Review of The PigIdea

The day was filled with lunch time workers quizzically asking questions such as “what the hell we were doing in the middle of Trafalgar square giving away food?”. Fair question I reckon, but there was on the whole, a massively positive response to the Big idea that is the PigIdea. The winter sun mostly shone through too, and as a good Cumbrian, have to say it’s good to see the sun now and then, especially the winter sun.

As a Hambassador for The PigIdea and with a name like Farmer Sharp, I was contacted by BPEX’s PR company Wild card, who asked if we could meet at the Trafalgar square pig feast. 

Our conversation was a frank and open exchange on all the possible ramifications for the pig industry as a whole but maybe I’m guessing, with a focus on the bigger end of that industry. The conversation covered their worries that this Idea could be a threat in view of the alleged Heddon- on- the- Wall swill derived foot and mouth disaster. As a person who saw my cousin get all their livestock culled this is the last thing I would want to risk happening again. 

We all have a duty to look at the fact that approximately 15 million tons of food waste every year (a conservative estimate) is currently being thrown away, and even if we only got a few percent of this food waste into feeding pigs it will be a massive start. Not to rush at it like a bull at a gate but careful thoughtful resolution of the problems is required to make it as risk free as it can be.

There is also the farming conversation of yield and food conversion rates etc. I personally am not an advocate for feeding pigs on swill alone, but for feeding them a balanced diet with a percentage of swill which can mean that a good and not massively fat carcass will be produced. The nutritional  knowledge is already there to sort this issue out, and maybe with swill feeding there might also come an improvement of the pig producers margins, as they are generally slim at the moment. 

The other great asset to swill feeding is that quite often swill fed pigs reared in the right way can be massively better eating and that is a win win situation - in japan, swill fed pigs achieve quite a premium because of the better eating qualities such as fat marbling and more depth of flavour.

Ice

I really do love winter. It is to most people an anathema, but to me it brings only healthy brisk mornings through the open window in the bedroom.

A really hard winter kills bugs and insect pests, so from a farming point of view it’s good, but can also be a double edged sword as the livestock and particularly the hill and fell sheep can find it hard going. 

As a died- in- the- wool meat man, I have to say that stuff also keeps better......I remember my first employer (the old sexy Rexy) saying “by Gum its cold, but its grand keeping weather”.

The other morning as we sat having breakfast, discussing with the kids about the impending severe cold weather on its way, their only comment was “will there be snow? bring it on!”.  And of course, who can doubt the wonderful and warming feeling of those comfort foods we all crave when the temperature plummets.... the stews, the soups, the roasts, all the dishes that in the height of summer feel like too much too much effort to eat and certainly too much effort to cook.

Radio Sharpie - Passionate about Offal Part 2

Radio Sharpie - Passionate about Offal, Part 1

Meat, Food, and Farming: Pig Swill RePost

Meat, Food, and Farming: Pig Swill: One of my youthful memories is of Mr. Mulgrew in his mazda pickup collecting the kitchen waste (or pig swill as it was known) from the lo...

Radek's Tudor meal

Cooking at the weekend I created a trio of meals using bits I had found in the freezer.

• Mutton hot pot which I made from cooked and trimmed mutton breasts.... using the biggest pan I have, plus 2kg of potatoes, 1kg of carrots, ½ kg white onions, salt, pepper, bay leaves from the garden and some stock. Unfortunately no black pudding for this but as with all the “let’s follow a recipe” it’s followed with “ what do we have in” so a bit of making it up as you go along seems to work well for me. 
• Then, unpacking the second bag of what I thought also held mutton breast, found some cooked chicken from some banty cockerels which I froze when I couldn’t use them all at once. What to do with the chicken? Why not put it in a chicken hot pot same as the mutton? 

Using my (no expense spared) mandolin to slice all the veg for both the pans, I made some lovely thin veg in no time at all, although I also ended up having to double the quantities of veg to do both hot pots.
Layers of potatoes, carrots, onions, meat, on top of layers of potatoes, carrots, onions, meat.... anyway you get the idea. Fill the pan up to the top with stock, bring to the boil then cook below simmer for a couple of hours or so, both for the mutton and for the chicken.
Everyone else was out of the house at this point so I had the kitchen all to myself, but the hot pot factory peace was shattered by the return of the family.... young Farmer Sharp Juniors (there are two of them) came in to ask what was I doing (“not sure” I thought.... as ever making it up as I go along with no plan and no meal ever the same twice).

