Many reviewers praise the flavour and tenderness of certain cuts. Repeated complaints focus on late deliveries, missing items, or boxes arriving partly defrosted. Many customers also describe slow or no replies from customer service. Views on price and portion size are mixed, with satisfaction on offers but disappointment at standard prices.
Examples from available reviews (Apr 2021 – Mar 2026).
Meat was excellent and delivery and packing were perfect.
“The meat was absolutely fantastic, the delivery and packing was perfect.”
Christmas order was incorrect and they offered only a refund with no apology.
“Delivery came on 23rd Dec and it was someone else’s order and nothing that we would eat.”
Switch to FedEx caused repeated delivery delays and defrosted goods.
“finally arrived defrosted on the THURSDAY.”
Company does not answer emails or contact forms, reviewer won't order.
“They dont answer emails or contact form..wont order from these again.STAY CLEAR OF THESE”
Reviewers repeatedly describe courier issues such as late deliveries, missing parcels, and boxes arriving partly defrosted. Several link a move to FedEx with more failed deliveries. Fewer reviews mention customer service stepping in successfully, sometimes with credits.
Value depends on the situation. Many accept the higher prices when promotions run or when premium cuts arrive as expected. Others point to small portions, pricing that feels too high, and uneven value when paying the regular price.
Some users mention friction when ordering, including unclear delivery details, difficulty cancelling, and long hold times on the website. A subset says the online-only buying model shuts some people out. When orders arrive intact, packing and labelling often get praise.
Many reviews highlight tender, well-flavoured steaks, joints, and ready meals. Another cluster describes poor items: sinewy, gristly, overly salty, or spoiled. Positive and negative experiences appear side by side and often shape the final rating.
Many reviewers report emails going unanswered, long waits on the phone, and contact forms ignored. Some customers describe quick, helpful replies and clear support from staff, but these comments are less common than complaints about no response.
Feedback splits mainly on two things: meat quality and fulfilment. Good experiences combine quality products with dependable delivery and responsive support. Bad experiences often follow failed deliveries or complaints that go nowhere, sometimes leading to wasted food and cancelled future orders.
For each review, the core experience based on original source reviews.
Sources: Trustpilot (40) · Reviews (20) · Reviews (1) · Quotes shortened · As of: March 2026
Delivery failed and courier planned delivery five days after dispatch.
“now saying they will deliver on Monday!!!! 5 days after it left.”
Second meat box arrived excellent and tasty sausages.
“excellent again from ordering to delivery”
Some items arrived with damaged packaging and customer service didn't respond.
“Some items arrived with the packaging burst open so had to be discarded.”
Steaks were very small and frozen solid, disappointing portion size.
“absolutely frozen solid. No chance of these thawing in time today.”
Loyal customers receive no equivalent new-customer discounts; meat quality mixed.
“What's really annoying is as a loyal customer you get no discount when they give 25pc to a new customer.”
First order items were well packed and the Fillet Mignon was tender.
“The Fillet Mignon steak today which was absolutely delicious and tender.”
Lamb Wellington from Christmas order was fabulous.
“it was fabulous. ❤️❤️❤️”
Steaks cook well following instructions and are consistently delicious.
“Followed your cooking instructions and have to say absolutely delicious.”
Expensive but high-quality, with tender tasty beef and excellent prawns.
“Beef was tender and tasty.”
Brussels sprouts with bacon burned and were inedible when cooked.
“Brussels sprouts with bacon, absolutely disgusting.”
Staff helped set up account and orders arrived well packed and labelled.
“I am so impressed with the service I received”
Burgers and meatballs now contain rice flour and lack previous quality.
“padded out with rice flour”
Promised free pork joint was missing and customer service was unhelpful.
“Order came the following week with no pork.”
Delivery date mistakenly accepted, causing cancelled delivery and Christmas disruption.
“they don't deliver on a Saturday!!”
Beef Wellington was delicious, with excellent service and good value.
“Good value for money.”
Longtime customer praises exceptional meat and five-star delivery.
“meat exceptional”
I recently had the pleasure of ordering quality meat from Donald Russell, an online butchers based in Scotland. I was impressed with the convenience of being able to order a range of meats and fine foods online and having them delivered straight to my door.
This company certainly exceeded my expectations when it came to the quality of their products. The meat arrived well-packaged, fresh, and tasted absolutely delicious. It was clear that this company takes great care in selecting only the finest cuts for their customers.
What further added value to my experience was the free delivery offered on orders over £50 which meant I didn't have any additional costs upfront. This together with 99% customer satisfaction rate ensures me if I decide shopping here again.
Overall, I highly recommend giving Donald Russell a try if you're looking for premium quality meats and fine foods at your doorstep without any hassle or worries about freshness or quality.
Missing gift item and company mishandled GDPR and replacements.
“Broke GDPR”
Unable to contact company and unsure where misdelivered order will end up.
“Phone lines go unanswered”
BBQ pack felt overpriced with small, chewy steaks and delivery scheduling issues.
“chewy and tasteless”
Ready-made meals were excellent quality and delivered on time.
“All excellent quality.”
This page combines submitted experiences with public reviews from platforms such as Google, Trustpilot, etc. Recurring points are summarised without changing the content of reviews.
Donald Russell is a UK online butcher selling beef, lamb, pork, poultry, and prepared meals. It offers boxed and packaged meats for home roasting and grilling. Customers order through the website for UK-wide home delivery via couriers. Product pages include cooking tips and descriptions to help shoppers pick cuts and portion sizes.