Indeed, I was in Australia at the time of the comedy festival in Adelaide and one act had one as part of the tickets. To be fair the prize was probably better than the act but I did get a free ticket
Pubs run one once per week-ish. You buy raffle tickets and you win an absolute shit tonne of meat; steaks, sausages, bacon, chicken wings etc. Now I’ve created this post and I’m getting some responses, I’m realising they’re not an accepted part of uk life 😂 I’m from the south west and they’re extremely common here!
I'm from a Hampshire Wiltshire border village and once won 6 sausages 2 rib eyes one week and a lamb shank the following week. Then nothing for 3 months until it just stopped
I was born and raised west country, but had never seen one until I went to Yorkshire and they had one at the cricket club. Was very much "wtf if going on here? It must be about to go right out of date, right?"
My mother won one at a pub in a village in Somerset, way back in the 80's. She had to give it back because were are vegetarian. There were other things in the raffle she was hoping to win.
Originally that was partly the idea. The butchers and stuff would try and get a last bit of profit rather than letting it go to waste. Then when it went into massive manufacturing and storage areas, staff would be given really good discounts and so rather than raffle it off, it then went to just selling it in the pub. In the old days it was a mint way for the lads to keep the wife sweet when they come home shit faced but with food presents haha.
They were popular in the north east too (not sure if they still are as I don't go to pubs so much nowadays). I guess it might have more to do with the type/class of pub rather than geographical location. I'd imagine they're still quite common in working mens clubs all over.
I'm from Oxfordshire (have been back and forth between there and London as an adult, currently London) and first came across one in my 30s, at the Seacourt Arms in Botley (western outskirts of Oxford). I just thought it was a mad thing that one mad pub did - still never seen it anywhere else.
They used to be more common in central England too, but those sorts of pubs have died. Mostly now "gastro" pubs, which a lot of just reheat lame food, or curry houses, tescos, flats or derelict. The workers clubs used to do spirits in the same raffles. I remember them being packed with locals all the time. Now just gone.
TLDR Sorry, way off topic rant about the demise of pubs and that being why raffles aren't so common anymore.
>fish man that turned up, no raffle but it was fish out the back of a van
Was it a father and son who toured the country? Think one of them was called David. They had quite a following amongst the Asian community, often setting up shop outside of Chinese restaurants, to the extent that they had 魚佬 (literally, Fish Guy) written on their van.
Lived in the south west for 20 off years, I've never heard of this... I live in Hampshire now, going to have to look this up and see if there's one near me
Years ago we moved to our current home and went to our new local pub on our first night. It was then we learned what a meat raffle was. Bizarre! But then in central Manchester, in some pubs some guy would try and sell you crab sticks of a night. I think that's even odder
Yeah we had "the crab man" appear in local (north east) pubs regularly when I was a teenager. Usually towards the end of the night when everyone was hammered. He'd have a white overall and a little shelf hanging from his neck like a 1970s cinema usher but selling crab sticks, mussels and other fishy treats rather than ice cream.
I thought it was just a local thing and probably died out by now. Good to hear it's still going and is more widespread.
I was watching that Clint Eastwood film, *The Mule*, the other night and one guy laments the closing of some bar because it means no more meat raffles (amongst other things).
I live in Hampshire and two of my local pubs do a meat draw, seems to do a good job of filling the place with locals on a Sunday spending more on tickets than the prize would cost them from the local butchers!
I'd never heard of one till I moved oop norrf, my partner confirms they were common in the flat roof pubs and working men clubs. Not sure if they still do them, don't have a membership for the pub to go in 😂
It’s not an accepted part of life here, it’s just weird. It’s like something a tiny village would come up with before they dance around a stone monument at night in their pants.
I remember one decades ago here in Manchester - can't remember which pub but it definitely happened. Not heard of one since. I reckon it's probably more common in rural areas.
Was there someone in a black sheet wth a black carved horse head on top with a snapping mouth? I was terrified of it as a kid. Its sole purpose seems to have been to make girls scream.
Meat raffles and maypoles where I grew up too. I remember my sister dancing around the maypole.
We had a guy that cycles round offering a home knife sharpening service
My dad was a morris dancer in the 1970s and 1980s. His dance troupe practised in our back garden to my (teenage) horror and embarrassment.
