He’s only gone and left us! I suppose even Directors deserve a break, from time to time. Whilst Paul enjoys France and its amazing cuisine, no doubt with a bottle of Chablis or 2, we go full steam ahead towards Autumn at Meat London. As I’m writing this edition of the newsletter, the leaves are already falling and there’s a colder chill to the air in the evenings. Luckily, the sun is still shining, so no need to reach for the thermals, or retire the BBQ for the season, just yet.
~ Craig - General Manager ~
It’s been almost 2 years since we last run our Stokey Pokey competition. We’re very excited to announce that it’s back for 2023.
It’s been almost 2 years since we last run our Stokey Pokey competition. We’re very excited to announce that it’s back for 2023.
As a little reminder to our regular customers, and to introduce it to our new ones, the Stokey Pokey is Stoke Newington’s most eagerly anticipated competition of the year. I’m sure at some point, whilst tucking into a ‘toad in the hole’ (or a ‘frog in a ditch’ as my daughter calls it) you’ve thought about a recipe you think would make an incredible sausage. Well, now is the time to channel those inner sausage thoughts, put pen to paper, and enter the competition. Entry forms are now available from Meat N16.
After selecting the top 10 most intriguing recipes, the Meat N16 team will make and sample them, voting on their most to least favourite. The top 6 will become finalists. On Sunday 12th November, from 1pm, we’ll open up our garden at Meat N16 for you to vote on the best tasting sausage. The winner will be crowned the Stokey Pokey 2023 winner at 4pm. Did I mention there’s mulled wine too?!
The winner will be awarded:
- Their name engraved on our coveted trophy cup
- A private sausage making course for you and a friend
- A batch of your sausages to take home
- The accolade of having your winning sausage available to purchase at Meat N16 for a year
We’ll be looking at creativity, originality, flavours, and of course, the ability to actually source the ingredients to make an affordable sausage. A sausage made with white truffle at £175/kg may seem a bit pricey!
Good luck everyone. May the best sausage win.
As we move away from summer wines, and advance towards a more autumnal offering, Gess is busy working with our wine suppliers to give our customers a selection fit for the season. Every wine stocked on our shelves has passed Gessica’s taste buds. But what do you know about our Deli Manager, Gess, from our weekly ‘Gessica Says’ and how do the wines reach the shelves? Well, who better to ask than the lady herself……
“Many of you know me, my name is Gessica, and I am primarily based at the Meat NW5 shop in Tufnell Park. I’m from Abruzzo in Italy, and have been living in London for 12 years now. I joined Meat London as a Full Time Deli Assistant in January 2014.
I still remember my very first wine tasting at London’s Dorchester Hotel. From that night I decided I would set myself a new goal; to learn more and more about wine. I did not know it would be an endless challenge! Making wine purchases is not as easy as you may think. I’m fortunate enough to have worked with some wonderful wine representatives over the years who are always on hand to welcome the needs of our business. Being surrounded by such experts significantly simplifies my choices. It’s taken many years of hard work, but I’d like to think I have a good idea about what our Meat London customers are wanting from a wine.
In the past, I’ve attended enormous wine events, where I could build relationships, share opinions on the latest offerings, and generally be in an environment of like minded enthusiasts. Post pandemic, suppliers have opted for much smaller samplings. That said, I personally enjoy attending smaller, more intimate wine gatherings. It gives me an opportunity to talk with our representatives one to one, enjoying a laugh whilst sipping the latest red or white wine that might become one of our best sellers.
Since the very start of Meat London we’ve offered weekend wine tastings in all three shops. It gives me, and our deli assistants, another excuse to sample wine and make conversation with our customers, whilst listening to what their likes and dislikes are.
Does there need to be an excuse to drink wine?! So come and join us, Friday to Sundays every week, and raise a glass of an old favourite, or a brand new offering. Our aim always remains the same, to deliver the best value for money wines to pair with our wide variety of meat and cheese.
