Approaching to land at Marco Polo for a few days in Venice, I was leafing through ‘Walks in Venice, in the footsteps of 9 locals’ and came across The Mercato de Santa Marta, ‘a small but lively local market’ where every Monday morning, farmers from the mainland come to set up their stalls.
The book is by Katia Waegemans, founder of The Venice Insider, a travel blog for frequent visitors to Venice. It’s available from Amazon, the link is at the end of this post.
We landed on a Saturday in October, which gave us a day to settle in and be ready to find the market. The Santa Marta neighbourhood is in the depths of Dorsoduro.
Dorsoduro
We passed Tramontin, one of the few remaining boatyards that specialise in repairing gondolas, then through the campus of Venice University, where we paused for coffee in the student canteen before proceeding into a complex of unprepossessing halls of residence.
Gondolas at Tramontin
Old ladies were walking towards us with laden shopping trolleys, which is always a sign that you are getting close to a market; sure enough we rounded a corner and there it was. We headed for the busiest greengrocers’ stall, hoping we would be served eventually.
Fortunately a young student shared the helpful information (in English, she was Italian/Australian, an interesting mix) that we should take a ticket from the red dispenser (there’s one on every stall) and wait for our number to be called.
We came away with a good haul of fruit and veg for just 17 euros.
We were recommended to try ‘The Devil’s Beans’ with instructions on cooking by the cheerful stallholder, who threw in some parsley and sage to complete the dish.
Approaching Santa Marta
Shoppers were a mix of students and locals, I think we were the only non-Italians there. The quality of produce was excellent, and prices were very reasonable.
The plant stall
We picked up some pork and chicken, salame, cheese, buffalo pannacotta, and a beautiful yoghurt with forest fruits.
Best of all, I spotted ‘Puntarelle’, a salad vegetable that’s only available for a limited season, and rarely seen outside Italy.
Puntarelle
After shopping, lunch would be our reward
We decided to award ourselves a snack lunch of tramezzini, little sandwiches stuffed with various fillings, and headed across the Giudecca Canal to the Bar Palanca.
I’ve always been a little concerned about the Palanca since Time Out magazine listed it as one of its ‘bars with the best views in the world’.
I needn’t have worried.
We were greeted by a lovely waiter who’s been there for years; he fist-bumped each of us in turn, and firmly upsold the specials of the day to share. We were putty in his hands.
The star dish was an antipasto of tuna tartare, baccala mantecato (whipped salt cod), silver anchovies with pink peppercorns, and sarde in saor (sardines with onion, vinegar and golden raisins).
My enquiry about the delicate spicing of the tuna was met with the inevitable response:
‘It’s our secret mix’.
You can reach the market by vaporetto from the Grand Canal to the Santa Marta stop, or walk as we did from the San Basilio stop on the Giudecca Canal; cross to Palanca on the opposite side.
This was the advice of a friend on how to deal with being housebound while recovering from surgery.
It was good advice, and we started by ordering from our local restaurants.
Then some kind friends realised our predicament; they introduced us to Dishpatch, and we haven’t looked back.
Dishpatch is a service which offers menus from top restaurants, delivered to your door, and available nationwide in the UK.
Your order arrives on Friday, by courier, in an insulated box, and practically all packaging is recyclable. There’s a detailed list of contents, with step by step instructions on how to finish your meal at home.
Menus change frequently; typically there’s a starter and a main event with optional ‘add-ons’, which might be a pudding, or something for breakfast or afternoon tea.
Everything is carefully thought through to ensure you have all you need to complete your meal. You won’t go hungry. Some of the participating restaurants will provide their choices of wine or cocktails to get your dinner party started.
The advice for all perishables is to enjoy them during the course of a weekend, but with common sense you can extend any leftovers for a day or two.
The introduction was the gift of a feast from Angela Hartnett’s Café Murano.
First was a fluffy focaccia with antipasti, a pleasantly bitter, smoky aubergine dip, and pickled vegetables; then an outstanding starter, Broad Bean Pesto with pine nuts, peas, herbs and Parmesan.
It came with a whole Burrata cheese to serve on top (I don’t normally set homework, but if you haven’t tried Burrata, find some immediately to rectify your omission, or I will mark you down for carelessness).