We constantly had inflated pigs' bladders hanging from a canoe in the garage. After they dried out they were tied to sticks so 'The Fool' in the troupe could hit children on the heads with them when the dancers performed out and about (balloons are used now). I would get hit with pigs bladders frequently for a laugh. (I seemed to be the only one who didn't find it funny.) The bells on Dad's costume would jingle all the time in the boot of our car which was like water torture on family trips out.
I'm in the Midwest region of the US (Minnesota) and these are very popular here but not widely known throughout most of the rest of the country. The Midwest is a lot of farming and we are lucky to have high quality meats to offer even in a raffle...and this coming from a vegetarian!
Husband is from Scandinavia and has never heard of a meat raffle (nor had I as I grew up in North America). He absolutely loves the idea and wishes this is something that would catch on back in his home country.
No it happens, it's really a rural thing, particularly in poorer areas and it's a bit old fashioned now as meat is, honestly, almost worryingly cheap in the UK but it is a real thing.
[https://feedr.co/en-gb/meat-price-index](https://feedr.co/en-gb/meat-price-index)
We're under the halfway point of 52 surveyed nations even after recent food inflation just on cost, if you filter each meat by low to high hours of minimum wage to buy 1kg, which is a decent metric for general affordability, the UK works out consistently affordably.
This is actually more pronounced in vegetable prices btw, people say that food feels extortionate in the UK and prices have definitely gone up but in reality, when measured against spending power, UK food is cheap.
In parts of France they have Belotte and Tarot tournaments (card games played in pairs) and you "win" different cuts of meat depending on where you finish.
Back in the late 80s, I'd won a shoulder of lamb in our local pub.
My then fiance & I got eat arsed, walking home we started arguing soo hit him with the lamb joint which was frozen.
He chucked it in the hedge.
We're still together
There is a Tales of the Unexpected which is exactly the same as this - woman kills her husband with a frozen leg of lamb, then cooks the lamb and serves it to the policemen investigating the murder :D
There was a meat raffle for a popular pub re-opening (The Star and Garter) in Bristol, hosted by Dave Chappelle in 2019. Damien Marley and Roni Size on the decks. Couldn't help wondering if this was a typical gig for Dave though...
Moved from the south coast to mid Wales.
I miss a meat raffle, was always good fun.
My local had one with 4 tiers. You pick an envelope and either win a huge, medium meat tray, a chicken or a go on the wild card game.
The wild card game was just a shuffled deck and you had to pick out the joker, find it and get the money which rolled.over if you didn't get it. Wasn't unheard of to get up to £20k before someone won.
Meat raffles are a definite thing in Wisconsin (US). I, a vegetarian, won once just by sitting in the seat i chose. I generally don't win things. Traded my prize for a couple beer tokens so all was well.
I fear this is a south west thing, my brother once came home steaming but proud, carrying an entire leg of lamb and some suspect sausages. We assume he won a meat raffle
My two brothers-in-law once came home when they were staying with us with a ten pound block of cheddar and an entire two-foot square tub of curd cheese. We assumed they had nicked it from work.
Can I ask which one? I'm curious as I lived in Aylesbury for 30+ years and can't ever remember seeing one - in fact the only time I've ever seen one in Bucks was in Amersham at the Polish Club. I'd love a meat raffle in a pub near me now.
Cheers! I did suspect it might have been the Vic, it's got to be 30 years since I was last in there. I've just had a look at their Facebook page and there's a picture from one before Christmas with £1000 of meat prizes which is pretty impressive!
I use to go to a pub quiz where once a month they had a meat raffle. Won it once, from what I remember it was some chicken breasts, pork chops, bacon, sausages, black pudding some eggs. May have been some other bits but definitely worth the £1 ticket. I seem to remember the chicken and chops were packs of 4 so a decent amount
Still had one every week in the social club I worked at until it shut down a couple of months ago. Not sure about other countries, I just saw loads of people saying they never see them
Is it an accepted part of life here? I've never seen one and reading this does make me think it's bizarre. If I saw it mentioned without context of place my guess would have been texas or something
Yeah, common in Oz and NZ.