• Third, I had four mutton shanks. I browned the mutton shanks until nearly burnt then proceeded to put them in a double oven size roasting dish on a bed of rosemary thyme and some bay leaves, all from the garden, plus whole peeled potatoes, whole carrots and whole peeled onions. For a change, there was no garlic in anything and the results are plain to see looking at Radek’s picture of him eating in the time-honoured style that would have made Henry the VIII proud.

Radio Sharpie - Passionate about Knives

Listen to this episode

The Pig Idea #FoodWaste

Let Them Eat Waste

Head and feet etc.

As a child, I remember well making potted meat with my Nana, using a pigs head, four pig’s feet and a couple of pound of shin, in total yielding about 4-5lb of high quality cooked meat.

This, in some of the better restaurants, is sometimes served as a terrine and with that label comes a measure of respectability (it’s all in the marketing, although there is also a move within the Artisan food sector toward using the less popular cuts like pig heads and feet, or lamb heads and feet). 

The first barrier to this demand (small though it may be) is cost, as most slaughter houses don’t have the infrastructure or the skilled staff to process these products in order to comply with existing regulation. 

The next issue after cost, is getting the product to market, as only a handful of consumers per retail outlet (be that butchers shop, farm shop or farmer’s market) will buy them.

After the supply and demand situation is resolved, what’s left is the age old problem of education, as the people who know what to do with these products, number not very many in my opinion.

These products take a little more preparation than there is in putting a pan of mince on or frying a steak, but the flavour and value of these under vastly used resources is immense and well worth the effort.

Because the head and feet are called by-products it makes them sound like MRM (mechanically recovered meat) which they most definitely are not. In fact, in the culinary culture of our continental cousins, these parts of the carcass are a much sought after delicacy and consequently, demand a value way above that which currently exists in the U.K. market.

If head and feet get the culinary recognition in this country they deserve, they will come to be appreciated for the marvellous food that they are and we'll have a couple less products to throw in the bin..... In itself fantastic, don't you think?

Young Farmer Sharp - Guest post by Michael Sharp

As the son of Farmer Sharp, I sometimes find myself in food related conversations before I know it. 

I was in a pub the other night, and when I should have been dancing and chatting up the girls, I ended up sat at the bar talking to a farmer for half an hour about sheep, farming and food. Food must just run in my blood. 

These conversations don’t just happen just with food industry people either. I often find myself in debates with people - like in one instance, there was a girl at college determined she was going to be a vegetarian, using the justification of ‘killing animals is wrong’, but all the while walking around in leather shoes. Knowing what I know, this got my hackles up and we battled it out about the production of leather for the entire lunch hour. Can’t blame the lass as she was totally uneducated about food, and probably thought a potato came from a tree. 

I’m assuming that she can’t be and most certainly isn’t the only person in this group (uneducated about food), and obviously this needs to change if people are to lead better, healthier lifestyles. If I can learn, so can everyone else. They just need a good teacher.

Autumn is well and truly here

Autumn is here and don’t we know it..... leaves all over, gusty winds, and a bag full of windfall apples from our neighbour..... (have a look at the last of the crumble.....cream coming up). 

As we fall into autumn, we start to look for more hearty food like stews and slow roasts, and what better than beef brisket plate (sometimes called short ribs Jacobs ladder). Brisket on the bone IS a bit fatter but at least the fat is honest, if the cattle are grass fed the fat will contain omega 3 oils - not those vegetable style oils used in lots of processed foods but the healthier fish style omega 3’s.

This economically viable joint costs a lot less than other joints. As with other economical cuts of meat it takes a little more effort to prepare, but compensates ewe with massive flavour and tender, succulent meat. It can give you roasts, then make a great mince for lasagne, or, boiled first then roasted to brown and crispy, will give you a stock which when cold (and after removing the fat) will make a hearty and very cheap base for vegetable soup, beef and tomato soup and loads more.

You will be amazed by the reaction of your butcher when asking him for this cut as it is rarely sold over the counter in a joint but is usually boned and used in sausage and burgers etc. In fact, this might be the start of an interesting regular exchange with the butcher, which could if nurtured, yield for you many more economical cuts and interesting recipes. 

Dougy Bowes

Sometimes a product is really special or just simply tremendous, and sometimes an occasion elevates a dining experience beyond description. 

