I had an email through yesterday from natures menu saying that their tripe is going up in price again from July because it's become so popular with humans eating it again and I'm assuming also raw feeding it taking off big time so the demand is greater too..

Thought it might be useful to know this if you use this brand and also in case other companies do the same so time to bulk buy before they shoot up in price again!

I have the same issues locally, unable to source bones, or get charged silly money for them.  It's all my Eastern European relatives/compatriots who are still used to using every useable part of an animal.  

Yep Tripe stew, Braun etc still very popular/essential to make ends meet.

The TV/Celebrity chefs don't help either with making once 'cheap cuts' like Pork Belly, Beef Skirt, Breast of lamp fashionable, seen the prices soar.

EVERYTHING is going on - never down, so I'm not surprised.   Sadly that means the Tripe and Rice complete I use will probably be going up too.   Sigh.

Too bad that being popular should mean an increase in price - cashing in.  Grrr.

ps   Are people eating this disgusting stuff?   I know there are supposedly great recipes for bleached tripe out there, but having dealt with the raw green stuff for years, there's NO WAY I'd be persuaded to eat this.

It's only us namby pamby modern Brits who no longer do, other poorer countries have always eaten everything.

In Poland tripe is cooked like a broth and if you don't know you think it's broth with noodles as that is how they cut the tripe.  It tends to be quite spicy/peppery.

My neighbour eats it raw with vinegar! she was brought up eating it as small child. She's a modern Brit. Don't think I could stomach it in any form and I will try most things.

I am more than happy to eat Brawn (minced up pigs head) which is eaten with vinegar sprinkled on, called 'Zylc' where my Gran was from in the Germanic north of Poland, other places Zimne Nozki (means Cold feet, so never understood the reasoning for the name) but won't touch tripe or 'Flaczki' as the poles call it.

Im a mamby pamby cos just the thought of eating anything like this is making me dry heave but each to their own or as mom would say beggars can't be choosers.

My Mum (English!) used to make brawn occasionally, starting from the pig's head itself:  I remember seeing the head (halved by the butcher) on the kitchen table - it was a very interesting lesson in anatomy actually .
I think the only reason she stopped was when the butcher no longer sold the heads, a pity, because it was actually delicious, we usually ate it with a salad and pickles.

My mum used to make brawn too and I can clearly remember opening the larder one day and finding a pigs head staring back at me. Mum said it kept me out of the larder for a while.

I suppose there is another way of looking at this, once upon a time you could not get these things as there was no demand. Once upon a time I heaved at the thought of pigs belly but my daughter cooked and served it one day when we were invited for tea. It would have been very rude not to at least sample what she had cooked. I found it delicious and this has got me thinking that if cooked in the right way other things might appeal as well. lambs hearts for instance, I will one day try these as I have been assured that they can be delicious. I will just buy extra when I buy them for Bonnie.

> ps   Are people eating this disgusting stuff?

ROFL!  If you could have seen the face I was pulling. 

> if cooked in the right way other things might appeal as well. lambs hearts for instance, I will one day try these as I have been assured that they can be delicious.

Oh yes, lambs hearts are good - wash well, trim off excess fat and flaps, put in some sage & onion stuffing, and casserole or slow cooker.  Tasty and economical.  Ox (beef) heart has a stronger flavour but can be cooked in a similar way - it used to be called "poor man's goose".  And if you find you don't like them after all, there's still no waste .

I've just been to check bulmers website for a new order and everything, not just the tripe, has gone up in price by atleast £3/£4! I think it will get to the point where multi large dog households may not be able to keep up with the rising costs.

Has anyone noticed other price hikes with their suppliers?

I order from Natures Menu and they have only increased the prices of anything that includes tripe. I get the food for the cats and Papillons from them, the Malinois get meat from the butcher which is ridiculously cheap thankfully.

I don't know if I'm looking in the wrong places but the butchers around here are rubbish! I can't get anything bar chicken backs and those are £3 for 10kg with hardly anything on some of them. Would love to find a good abattoir and source things like mutton, udders, lamb testicles etc. I know it sounds morbid but the weirder the better. Just can't find anywhere.

I find the same can't get hold of anything at reasonable price.  Stuff they used to pay to get taken away is happily bought by people with less squeamish food tastes, or dog owners, if they are very lucky.

I can't even get enough bones at one go to give my half dozen some to chew.

Problem is due to regulations and convenience most abattoirs won't deal with the General Public any more, where do you think all that stuff goes, into meat meal for the big dog food guns to turn into tinned dog/cat food or to dry as meat meal.

I went to my local slaughterhouse with the idea that buying tripe direct from them would be cheaper than the shops but it cost exactly the same as buying from P@H!! My postcode is 'remote' to a lot of online companies so delivery costs go up by at least £10.

Apparently Brainless, you contact defra and obtain a licence to purchase direct from slaughter houses but I don't even know if there is anything local to me.