foodstuffs. Pack the meat into sealed containers to prevent the meat dripping whilst being stored.
• All our meat requires chilling and will be labelled with a 'Use by' date
• When freezing we recommend using the product within 3 months
• Use the first in, first out rule so that food with a shorter shelf life is used first and never use after the date has passed. You could even date the meat as it goes in so you know when you froze it.
• If the packaging is opened or pierced on delivery discard the meat and let us know.
• Finally, avoid overloading your fridge when storing meat. An overstocked fridge has to work hard to keep food at the right temperature.

Freezing and defrosting advice

• If freezing meat it should be done as soon as possible after delivery
• Try to freeze product in original packaging
• Make sure the packaging is completely air tight – this is particularly important if you have opened the packaging to remove some of the meat
• Check the temperature of the freezer is 0c or below
• Do not freeze too many unfrozen items at once
• Leave space around newly introduced packages
• The freezing process does not destroy nutrients in meat and poultry products during freezer storage
• Red meat in particular can change colour during the freezing process, dark red or pale brown can be a cause of lack of oxygen – this is normal
• Defrost meat thoroughly in water or the refrigerator for best results
• For slow thawing place the packaged meat in the refrigerator – allow 24 hours to defrost. For quick thawing, make sure the meat is in leak proof packaging/container and place in cold water. Change the water every 30 minutes to ensure it stays cold.
• Always cook the meat as soon as it has fully defrosted