There was a little tub of pangrattato too, crisp breadcrumbs to scatter on top, for crunch. Weeks later, we still had a few left in the fridge, they were a gift that kept on giving.
I feel I should apologise that the photos that follow are blurred and poorly lit. Or both, we were SERIOUSLY OVER-EXCITED!
Buratta, Pangrattato, Broad Bean pesto
Main course was the leg and breast of a plump chicken, anointed with spicy N’duja sausage, star anise, rosemary and cardamom. There were roast new potatoes to serve alongside, with sweet cherry tomatoes and artichoke hearts.
Chicken, roast potatoes with artichokes & tomatoes
We finished with a sublime, intense chocolate ‘cake’, and a light pistachio cream.
Chocolate cake, pistachio cream
Emboldened by this success, we ordered my birthday treat from St John
I’m very fond of St John Restaurant. I know the white interior of the restaurant and the staff uniforms are reminiscent of an operating theatre, but it smells much more welcoming, and is infinitely more pleasurable.
Both the restaurant and the cookbooks have been a huge influence on chefs, particularly in Britain and the USA. They were the originators of ‘nose to tail eating’, a philosophy that respects the animals we eat by using every part.
Be reassured, any idea that you will leave the table up to your elbows in gore is misplaced.
It’s elegant, thoughtful and skilled cooking. By ordering from Dishpatch, you only have two jobs: to complete the process in your kitchen, and then polish off the results.
Chicken & ox tongue pie
A chicken & smoked ox tongue pie served two of us generously over two nights. It came with an enamelled pie dish, sufficient pastry for the top, and a length of marrow bone. The marrow enriches the gravy, while the bone serves as pie funnel.
(If you’re not a fan of tongue, the pieces are large enough to allow easy removal, once they’ve imparted their soothing smokiness to the pie).
Potted Pork with cornichons; tomato salad “model’s own”
As well as the pie, which we ate over two days, we ordered all the optional ‘add-ons’ to complete the treat: ‘anchovy gunge’ to nibble on, potted pork & cornichons to start.
There was ginger loaf, butterscotch sauce & clotted cream to follow.
There were Welsh rarebit and miniatures of Fernet Branca for the Morning After, and a chocolate brownie for tea. And an Eccles cake with Lancashire cheese. Just in case we got famished before dinner….
Our latest experiment? José Pizarro’s Paella Box.
You’ll find the full menu via the link below. The tapas provided were enough as dinner on Saturday, with some left over as a starter for the paella the following day. We chose the wild mushroom and artichoke paella, and were amazed by the intensity of flavour. The correct sized pan is included in the box, and can be re-used again if you’re tempted to reproduce the recipe yourself.
There was enough Alioli(garlic mayonnaise) for the Patatas Bravas as well as a transformative dollop to go on the paella.
Mushroom paella with artichokes; brown food, but in a good way.
If your tapas need deep frying, the instructions tell you roughly what size pan to use. There’s a tub of the right amount of rapeseed oil, and a little tin of Maldon salt, enough for a generous seasoning. There’s a chunk of sourdough bread in the box, for mopping.
Deep frying at home can be quite challenging, another time I (or, rather, The Carer) might try cooking the blue cheese croquetas in a hot oven, and using less oil for the Padron peppers.
The Basque cheesecake with lavender honey? We were speechless with admiration….
‘Beef and Liberty’ from Hawksmoor
Liberty? If only….
This was another gift, aimed more at the kitchen-weary carer, I suspect.
Hawksmoor is a restaurant group known for its beef; they offer their own service, delivering steaks, or in this case a Roast Beef dinner for two. The worry and stress of preparation has been lifted from your shoulders, just follow the instructions (intelligently!) and don’t get distracted!
The beef in question was a 35 day dry-aged rolled rump. Don’t be tempted to reduce the amount of salt they advise you to throw on it while searing before it goes into the oven – the end result won’t be over seasoned.
The rested beef didn’t throw out any blood or juice when carved. It was pink, moist and perfectly tender, with the aroma of well aged meat.
The meat cooked at 200° C, and conveniently everything else reheats at the same temperature, even the perfect (substantial!) Yorkshire puddings.
