FOR many consumers, meat is something that comes neatly packaged on the shelves of a supermarket; you might not know what part of the animal it came from, but it makes for a tasty Sunday roast and that’s good enough for you.

However, this detachment from the origins of our food has made Brits clueless about the meat they are eating, according to new research.

As part of National Butchers’ Week (which takes place this week) a survey of consumers was conducted to discover just how extensive our knowledge of meat was – the results were disappointing.

Four out of ten quizzed admitted that they thought chicken chops were genuine cuts of meat, while two out of ten thought you could get wing of pork, lamb drumsticks and leg of liver.

Even more surprisingly, one in four thought tofu was a meat-based delicacy.

The astonishing lack of knowledge – revealed in a poll of more than 1,000 adults – even extended to real cuts of meat with two in ten failing to identify shin of beef as a genuine cut. Meanwhile one in 20 refused to believe that calf’s liver, duck breast and topside of beef were real.

“We have a great culinary heritage when it comes to cooking meat in this country,” said Ed Bedington, editor of the Meat Trades Journal.

“But the results of this survey show we are in danger of losing it if we don’t beef up our knowledge about different cuts of meat and how to cook them.”

However, there is a place you can go to expand your meat knowledge.

“The butcher is the best place to start,” said Ed.

And while you’re at the butchers, see if he can provide you with the right cuts for these dishes, which have been launched to coincide with National Butchers’ Week.