Mr Dougy Bowes on the coast road near Ulverston is a producer of such a product. A Galloway is a pretty fantastic beef animal at the best of times but a Galloway grown on the land just down the coast road is without doubt a special thing. I had the pleasure to have a couple of pieces of brisket of a beast from Mr Bowes  - ‘twas a Galloway/Limousin cross but looked like it had taken more to the Galloway side.

The occasion was the passing away of a family friend, who to be fair had reached a good age, and the whole thing turned out to be more like a celebration of her life than a funeral. We all gathered in Arnside for the burial, then to a hotel in Grange for the funeral tea. Alan and Ann (the son and daughter, both lifetime friends of mine), along with an eclectic group of friends, all sat around telling loud and raucous funny tales of their life experiences with the deceased. Hopefully, this doesn't sound at all disrespectful, because believe me if you had known Jean for the strong funny eccentric character she was, it was all in order.

On the spur of the moment, I thought they should all come to our house for dinner.. Great but had nothing in big enough to feed ten, which when they got going would be sure to seem like the five thousand had descended.

So I went to the local farm shop Browns in Lindal-in-Furness and was so pleased to find out that he had some of Dougy Bowes’s Galloway  - it was a Tuesday so as with most butchers on a Tuesday, it's a a matter of what’s left. Also fortunately for me (point brisket not being the most popular of cuts), two bits of brisket browned off and roasted with only sea salt and cracked black pepper went well with the roasted potatoes and the veg left in the fridge.

The brisket was open roasted on a low heat, and the roasting dish deglazed with a liberal several glugs of good red wine brought by Alan who is also a wine merchant. I personally could have just had gravy, roast potatoes and red wine the gravy was so fantastic, but in fact, the brisket turned out to be indescribably good.

We had a great meal, which was a fitting tribute to the woman who always fed you and entertained you royally.

Pulled mutton shoulder - Recipe

Recently, seen that sometime cook Tom Kerridge on the TV with pulled shoulder of Lamb (only joking, he is good value, a lot of man for your money).

Here's my more traditional pulled mutton shoulder, which I think is a much better choice for the very slow cooking methodology required for pulled meat.

An essential requirement for this recipe is a renaissance quality mutton shoulder (only available from proper butcher farm shops or farmers markets). 

The great thing about this recipe is that ewe can do a full mutton shoulder and have it for a few days or use part of the shoulder and this will do just as well.

The classic accompaniment for sheep meat, lamb or mutton is anchovies. As the anchovies are salted that’s the first of the seasoning requirements, the second (and second only to the anchovies) is the garlic then, after those two in importance comes the rosemary.

So here’s the plan;-

1. Get the shoulder or part shoulder fat side down in a very hot cast iron frying pan and brown all of the shoulder that you can to the point of nearly burning, then make deep incisions to insert the anchovies,  garlic and rosemary. 
2. Rub plenty of proper sea salt if necessary brushing the outside lightly with water so the salt will stay put, and grind some fresh black pepper in as well and put it all in a pre-heated oven at about 150-160 Degrees Celsius for just under an hour per lb.
3. It is ok to either sit the shoulder on either a bed of nice veggies, like fennel or parsnips, or (as I like it) to have nothing underneath so you get a fantastic gravy to warm the leftovers in the following day.

Also as an aside, in my mind no sheep meat dish is finished without a little mint sauce.

Highgrove - The Mutton Renaissance Annual Dinner

Last month saw my return visit to the Orangery dining room at Highgrove, the country residence of Prince Charles, His Royal Highness. Prince Charles is the patron of the Mutton Renaissance Campaign.

As one of the founding members of the Mutton Renaissance Campaign (which this year celebrates its tenth anniversary), I feel as if we have only just begun the rehabilitation of mutton to the culinary lexicon of the general public. Although all the members of the committee are clear that we’ve made great strides forward, we’re also clear we have a long way to go yet. 

Before lunch, we were treated to a walk around the grounds and the gardens and although my wife is the gardener at home, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was an eclectic mix of garden styles and the guide was funny and very knowledgeable. 

We then went into the Highgrove shop to peruse the goods.... needless to say I didn’t buy anything (probably could have bought a cap but I have six or more already). 

The starter was a simple goat curd, walnut and beetroot salad. The main course was a perfect simple treatment of the Lleyn - Highgrove home farm Mutton aged for five weeks. The cannon or loin fillet was cooked using the sous vide method then browned in the pan to finish it off, and served alongside a perfect mini pulled shoulder pie.

For desert we were treated to an apple and quince tart with Crème Anglaise. I do love a good dessert; in fact I could almost miss the main course and just go straight for it.

