Support our Brighton to Paris charity bike ride

The Burts cycle team has assembled to take part in a charity bike ride from Brighton to Paris.

Our intrepid cyclists will take 3 days to complete the 150 mile trip traveling 50 miles a day in order to raise money for the Argus appeal.

If you would like to sponsor us then please visit www.justgiving.com/teamlaughinggravy2008.

It`s summer time.

It`s summertime again (although by looking at the weather you would never guess) and so the Brit's love affair with the barbecue begins again in earnest.



But beware, health experts warn that cooking food outdoors can drastically increase the risk of food poisoning. That's because it is harder to keep foods very hot or very cold and to keep everything clean.

So, here are six simple rules to follow to stay safe this barbecue season:

• Light the barbecue well in advance and wait until it is glowing red (with a powdery grey surface) before starting to cook.

• Keep meats, salads and other perishable foods in a cool bag with ice packs or in the fridge until just before cooking or eating them. Serve salads at the last minute

• During cooking, turn food often. If it starts to burn on the outside raise the grill height or reduce the heat of the charcoal (dampen coals slightly or partially close air vents)

• Cook poultry, burgers, sausages and pork throughout - no pink bits in the middle. If possible, fully pre-cook all poultry and sausages in the oven or microwave then take it straight to the barbecue to add the final barbecue flavour.

• Keep raw and cooked foods apart at all times. Don't handle cooked foods with utensils that have touched raw meats or put cooked or ready-to-eat food on plates that have held raw meats.

Finally, if you are looking for quality barbecue meats, then look no further than Burts Family Butchers for the finest sausages, burgers, chciken and steaks!

Calls for honest labelling

Country of origin labelling of meat products is not clear enough despite three-quarters of consumers wanting to see the name of the country of origin on the pack, according to a new NFU report.

The report, issued by the Meat and Livestock Commission on behalf of the union, has urged supermarkets to clearly label food with country of origin information so consumers can choose to buy food reared to high standards on British farms.

NFU president Peter Kendall said better labelling was vital to help farmers harness consumer demand to support British produce. “The need for honest and clear labelling is hugely important,” he said.

Burt sources all its meats from reputable suppliers that we trust. Whilst most of them have been supplying us for many years, each of them must still meet our most stringent quality control standards.

Best of British!

We have been buying fine beef and lamb from Scotland for many years now. Scotland has long enjoyed a deserved reputation for high quality meat and our beef is hung for 14 days at source then hung for a further 7 days on our own premises to ensure a consistent quality.

In addition to supplying pork and chicken we also offer an extensive range of cooked meats and other wholesale catering supplies including:

Burt’s Famous home-made sausages
Finest scottish beef
Beautiful home cooked meats

So, if you want reassurance about the origin of your meat - why not pay Burts a visit?

Meat prices on the rise again!

The price of meat may soon increase again as production costs mount and demand outstrips supply.

The cost of food is accelerating at a record rate due to soaring dairy and meat prices, official figures show. Supermarkets are having to pay 8.4 per cent more than a year ago for everything from milk and bread to ready meals and packaged meat. This is the highest annual rate since 1986 when the Office of National Statistics started records.

Analysts say most of the increases will be passed to shoppers already hit by record rises in household bills. Food prices have soared in recent months, with a £1.06 pack of butter 41 per cent more expensive than a year ago and a standard sliced loaf hitting £1 for the first time.

Statistics from The Grocer, the trade magazine, show that cheese is now more expensive than at any time in the past three years. Stilton is 41 per cent dearer than a year ago and experts calculate that a family which was spending £70 on their weekly grocery shop are now paying £400 more a year on their food bills.

Several factors lie behind rising food prices. British fruit and vegetables were hit by last year's poor summer. Many crops suffered, especially the pea and potato harvest. The wet weather also forced many dairy farmers to give their herds expensive winter feed, adding to costs.

Global commodity markets have also been in turmoil as poor harvests, especially in Australia, have led to lower supplies of wheat. This has combined with surging demand from India and China.

The mix of falling supply and rising demand produced spiralling prices for wheat, meat and dairy products. As a result, food factories are having to pay 16.4 per cent more for food ingredients than a year ago and double that rate for ingredients from Britain, according to yesterday's figures.

Analysts have warned that beef, pork and poultry producers are struggling with rising feed costs with wheat prices still climbing steadily.

So, with meat prices set to continue rising, those in the catering sector need to ensure that they are receiving good value for their meat purchases - and for good value in the south east, there's no better place to look than Burts.