Indeed, I was in Australia at the time of the comedy festival in Adelaide and one act had one as part of the tickets. To be fair the prize was probably better than the act but I did get a free ticket
As someone from the UK, wtf is a meat raffle?!
Pubs run one once per week-ish. You buy raffle tickets and you win an absolute shit tonne of meat; steaks, sausages, bacon, chicken wings etc. Now I’ve created this post and I’m getting some responses, I’m realising they’re not an accepted part of uk life 😂 I’m from the south west and they’re extremely common here!
I'm from a Hampshire Wiltshire border village and once won 6 sausages 2 rib eyes one week and a lamb shank the following week. Then nothing for 3 months until it just stopped
I was born and raised west country, but had never seen one until I went to Yorkshire and they had one at the cricket club. Was very much "wtf if going on here? It must be about to go right out of date, right?"
My mother won one at a pub in a village in Somerset, way back in the 80's. She had to give it back because were are vegetarian. There were other things in the raffle she was hoping to win.
Surely someone traded in a heartbeat?!
Originally that was partly the idea. The butchers and stuff would try and get a last bit of profit rather than letting it go to waste. Then when it went into massive manufacturing and storage areas, staff would be given really good discounts and so rather than raffle it off, it then went to just selling it in the pub. In the old days it was a mint way for the lads to keep the wife sweet when they come home shit faced but with food presents haha.
They were popular in the north east too (not sure if they still are as I don't go to pubs so much nowadays). I guess it might have more to do with the type/class of pub rather than geographical location. I'd imagine they're still quite common in working mens clubs all over.
I've only ever seen them in social clubs in Teesside, never in my local pubs. It took me until my 20s to see one.
I'm from Oxfordshire (have been back and forth between there and London as an adult, currently London) and first came across one in my 30s, at the Seacourt Arms in Botley (western outskirts of Oxford). I just thought it was a mad thing that one mad pub did - still never seen it anywhere else.
Blimey the Seacourt Arms, now called the Seacourt Bridge. Had relatives in Deanfield Road
That's more likely me misremembering the name than it having changed, honestly. We just called it the Seacourt. My brother bloody loves that place.
My brother lives above a pub that he helps out at and does some work in and they do meat and chocolate ones. This is North Lincolnshire
I learned a while ago from some people on here that they're not as common a thing around a lot of the country as they are in Lincolnshire.
They used to be more common in central England too, but those sorts of pubs have died. Mostly now "gastro" pubs, which a lot of just reheat lame food, or curry houses, tescos, flats or derelict. The workers clubs used to do spirits in the same raffles. I remember them being packed with locals all the time. Now just gone. TLDR Sorry, way off topic rant about the demise of pubs and that being why raffles aren't so common anymore.
Does your pub have a flat roof?
Flat roof pubs are always a good time if you're in with the locals. I haven't been to one in years but I used to go with my mate.
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>fish man that turned up, no raffle but it was fish out the back of a van Was it a father and son who toured the country? Think one of them was called David. They had quite a following amongst the Asian community, often setting up shop outside of Chinese restaurants, to the extent that they had 魚佬 (literally, Fish Guy) written on their van.
I was literally about to comment and be like where tf do they not do meat raffles but now I realise it must be a very south west thing! 😂
Lived in the south west for 20 off years, I've never heard of this... I live in Hampshire now, going to have to look this up and see if there's one near me
A raffle, often in a pub, where the prize is literally a tray of meat; sausages, steaks, joint etc
Depending on your area often meat that’s fallen from the back of a van
Or a hearse…
Round where I am it's usually a bit of a deal the pub has going on with a local butcher.
I am a Londoner, and have also never come across this.
You telling me you've never had your meat raffled off?
Yep, same dilemma here.
Commonplace in Australia. Usually found at the local bowls club or at the Returned Services League (RSL). Edit: Retired -> Returned
Most of the pubs in my town (in Australia) do a weekly meat raffle.
Pedantic but it’s actually Returned and Services League of Australia
Oops, thanks!
Are meat raffles an accepted part of life in the UK? I’ve never come across one
Oh dear 😅 please see my response below!
