Zwarble vs Herdwick

This week I saw for the first time Zwarble sheep in detail and up close. Strangely fond of black fleeced sheep. They are good looking and as my grandfather said "like a decent table leg on each corner, not coming out the same hole", good overall confirmation (good fleshy carcass) and very solid.

I have to say though, they are nowhere near the much vaunted, and the much venerated Herdwick sheep of the Lake District who in the last few months and after several years have achieved the PDO (Product Designated Origin) status - Slow Food at its European best.

If you were to buy both a Zwarble meat and Herdwick meat, the Herdwick would win hands down.

Perfect examples of high quality Herdwick meat

The pictures below are of Herdwick lamb (first pic) and Herdwick mutton (second pic).

You can see from the fat on the mutton that its got a nice creamy colour, and that the very deep colour of the muscle is almost 'beefy' both in the mutton and even in the very young lamb. 

There is a purpleness to it that isn't normally present in spring lamb (this lamb came very early in the season too, even for a Herdwick). The best bit is when you eat it, it'll have a robust flavour which also isn't normally present in spring lamb!

Winner of Knife Sharpening (and other skills) course

The winner of the Knife Sharpening (and other skills) course is Martin Gott of Cartmel in Cumbria. 

For those of you that didn't get it right, take comfort in the fact that it took Martin 3 whole guesses to get there (Martin the Butcher....hmmmmm)

Stay tuned for the video of said course with "fair weather butcher" mein gott Martin!

Find him at Cartmel Cheeses. 

Passionate about Bread

My friend Mr. Jones who's all about the bread (and the brownies), is the most artistic man I've ever met. To quote the great man,  "With bread and confectionary, as with all good food stuffs, technique is one thing but passion, is everything".

Find him at Bread Ahead at Borough Market.

Mint Mint

Mint grows in my garden like a ruthless weed .....every year it gets cut and turned into the amazing condiment that is mint sauce - white malt vinegar, balsamic vinegar, light brown muscovado sugar and lots and lots of finely chopped dried or partially dried mint. 

At the mo, having a fine leg of Renaissance quality mutton slowly roasted with mature dry salted anchovies and fresh rosemary and thyme. After roasting, added a couple of major glugs of red wine into the roasting tin after removing the roast to rest..... this was all served with a liberal amount of horseradish mash and  roasted vegetables. 

All this is only improved by drinking some of the ten year old Barolo (not sure if this would be what you’d put in the gravy mind), and of course liberal helpings of fantastic mint sauce.

Kids eat meat based pasta.

It has been reported that kids think among other peculiar things that pasta is made from meat, and tomatoes are grown underground like potatoes. 

This sounds unbelievable but in fact, this demonstrates how far we have become disconnected from the farmer and his products. 

It's admittedly a big job to start the reversal after decades of disassociating food and food products from the farm, and to begin countering the food industries relentless homogenisation and sterilisation of food. As we try to regain the respect and veneration for food and its producers, where do we start?

Back to the KIDS! I'm guessing it will take us one or two generations to gain momentum.......

I said to a music journalist when he said we'll never change it - "well its a bucket of water if we all put one or two drops in eventually it gets filled". 

A consolation with all this work we need to do in changing our food culture, is that it's great fun enthusing young people about food. Try it. ;-)

Happy Kids/Happy Father's

In all the debate about food there is one overriding force for change.......KIDS. Kids are the future of food production and consumption and the easiest way to drive better production systems (we all know that there are many things that need to be changed).

I propose a kind of reverse brain washing, opposite to the techniques that some of the omnipresent burger chains have put to use in the past.

There is nothing better than a child badgering their parents (or the uncles or the aunts or any other elders in their lives) to buy better food (they usually win too!).

Have fun doing food things with the kids this week!

Little Farmersharp at the mincer....

My Slow Food

I am very proud of my association with the Slow Food Movement. 

One of the most memorable highlights of my life was the first Terra Madre, which attracted 5000 farmers from all over the world including goat herders from Eritrea and llama farmers from the Andes. Mostly everyone was in national costume and my regional costume was of course a flat cap, check shirt and cords....no clogs though;-)

The venue was magnificent and was set in a former Turin Fiat factory and really, only in Italy could a factory be so beautiful! The event also boasted the attendance of Prince Charles, who recognised and acknowledged the continued campaign for proper farming, proper food and, pledged his support for our dedication to the ongoing promotion of mutton through the Mutton Renaissance.

"Eat less meat"

We are hearing this little phrase being spoken more and more now even amongst people in the meat trade (although admittedly mostly at the artisan end of this massive industry). 

I say again that the answer may indeed be to eat meat less often, but every time you do, to aim for eating higher quality produce. Frankly, the debate needs more finesse.

The picture below is of naturally reared renaissance - quality mutton shoulder shank bone in.

Slow Food for thought

I have it on good authority that the track record of one of the world's biggest pork producers (a company which is also responsible for a percentage of the European pork supply and ultimately some of the pork products we eat here in the UK), shows a real disregard for anything but profit. 

No one can argue that the aim of every business is to achieve profit but this should NOT be at the expense of food quality, animal welfare and the environment. 

To offer an example, this company's pig production in Eastern Europe (Poland in particular) produces animal waste, and the sewage ends up contaminating ground water....What price cheap pork!.....and now they are going into the Chinese market where there is even less control of how they operate.

This makes the consumption of British outdoor reared pork even more important. Local and regional pig production guarantees passion, pride and higher quality food.

EAT LESS of the meat produced in QUANTITY and EAT MORE of the meat produced with an emphasis on QUALITY (i.e. using pig manure as fertilizer not as water contaminant).

My call-to-arms in aid of the UK SLOW FOOD WEEK(1st June-9th june 2013) is that we aim for all of our food to be slow(produced and prepared), local/regional and ultimately, healthier and tastier.