Well, I have written before that I don’t want to start every monthly Newsletter with the weather forecast, but, on this occasion, I can hardly avoid it. The last two weeks of June have been extraordinarily hot, which has brought both Paul positives and negatives. Of course, it offers us all the chance to get outside and enjoy the sunshine. Long walks, days on the beach and eating outside, but, at its hottest, we have struggled with our refrigeration, and our control of the ‘chill chain’ (maintaining the quality of fresh product from source to the customer) has been tested to the maximum. It took until Friday 26th for us to close the doors a couple of hours early, in order to rest the fridges. It was the right decision, but, as always, it caught one or two customers on the back foot – Sorry Louise !!
Again, my Newsletter is not necessarily a forum for patting our Team on the back, but I would point out that the Team have been fantastic throughout the heatwave, and as I have noted above, it was the machinery that failed to tolerate the extreme heat. So, for all of you who think that we will be taken over by AI robots and machines, think on!
Looking forward to July, it looks like lamb prices are remaining stubbornly high. I don’t know why really, and the farmers are keeping their heads down. However, I can report that the quality in recent weeks has been very good. For the right occasion, a large leg for the family, a shoulder to slow cook on the BBQ, or a few chops for a mid-week meal, are a worthy investment. For a quick, mid-week treat, one of my own favourite cuts is the Lamb Rump. It’s a boneless cut from the top of the leg, and it lends itself to the BBQ, the grill or the oven and can be served with anything from rice, potatoes and vegetables or Couscous and salad.
Pork is the other stable meat right now. The most versatile of meats, it should be on every menu, which, as I write that, is quite interesting. Going back to the heady days of Michelin stars, the awful ‘Nouvelle Cuisine’ era and very expensive dining generally, there would have been all but no Pork on restaurant menus. It was very much deemed the poor man’s option. I think it’s also true that the production of pork, and the quality therein, was sometimes questionable. Today, the situation is very different. We get our Pork almost exclusively from Plantation Pigs, of Steyning in West Sussex. In 1987, Hugh Norris set up what was Britains first, and only, fully Free Range, commercial pig farm. His nephew, Paddy (who I have mentioned many times) joined him, and together they developed arguably Britain’s best pork supply. Uncle Hugh, sadly, passed away not so long ago and Paddy now maintains the fine supply that was always the dream. Our lifestyles meant that Hugh and I did not see each other in the latter years, but Hugh was always very good to me, and always very gracious in his support of our business. Continuity of supply, and a strong relationship with producers and suppliers, is very much the ethos by which I believe that Meat London is able to serve our customers and offer the very finest meat, and Paddy, and Plantation Pigs, are the absolute epitome of that belief.
Sticking with the BBQ theme through July, The Pork Neck/Boston Butt is very much the family option. It can be big enough for up to 20 people, or it can be cut to smaller pieces, and would be the ‘go to’ for Pulled Pork. In my opinion, the Belly Ribs are more fun than the Baby Back Ribs, but they are both delicious and easy to cook. Marinated Steaks from the legs or the unbeatable Pork Chop mean that there is something to suit all tastes and group sizes. Ben has a stand out recipe for the marinated Pork Belly Strips:
For Two:
2 x Jamaican Jerk Belly Pork Strips
500g Waxy Potatoes (Maris Piper)
1. Slice the potato to about 3mm. It doesn’t matter if you peel them or not.
2. Spread the potato across the base of a baking dish and lay the pork strips on top.
3. Seal well with foil paper and place in the oven or BBQ (160°c). Cook for 90mins.
4. Boost the oven to 200°c. Remove the foil covering and cook for another 20 mins.
5. Drink two cans of Guiness (Ben!!).
That’s it. Ben’s not prone to wasting time when he could be eating.
A quick mention for the poultry, and poultry producers. The poultry that we supply is all Free Range and gets to spend time outside. We have some lovely birds across the range, from three good producers. However, the weather plays havoc with the birds. Much the same as us humans, they pick and choose when they eat and they don’t like to move around any more than they have to, and, of course, they don’t eat in the hot weather. This means that controlling growth, and size availability, becomes more difficult. Not getting a chicken at the exact size we might want seems like a small price to pay for promoting a free range lifestyle and the finest husbandry. Please bare with us during the hotter months if the birds appear to be hickledy-pickledy sizes in the cabinet.
Gessica introduced the delicious Cambrook Nut range to our shops for July. They have been on sale for a couple of weeks, and we are finding that our customers are enjoying them. The ‘Great Taste Awards’ winners come in two sizes, 80g and 140g. Baked Cashew & Peanuts with Chilli & Lime are a favourite, as are the indulgent Cocktail Hour Mix, but for a little insider advice, the Caramelised Sesame Peanuts are off the scale moreish. Every garden party or picnic needs a few nuts for the pre-prandial Meat London Champagne (other wines are available!), and Cambrook have come to us in time for the summer ‘Al Fresco’ season.
BTW: I’m not a great cocktail fan, but I did hear recently that the much loved Aperol Sprtiz is very much ‘last years’ tipple, and the new kid on the block is White Port/Tonic, with a slice of lemon and sprig of mint. I’m in …. Pop into the shops for your Graham’sBlend No5, and a bottle of tonic, and that’s another treat that I have brought you for summer …
The sun’s out and school is very nearly out. We wish all of our customers and friends a great summer. Many of you will be heading off to exciting destinations for sea and sand, so we hope you all have an amazing time.
Have a great July…
Paul