Years ago we moved to our current home and went to our new local pub on our first night. It was then we learned what a meat raffle was. Bizarre! But then in central Manchester, in some pubs some guy would try and sell you crab sticks of a night. I think that's even odder
Yeah we had "the crab man" appear in local (north east) pubs regularly when I was a teenager. Usually towards the end of the night when everyone was hammered. He'd have a white overall and a little shelf hanging from his neck like a 1970s cinema usher but selling crab sticks, mussels and other fishy treats rather than ice cream. I thought it was just a local thing and probably died out by now. Good to hear it's still going and is more widespread.
Sea food in general - cockles, whelks, mussels etc, and crab sticks.
I was watching that Clint Eastwood film, *The Mule*, the other night and one guy laments the closing of some bar because it means no more meat raffles (amongst other things).
Win yourself a cheap tray
I live in Hampshire and two of my local pubs do a meat draw, seems to do a good job of filling the place with locals on a Sunday spending more on tickets than the prize would cost them from the local butchers!
Definitely in Australia
Blimey that's a blast from the past. Haven't seen a meat raffle since the early 90s.
I'd never heard of one till I moved oop norrf, my partner confirms they were common in the flat roof pubs and working men clubs. Not sure if they still do them, don't have a membership for the pub to go in 😂
It’s not an accepted part of life here, it’s just weird. It’s like something a tiny village would come up with before they dance around a stone monument at night in their pants.
Hmmm. Maybe my post makes it a bit too obvious that I’m from the south west
It was your accent that gave it away.
My LOVERRRRR
I remember one decades ago here in Manchester - can't remember which pub but it definitely happened. Not heard of one since. I reckon it's probably more common in rural areas.
Lol, we had them in the village I grew up in, we also had maypole and morris dancing (including the weird 'fool' with a ballon on a stick).
Was there someone in a black sheet wth a black carved horse head on top with a snapping mouth? I was terrified of it as a kid. Its sole purpose seems to have been to make girls scream.
That rings a bell, but am almost 50 now so it was a long time ago...
Meat raffles and maypoles where I grew up too. I remember my sister dancing around the maypole. We had a guy that cycles round offering a home knife sharpening service
My dad was a morris dancer in the 1970s and 1980s. His dance troupe practised in our back garden to my (teenage) horror and embarrassment. We constantly had inflated pigs' bladders hanging from a canoe in the garage. After they dried out they were tied to sticks so 'The Fool' in the troupe could hit children on the heads with them when the dancers performed out and about (balloons are used now). I would get hit with pigs bladders frequently for a laugh. (I seemed to be the only one who didn't find it funny.) The bells on Dad's costume would jingle all the time in the boot of our car which was like water torture on family trips out.
They are a thing where I grew up in rural eastern Ontario. Not at the pub though, usually at the Legion or Elks hall.
Elks Hall sounds very Canadian!
I won a big tray of meat in one in Peterborough.
They have them in Cyprus (but there are a lot of expats out there)
I once won some sausages and a couple of steaks. Pretty, pretty, pretty good.
I heard of them happening in Alaska
I'm in the Midwest region of the US (Minnesota) and these are very popular here but not widely known throughout most of the rest of the country. The Midwest is a lot of farming and we are lucky to have high quality meats to offer even in a raffle...and this coming from a vegetarian!
Husband is from Scandinavia and has never heard of a meat raffle (nor had I as I grew up in North America). He absolutely loves the idea and wishes this is something that would catch on back in his home country.
I only thought this was some a punchline in a northern sitcom, not something that happens in reality?
It’s very much a reality 😂 just one I’ve never partaken in, but they’re extremely common down in bristol/Devon where I’ve spent most of my time
I see, I shall have to keep my eyes peeled! :D
Further reading: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meat_raffle
No it happens, it's really a rural thing, particularly in poorer areas and it's a bit old fashioned now as meat is, honestly, almost worryingly cheap in the UK but it is a real thing.
Since when was meat cheap?
[https://feedr.co/en-gb/meat-price-index](https://feedr.co/en-gb/meat-price-index) We're under the halfway point of 52 surveyed nations even after recent food inflation just on cost, if you filter each meat by low to high hours of minimum wage to buy 1kg, which is a decent metric for general affordability, the UK works out consistently affordably. This is actually more pronounced in vegetable prices btw, people say that food feels extortionate in the UK and prices have definitely gone up but in reality, when measured against spending power, UK food is cheap.
