I find myself with a spare hour, so I thought I might write the intro to our December Newsletter prior to the chancellor standing up and depressing us all. It would be lovely to say everything will be OK, and we will just move on, but the last budget made things difficult and, I think, we are all expecting more issues from this one. Although it was disappointing to see the minimum wage for young people pushed ever closer to being unaffordable for small businesses, I am delighted to note that we have a really good crowd of youngsters at Meat London, and we will do everything in our power to keep them. Without resorting to the list, I think we have as many as 8 or 10 kids under 20yrs on our books, including this week’s starter, Ethan Spencer, who has been coming to the shop with his mum, Nicole, for all of our 14 years. Most of them come in at the weekends, and they like to get ‘hours’ during school holidays. They are a breath of fresh air, they do some great work, and they are not afraid to keep us oldies on our toes! This coming Sunday see’s the annual Christmas party. Anyone under 18yrs has to get a parent to contact us, to give permission to attend, and they are put into taxis by 9pm (bedtime!!). So, teachers of North London please note, our kids will all be in bed at a reasonable hour on a ‘school night’. Not so sure about the older Team!!
We have been on our travels again, Craig found himself in Copenhagen last week with Weber BBQ’s. What was all that about Craig?....
…Well, last week I was invited, by Weber, to a Grill Academy class in Copenhagen. The Danes do things a little differently, so what a great opportunity to take a look.
I joined Weber’s Grill Chef, Giles Foster, on a 6am flight from Stansted, touching down in a very chilly, if sunny, Copenhagen at about 9am. We met up with a mixed international group, including Giles’ Danish counterpart, Anders, and the French rep, who’s name escapes me. No language problems here, after a little lunch and a couple of delicious Danish beers, they were all understanding my Essex accent.
We had been invited, along with 15 others, to take part in an Academy Class. As we arrived, the site was full of great BBQ aromas from the already in action, Weber ‘Searwood’ Pellet Grill. First up, very cheeky, low and slow Pork Cheeks infused and smoked with Hickory Wood pellets. Sensational!
In a three hour structured course, we split into smaller groups and produced Beef Mince Taco with Puff Pastry (not your standard tortilla!) and Salsa, Mushroom Risotto, Roasted Carrots, Caramelised Baby Onions and Potato Rosti. The Pork Cheek Stew was absolutely amazing, (definitely to be seen in the Meat N16 Garden next season). And, then the star of the show, dessert. An Apple Tarte Tatin. Caramelised brown sugar bubbling slowly, sliced apples with cinnamon in the pan, and all covered in a sheet of puff pastry. Twenty minutes in the Weber ‘Spirit’ and then very carefully turned out onto the serving dish. Just add a large helping of Vanilla Ice Cream and, of course, nothing left to bring home. This was an absolute dream for my sweet tooth!
A fantastic trip. An opportunity to meet the wider Weber family and see how things are done away from Britain. Now back on UK soil, I am thinking how to grow the Meat London Academy for 2026. I’m pretty sure that Pork Cheeks, Caramelised Apples and Vanilla Ice Cream are going to play a part.
Thanks Weber and Giles
Craig Martin
Meat London Courses and Events
As we creep into December, it’s probably time to give our Christmas tables a bit of attention. I will write with a bit more information in the next couple of weeks, but the order books are open and filling up nicely. The lovely people at John Howe, Blackwell Turkeys and Salix Farm have done it again, and are itching to send their beautiful birds. The Team at NW5 has the beef aging nicely, and I hear that the Cheese is plentiful. As above, the ‘Meat London Elves’ are braced to produce hundreds of packs of the finest Piggies in Blankets, and I also know that Gessica has some fantastic wines ready for the shelves. It’s never too early to get your order in, but there’s never a rush either, Christmas is to be enjoyed at your own pace. Our Christmas List gives Sunday 14th Dec as the last day to order but, in reality, this is the last chance that I will get to influence our suppliers for what we want. We will still have plenty to sell after the 14th. So, Christmas is coming. Let’s have a great time.
I’m not sure if I’m most excited by the visit from Dan Schlesinger, of Hallgarten Wines, the Stilton Cheese that I have been promised we will be tasting alongside or the outstanding Tawny Port from the 65 hectare Quinta do Vallado’s estate that we will be showcasing and tasting at Meat NW5 on Friday 19th December. From carefully hand-sorted grapes, this 20 year old Tawny is made from a blend of several wines, with an average age of 20 years. This is a delicious wine delivering dried fruits, nuances of cigar and a touch of liquorice into a balanced, satin finish.
Come to the shop from 3pm onwards. This is a Christmas treat for adults, not to be missed and, as noted, presented by our good friend Dan, who will enthral you with his knowledge. By the way, Dan is the font of all wine knowledge. Bring your best questions and taste the fantastic Port as you learn from the master.
As promised, I’ll write again about Christmas soon, but in the meantime,
Happy December …
