Delivered loose in a plain plastic catering bag.

Expect some natural discolouration of any surfaces that've been in contact with air.

Divide into portions and freeze anything you don't plan to eat within a couple of days.

3 minutes

1-3 days

With fridge set at 1-4 °C

Hygiene

Always wash your hands before and after you touch fresh meat. Do the same with any chopping boards you use. And make sure you wipe down any surfaces raw meat has been in contact with.

Safety

Never let raw meat come into contact with other food in your fridge. And never – ever - let it come into contact with anything you'd eat straight from the fridge like ham, lettuce or cheese.

Store it separately in the coldest bit of the fridge. Usually the bottom of the fridge near the back.

Let the air circulate

All fresh meat - except bacon or anything in a vacuum pack - needs circulating air so as not to spoil. It does much better in the fridge if it's not covered in plastic. Store it in a bowl and cover it with a paper towel or tea towel, well away from ready to eat foodstuffs.

Sliced 3-4 months

Freeze meat as quickly as possible. Most of the damage to your meat is done when it's around the 0°C mark, because that's when the ice crystals are at their largest. These crystals puncture the meat so you lose some of the juices when it thaws.

Once frozen your biggest problem is air

Any frozen food in contact with the air will dry out and get freezer burn. So make sure anything you freeze is 100% airtight.

The slower you thaw your meat the less juice is lost. Defrost it in the fridge.