After our meal we went to Home Farm, where Prince Charles’s farm manager David Wilson gave us a tour of their organic farm - showcasing a field of mustard (which tasted like a very peppery rocket), the cull ewes on a reseeded clover field and lots more. 

As we were walking to the tractor, it started raining even harder than it had been when we were walking round the garden and grounds..... I said to David all we needed was for the rain to be blowing horizontal and then I would feel really at home. It was a great testament to my old houndstooth Harris Tweed jacket and flat cap that I remained perfectly dry, not to mention the borrowed wellies as I had forgotten mine.

We then went to the milking parlour where we watched the Ayrshire cows walk in to be milked. This was great on so many levels, as the cows were up to twelve years old which is very unusual in this day and age. I then got a lift to Kemble station with Alan Bird who now runs his own Restaurant, Bird of Smithfield (opposite Poultry Street), which was very cool.   

Cured and Smoked Herdwick Mutton

There has always been a rich tradition of curing and smoking sheep meat wherever flocks of sheep were kept. The same applies to flocks of goats.  Cured meats are the old fashioned version of a fridge - keeping protein wholesome and long lasting.

Mature Herdwick wether, are castrated male sheep which were kept to an older age. They have a deeper flavour, a dark, tight, grained texture to the meat and were sometimes used to cure. 

They give a bigger leg than a ewe (a mature lambing female) and one of the things about curing is that older animals have a more appropriate ph for curing. The older legs cure more successfully and have a much more complex flavour profile (which is one of the reasons why the best Prosciutto’s are made from older animals).

It’s normally assumed that this product was produced in times gone by in the “continental way” of producing air-dried fancy salami, but this is a wrong assumption.

Cumbrian cured mutton isn’t produced this way and one of the reasons for there not being an established tradition in the UK of Italian style salami curing is the good old British weather and there is nowhere better to understand this than in Cumbria - it never rains in Cumbria (honestly, if you ask the millions of visitors we get to the lakes you will get probably get different comments about the weather). ;-)

The high humidity does mean that there isn’t the possibility of making any air-dried product that would be safe to eat. However, in this day and age there is an ever growing group of artisan salami producers and wholesalers who do quite nicely with a little technological help.

The cured mutton is to be cooked as you would do your ham and eggs for breakfast or for dinner at night. To add additional shelf life to the cured leg (and I guess extra flavour), it is (was) smoked, not in a purpose-built smoke house but in a smoke box built in to the back of the chimney. These disused stone smoke boxes can be found in many old farmhouses all over the lake district.

These Herdwick hams are not the mild flavoured gammon ham we have become accustomed to today, and as with all the things that aren’t mild or insipid it is an acquired taste. In my opinion though, it’s an amazing one. In the past, there also wouldn’t have been the consistency of product expected by the modern consumer, but maybe, just maybe that is part of the hams’ charm.

Mutton

Read my most recent POST on Borough Market's blog

Pasta making

Pasta making is really fulfilling and easy.

The kids love helping in-between the Kindle and Lego, and even though it may not be not cheaper to do, homemade pasta has loads better flavour and texture and making it has to be much better than watching inane television.

I had been reading up on spelt wheat already and picked up some spelt flour from my friend Matt the baker from Bread Ahead at Borough Market.

The flour itself looks a little off white, not speckled like whole meal flour just off white, and otherwise it's pretty much like any other flour you see.

Place the flour on your work top and make it into a volcano crater so the lightly whisked eggs can be put into the middle and gently mixed in. Strange analogy ahead - it feels like when you were a kid helping your Dad mix up some cement while not letting the water escape.

Once the spelt flour, eggs and a pinch of salt were mixed well together then out came the pasta machine - well it’s just two adjustable metal rollers, but has to be said, is a lovely piece of Italian engineering style and functionality as only the Italians can do.

The kids turned the handle whilst I was working the pasta mix by progressively rolling and folding the dough thinner and thinner, then resting it under a tea towel.

After this, I used the cutting aspect of the pasta machine to give us tagliatelle. Last bit of the process is to blanch or to fully boil the pasta, after which you can either eat it, put it in the fridge, or even bag and freeze it.

There are lots of funky things that you can add to pasta like squid ink for black pasta, coco powder for brown, pesto for green, beetroot for red or natural food dyes for all the other colours. My overriding memory of spelt pasta is that it just tastes loads better, and this of course is the very best reason for making your own pasta.