Archive for Uncategorized
January 13, 2011 · Filed under Buy Mutton, Flavour, Mutton buying guide, Mutton for sale, Mutton Recipes, Slow Food, Taste, Uncategorized, Where to buy mutton · Tagged Buy mutton, grass fed mutton, Mutton, mutton buying guide, mutton for sale, mutton recipes, rare breed meat
This is a Classic with a Michelin twist.
We are back in the grove after selling out at Christmas and now have mutton ready for sale on the farm.
What I like about these Mutton Rennaisance recipes is that they encourage people to explore lots of different cuts and highlight the versatility of the meat.
This is one of the classic ways to cook mutton; the gentle poaching enables the meat to reach optimum tenderness. Wow your friends by serving it at a dinner party with some red cabbage and baby root veg.
SERVES: 6
INGREDIENTS
- 2kg (4lb,6oz) 1/2 leg of mutton (bone-in)
- 4 large Spanish onions, peeled and sliced
- 2 generous tsp sea salt
- 4 bay leaves
- 5ml (1tsp) whole black peppercorns
- 1/4 stick cinnamon
- zest of 1 orange
- 2 litres (3 1/2 pints) light chicken stock
- 1 bottle (750ml) dry white wine
- 350g (12oz) unsalted butter
- 60 ml (4tbsp) finely chopped shallots
- 60 ml (4 tbsp) capers
- 600ml (1pt) double cream.
METHOD
- Place the mutton into a large saucepan and bury it in the sliced onions. Add the salt. Tie the bay leaves, peppercorns, cinnamon and orange zest in a piece of muslin and add this to the pan with half of the wine.
- Cover with the chicken stock and bring to a gentle simmer. Skim off the crust that forms on the surface with a spoon.
- Simmer gently for approximately 2 hours or until tender.
- After 1 hour, take a saucepan and melt 150g (6oz) of the butter, add the shallots and capers and cook gently until softened then turn up the heat to lightly colour the shallots.
- Add the rest of the wine and cook briskly until the liquid reduces by half. Draw off approximately 1 litre (2 pints) of the poaching liquor from the mutton pan and add it to the capers and shallots. Bring this to the boil and reduce by half. Add the double cream and bring back to the boil. Reduce the mixture further until you achieve a glossy cream gravy. Adjust seasoning and keep warm.
- When the mutton is ready, transfer to a serving dish, cover and keep warm. Strain the poaching liquid from the onions but retain.
- Heat a large frying pan and melt the remaining butter until foaming. Add the drained onions and fry briskly until they turn golden and have begun to caramelise.
- Place some of the golden onions onto a plate and slice the mutton finely on top of it. Garnish with a ladling of the caper cream sauce. Note: The retained poaching liquid can be used to make a delicious soup.
MDAL.
October 21, 2010 · Filed under farming, fat is good for you, Flavour, General, Meat Guide, Sheep, Slow Food, Taste, Uncategorized, Welfare Standards · Tagged extensive meat production, food labelling, grass fed meat, hay making, Wildflower Meadows
You would have thought that since I produce the finest quality mutton and lamb that I would be pretty familiar with the above rule of thumb. You would have thought…
Read the rest of this entry »
January 13, 2010 · Filed under farming, General, Meat Guide, Nutrition, Sheep, Taste, Uncategorized, Wildlife/Environment · Tagged Posoitve feedback, snow, snow sheep, Wildflower Meadows
Even when things are crazy and your system is compromised by something like the snow It’s reasuring to recognise that the focus on quality pays off even now.
With all the snow all the sheep have come inside so they are not grazing the wildflower pastures at present. However, because all my conserved forage (hay and haylage) is from wildflower grasslands they are still getting great nutrition and their meat is still infused with the wild herb flavour. Sticking to a positive system seems to always lead to a positive feedback.
MDAL.
December 10, 2009 · Filed under Uncategorized
Been bloggin light for a few months with a new baby girl (Erin Grace) arrived, the BBC good food show (where we sold out of mutton) and the rest.
Expect more regular updates from now on.
MDAL
September 9, 2009 · Filed under fat is good for you, General, Nutrition, Omega 3, Taste, Uncategorized · Tagged Butchery, fat, kill the fat kill the flavour, Omega 3, omega 3's in Meat, pork chops
I’ve just come back from a very helpful “meet the Cheff” event run by HEFF.
Part of the event was a butchery demonstration by a master butcher. I’ve cut up plenty of meat but this guy was really good.
The thing is he was cutting up half a lamb that was bought at a livestock market – so it was a commercial lamb, bred for production not for flavour.
We used to produce commercial lamb and were part of the EBLEX better returns programme. Basically we were producing lean meat as cheaply as possible that tasted like cardboard.
Part of this agricultural revolution also did for the rare breeds as they had a higher fat content for finished beasts. But as we know the fat is where the flavour and the nutrition is.
Something the butcher said really struck with me: “new regulations meant we had to pay to dispose of the fat we trimmed off the joints so we worked with EBLEX to design animals with less fat on”
When the motivation for producing food is not nutrition or flavour but fat disposal regulations quantity and shape the result is not good food.
With food you reap what you sow!
MDAL.
September 7, 2009 · Filed under General, Uncategorized · Tagged care farming, Food festivals, top barn
Having just attended our first food festival it’s good to reflect on the show.
We had loads of helpers from the family from my 7 and a half month pregnant wife to my mum and dad.
Friday was really quiet for all the stall holders, with many complaining about a lack of coverage in the press leading up to the event. Saturday and Sunday saved us really and, being local, it was a great shop window for us. I’ve already had several enquiries and orders.
If anything it underlined my belief in producer integrity over organised branding. Everyone who bought from us could ask us anything they wanted about our products, and we also encourage people to visit the farm if they can. What better recommendation is there than that?
We were next to Top Barn in the food tent. They are pioneering Care Farming and show how local businesses can make a real difference in the community. Why not visit their harvest shop.
MDAL.
July 31, 2009 · Filed under General, Uncategorized · Tagged delicious meat, food standards agency, good food, health food, local food, local meat, Omega 3, organic food, organic meat
It’s not often I agree with the Food Standards Agency but the report explaining that Organic food is no more healthy than other food is spot on.
I blogged here and here about the lack of integrity in the Organic brand (for that is all it is) and in this post I explained why it is no more healthy than any other product – especially when it comes to meat. I know the organic movement claim its all about the environment (which is great) but actual customers (you know the people who actually fund this project) buy primarily for health reasons.
There are lots of organic cheerleaders complaining about these articles. Why bother? Organic sales are falling despite an increase in demand for local quality food. The essential trust in food comes from being able to meet the farmer face to face not from some label on the packaging.
MDAL
July 2, 2009 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged off for a bit, poor preparation, stag weekend
Yes I know I’ve just started but I’ve got a mates stag do in Hungary this weekend and I have never felt less well prepared for a drinking session!
Back on Monday. . . Hopefully.
