Good afternoon,
I hope you all enjoyed a little springtime magic last weekend.
We’re butchering a Sussex Wagyu carcass every week at the moment. Each animal weighs around 400kg after slaughter, and yields about 250kg of meat - all of which we sell to local restaurants, through the online shop and in the yard on Saturdays. The rest is fat & bone, which is turned into dripping & stock.
Only about 50kg of the meat is steak. The rest contributes to roasting joints, braising cuts, mince and offal.
When Fergus Henderson refers to nose-to-tail eating, he isn’t simply suggesting we relentlessly look for new ways to use up the blood & guts of an animal. Being a resourceful cook is a big part of it, but he is talking about a holistic way of eating and being in the world. It’s using the best produce available at the time, it’s a way of cooking to showcase the fine ingredients we have and it focuses on creating food which ultimately we really enjoy eating.
The attitude that our world can produce a limitless supply of what we want is changing. For the health of the planet, our bodies and our livestock, we’re returning to a more resourceful way of living - consuming less but consuming better quality. Turning a chicken into a Sunday roast and then meals for the week, frying our potatoes in dripping rather than refined oils and eating the broccoli stalks and cauliflower leaves. Small ways to reduce our individual demands on the earth.
One of my Grandad’s favourite things to eat was calves liver on toast, but it’s not something I grew up eating at home or in restaurants. Thanks to chefs like Henderson, offal is finding its way back onto our plates. If you’ve been lucky enough to eat at St John, you will likely have tried his popular bone marrow dish and know that a good cook can turn supposedly less desirable cuts into mouthfuls that rival a perfectly cooked steak.
If you’re interested in trying something a bit different, we have ox heart, liver, kidney, tail, cheek and tongue available to pick up on Saturday. Plus tomahawks, burgers, eggs & cider - something for everyone.
Chef Sam Lambert is treating us to slow cooked Trenchmore tongue tacos this weekend. Have a look at his menu and pre-book your lunch.