Everything on the plate tasted intensely of itself.
Roast beef with everything prepared and ready to finish in the oven
Potatoes were roasted in beef fat, with whole cloves of garlic that oozed mild sweetness when squeezed open.
Again, everything is included, the fat, the Maldon salt, even a piece of marrow bone to scrape into the gravy (don’t let it dissolve, just let it soften till the sauce ‘throbs’ on the heat). Chantenay carrots & buttered greens are provided, and a sticky toffee pudding.
We kept the cauliflower cheese to eat with the leftover beef the next day (it has no other part to play in a roast, in my opinion).
Dishpatch was founded in 2020 during the first lockdown. They work with London restaurants to create meal kits that can be posted anywhere in the UK. The restaurants do what they do best by preparing the food, while Dishpatch handles logistics, delivery and customer service.
Since starting, Dishpatch has delivered well over 75,000 boxes.
We’ve found their service excellent. On only one occasion we had a minor issue with a couple of products which we fed back to the support team at Dishpatch by email. They responded very quickly and professionally, with a partial refund as recompense, and a generous voucher to spend on a future order.
Prices are comparable with a local takeaway, ranging from around £25 for a one-course meal for two, to £70 for a complete dinner; if that sounds expensive, be reassured the contents of the latter will provide more than enough for a feast, or more likely two.
Our local restaurants do not include Mexican, Japanese or Korean among the options, to name just three of the cuisines in the Dishpatch portfolio.
I update it as a cumulative drinks diary, so if you’re interested in the world of beverages, it’s worth checking in from time to time.
This time, with 8 wines, carefully chosen to go with 8 courses, (plus canapés, and salumi and breadsticks in case we left hungry) I thought the liquid aspect of dinner at Murano warranted a standalone Post.
We were greeted with a glass (or two. Well, several) of Champagne.
A. R. Lenoble, ‘Intense’ Mag 15 Brut, non vintage.
The cuvée is unusually 45% Pinot Meunier (for fragrance), 45% Pinot Noir (for body) and 15% Chardonnay; a crisp and appetising apéritif with the canapés.
Vitello Tonnato followed.
Angela Hartnett’s 2017 Sangiovese Rosato, a dry, pale pink Tuscan from Tenute Fertuna.
Creamy textured; strawberry, white fruit & sour cherry notes cut through the richness of the veal.
Declassified Greco di Tufo; savoury, nutty, orchard fruits & citrus, low acidity. A successful match for the difficult combination of Artichoke and truffle.
The sommelier Ali told us this was a rare & obscure grape variety from somewhere in Italy. Emboldened by the champagne, I asked to taste it blind. ‘Pelaverga from Piemonte?’ I ventured? No. ‘Corvina from the Veneto, perhaps?’ No.
‘I know! A Sicilian from Mount Etna!’ I said with (ill-advised) confidence.
It turned out to be Pòllera, a grape native to Maremma in Tuscany (I’d never heard of it). The pork brought out flavours of cherry & plum in the wine.
Selection of cheese from La Fromagerie (Isle of Mull cheddar, Vacca Blue from Piemonte, Epoisse and Fleur Marie).
2016 I.G.T. Vinetti delle Dolomiti, Teroldego, Foradori, Trentino Alto Adige.
Biodynamic wine, Teroldego is a relative of Syrah. Fresh acidity and dark fruit made friends with a fine selection of cheese.
Caramelised Amalfi Lemon tart, with a texture like crème brûlée.
2016, Jurançon ‘La Magendia’, Lapeyre, Southwest France.
The intense acidity of the lemons went head to head with the orange and lemon citrus in the wine.
A neon light outside gave the only clue to finding the restaurant.
You go down spiral concrete stairs with tiled walls, then two or three flights up.
It felt like going into a 1970s multistorey car park, or the entrance to a speakeasy.
‘Going down’
At the top of the stairs, we could hear noise from the bar to the left; we turned right towards the restaurant reception desk, next to glass cabinets where sides of beef were hanging, and an impressive collection of wine.
We’d found the right place.
“Hej! Välkommen!
Welcome to A. G.”
With this greeting from the Maitre D’, we knew we were in safe hands.
The chef was in evidence, taking calls.