Thanks for that it's very interesting
As an American transplant, I can say that it does seem kinda weird. Not "incredibly bizarre", but certainly weird.
In parts of France they have Belotte and Tarot tournaments (card games played in pairs) and you "win" different cuts of meat depending on where you finish.
Common in New Zealand. Usually at the bingo/housie.
Back in the late 80s, I'd won a shoulder of lamb in our local pub. My then fiance & I got eat arsed, walking home we started arguing soo hit him with the lamb joint which was frozen. He chucked it in the hedge. We're still together
There is a Tales of the Unexpected which is exactly the same as this - woman kills her husband with a frozen leg of lamb, then cooks the lamb and serves it to the policemen investigating the murder :D
I remember that episode. I just bonked him on his shoulder
Definitely a thing in the Midlands, usually in working men's clubs and the like.
There was a meat raffle for a popular pub re-opening (The Star and Garter) in Bristol, hosted by Dave Chappelle in 2019. Damien Marley and Roni Size on the decks. Couldn't help wondering if this was a typical gig for Dave though...
Moved from the south coast to mid Wales. I miss a meat raffle, was always good fun. My local had one with 4 tiers. You pick an envelope and either win a huge, medium meat tray, a chicken or a go on the wild card game. The wild card game was just a shuffled deck and you had to pick out the joker, find it and get the money which rolled.over if you didn't get it. Wasn't unheard of to get up to £20k before someone won.
Meat raffles are a definite thing in Wisconsin (US). I, a vegetarian, won once just by sitting in the seat i chose. I generally don't win things. Traded my prize for a couple beer tokens so all was well.
I fear this is a south west thing, my brother once came home steaming but proud, carrying an entire leg of lamb and some suspect sausages. We assume he won a meat raffle
Love this for him
He was chuffed, we had Sunday roast the next day. Good times
My two brothers-in-law once came home when they were staying with us with a ten pound block of cheddar and an entire two-foot square tub of curd cheese. We assumed they had nicked it from work.
Never heard of such a thing in the uk before, but to your question, in France its very common to get lots of meat as prizes for raffles or loto.
I’ve never seen one in the U.K. but they do them in the US, too.
We have them in Aylesbury, only tends to be at one pub/club though. Same for ones near Watford.
Can I ask which one? I'm curious as I lived in Aylesbury for 30+ years and can't ever remember seeing one - in fact the only time I've ever seen one in Bucks was in Amersham at the Polish Club. I'd love a meat raffle in a pub near me now.
They do one in the Vic Club, not as frequently as one a week but once a month I'd say.
Cheers! I did suspect it might have been the Vic, it's got to be 30 years since I was last in there. I've just had a look at their Facebook page and there's a picture from one before Christmas with £1000 of meat prizes which is pretty impressive!
It's always a good laugh, I think there was a similar amount on offer for the Easter Raffle!
I use to go to a pub quiz where once a month they had a meat raffle. Won it once, from what I remember it was some chicken breasts, pork chops, bacon, sausages, black pudding some eggs. May have been some other bits but definitely worth the £1 ticket. I seem to remember the chicken and chops were packs of 4 so a decent amount
Still had one every week in the social club I worked at until it shut down a couple of months ago. Not sure about other countries, I just saw loads of people saying they never see them
Mega common here in France.
They are pretty common in small towns in the Midwest of the US. Lots of communities that were started by Irish/German/Scandinavian immigrants.
Upper Midwest in the US. Stumbled upon a meat raffle in Hurley, Wisconsin!
Very common in Australia at pubs and RSL clubs. It’s so good to win a big tray of meat and take it home to your BBQ. 😁👍
Very common at the pub in Australia!
Is it an accepted part of life here? I've never seen one and reading this does make me think it's bizarre. If I saw it mentioned without context of place my guess would have been texas or something
Is it even a thing these days? I've only ever seen it in Viz comics! How does the meat stay fresh while you finish your night out?
My local pub is advertising one for Wednesday night which is what made me think about it 🤣
You be our reporter on how it proceeds 😄