Back to School
August saw Meat N16 complete its thirteenth year. It’s remarkable. We opened here, on Stoke Newington Church Street, in 2011. Where have the years gone? From an idea, and a wish, from two local guys, the shop was born. We remind ourselves that we set up to open on the Thursday morning, but on Wednesday evening, as we stood around admiring our new venture, a local put his head through the door and asked what we were doing. I sold him a Sirloin Steak and we have always claimed to have opened a day early! It has been such a great journey. Only Troy, who is now at Meat N6, and I still remain from day one. My business partner, Richard is still with me, but that’s it. As I have said many times, any retail business will only succeed if the customers want it and use it. The Stokey people certainly want their local shops. I am proud that we can boast many customers who have been coming since day one, and their interest and enthusiasm is intoxicating. Whilst I still love every day of being here, I am too old to imagine still being here in 13 more years, so I am going to remember the first 13 fondly, and enjoy as many more as we can fit in.
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A quick apology; The Meat London Team had their summer party on Monday 19 th . We had a lovely ride along the Regents Canal, on The Jenny Wren, and we then gathered in a local pub to discuss our experience and share pictures. All good so far, but it was the same day that Tottenham played Leicester, and most moved on to another pub to watch the match. It got late, and there were some very grey faces and bleary eyes on Tuesday morning (Yes Paul B, you know who I mean!). Anyway, a really lovely day to reward the Team.
Ok, there’s a lot to fit in this month, so I better get going.
Sutton Hoo
It’s always very important to keep in contact with our suppliers, so we sent four of the Team to visit Sutton Hoo poultry farm. The Sutton Hoo chickens are fabulous birds. They roam freely, eat naturally and grow very slowly on the immaculate farm in Suffolk. I’ll let Molly tell you about her day out….
Molly Katy Cooper
“Last week, I travelled with three colleagues to visit Sutton Hoo farm, and spend the afternoon with the lovely owner/farmer Will Waterer. On arrival, we were quickly offered bright blue hazmat suits and shoe covers, before heading onto the farm to learn all about the going’s on and the lives of the delicious chickens. We learned about their slow growing lives, and why their 8-10 week growth is so pivotal to their taste. We saw where the original, 30 year old, hand-built sheds now stand, and it was explained how established good practices ensured low rates of bird flu in recent years. After a good hour asking Will questions, meeting the birds and a lot of conversation about kite flying (Conroy), we headed for the Sutton Hoo National Trust site for a history lesson, and, eventually to a great local pub for a bite to eat and a pint, and we even got to paddle in the sea. Thanks go to my Meat London colleagues, Leo, Sean and Conroy, and Will, for a wonderful day out.”
Tough Game
Whilst still on the poultry theme, the Game Season has made a slow start. As mentioned in my previous Newsletter, I don’t spend much time looking for early Grouse, which appears to be just as well. Early signs are that the poor weather and too much rain at the beginning of the year have resulted in very low numbers of poor quality birds. The price being asked is off the scale. I am hearing that restaurants are giving Grouse a wide berth this year. However, I am reliably informed that September will bring some Partridge and, maybe, Mallard, and then in October we might see some early Pheasant. I’ll keep you updated.
Schools In..
So, the holidays are coming to an end, travel bags are back on top of the wardrobe, exam results have been digested and uniforms are being assessed to see if we can manage another term. I try to avoid the subject of the weather, but the temperature has definitely dropped in recent days. It will soon be time to invite friends and family around for Sunday lunch, or a Friday night at home. A lovely Roasted Leg of Lamb goes a long way, as does a large Sutton Hoo Chicken, as highlighted above. How about an early season stew? A delicious Beef Shin, slow cooked, is a masterpiece for every occasion. I cooked a Pork Belly, with the bone, last weekend, and we had it with a Tomatoes Salad on Sunday and Bulgar Wheat on Monday. Fabulous. Which reminds me, for the next Newsletter, I’ll get Gessica to update us with her wine plans for the Autumn period. Gessica has picked two lovely Languedoc wines to promote this month, which will suit my suggestions above perfectly. And another reminder, it must be time for the Autumn, wine Portfolio tastings? I must get Matt dusted off and ready to go find some champions for us. The other thing to look out for in the next Newsletter, will be our teaming up with a new Cheese producer/supplier. I can’t say too much now, but I can’t wait!
Sausage wars
Is it the new football season that has got the boys all competitive? Every time I turn up, either Conroy at N16, Lee at NW5 or Andres at N6 insist I try their latest experiment. I have had so many delicious sausages recently that I’m sure my belt is getting that little bit tighter. I’m not going to name names, and I can’t have favourites, or I’ll be in big trouble, but why not pop into your local shop and try some of their delicious attempts at stardom. Another secret, and I’m not saying which just yet, but at least one of our new sausages is going to be entered into the British Sausage Championships. Watch this space.
I think that’s it for this month. I’m going on holiday, so Craig will be writing the October Newsletter. Have a great September.