Hands on chef
Once we were seated, good sourdough toast, striped from the griddle, quickly arrived at the table, along with irresistible whipped lard and rosemary (like rillettes, but the proportions of fat and meat are reversed)
Most of the tables were occupied by groups of men sharing massive steaks.
There were also a few couples on date nights, sharing massive steaks.
They were young, prosperous diners on the whole, mostly dressed in Swedish black, and with kronor to spare.
Carnivores bonding
The menu is varied, but as you’ve probably gathered by now, the steak is the thing. The different cuts are described in detail, with the breed, country of origin, and length of ageing.
Entrecote on the bone for two is a rib eye of Swedish beef, dry-aged in the restaurant’s meat room; they recommend it be served medium rare. It’s a massive steak.
We ordered one each (just kidding).
“Medium rare” was right for this cut; dry ageing takes moisture out of the meat, so it’s deep red, but not bloody. Cost was about £70 for two, for probably the finest piece of meat we’ll eat this year; they serve it with baked potatoes, Béarnaise and salad.
Dry-aged Entrecote of Swedish beef
Service is relaxed and confident: ‘You’ve eaten the best meat in Sweden’
The style is quirky; paper table covers, mismatched silver cutlery and coffee pots. The wine list is serious, as indicated by a full magnum decanter waiting at a serving point, beside two empty bottles of Tignanello Super Tuscan.
Playlist: we couldn’t hear it over the sound of Alpha Males bonding, bouncing off the white tiled walls.
Dinner came to £195 for two, including a bottle of Provence rosé and a couple of glasses of excellent Tuscan red (Mazzei).
As we were leaving, we heard the noise at the top of the stairs again, and were tempted to seek more fun. It was the ‘Tapas Bar’, Spanish, Italian…. ‘very New York’.
Smart restaurants in Stockholm tend to follow the American custom of colour-coded uniforms for staff.
The floor managers at A.G. were wearing cotton overshirts the colour of the steaks. Let’s call it Oxblood.
The fabric and relaxed cut looked familiar, and on closer inspection, I realised I had bought the identical shirt on the previous visit to Stockholm, at a shop called A Day’s March.
‘Helps you through the triumphs and troubles of everyday life with style and dignity’
I was glad I hadn’t worn it tonight.
A Swedish menswear label founded in 2014, A Day’s March is the distance an army can march in a day (obviously) and ‘helps you through the triumphs and troubles of everyday life with style and dignity’. I’m all for that.
A Day’s March have stores in Stockholm, Copenhagen and London.
Word was circulating that a new bakery is producing the best croissants in Paris. On a visit to the city in May, naturally I went to investigate rue Oberkampf, looking for No 61. The 11th Arrondissement is roughly equivalent to London’s Shoreditch, with little independent shops, a market, and tattoo parlours.
rue Oberkampf & the market on Boulevard Richard Lenoir
Arriving at the shop, I explained to the young man behind the counter (in my best French) that je suis escrivain d’un blog, and asked if I could take some photos.
‘Would you prefer to speak in English or in French? I’m English’ he replied (in French). ‘English’ I said, ‘it’s probably safer’.
The patient Englishman
Between customers, he was able to answer some of my questions. One of the first was how the bakery found its name.
It’s called ‘The French Bastards’
The business was founded in January 2019 by friends Julien, Emmanuel and David. Julien had worked in Australia, where his colleagues called him ‘the French bastard’, and back in Paris the friends decided to use the nickname for their shop.
The French Bastards put out their shingle
The counter display comprised neat ranks of colourful pastry: red fruit tarts, black fruit tarts with dark chocolate….
Black fruit tart with dark chocolate
….lemon meringue eclairs, alongside the usual chocolate and coffee.
Lemon meringue eclairs
Then there were three kinds of sandwich piled high for the lunchtime trade; admittedly expensive at €7.90, but each looked as if it would feed a small family (my eye was caught by the 36 month Iberico ham, with sun dried tomato & mizuna salad).
And viennoisserie, row upon sticky row of flaky bronze pastry, including all the classics, and more creative offerings like the Babka, made to a Polish recipe – chocolate brioche, purposely undercooked for ooze; and the Cruffin, a croissant crossed with a muffin, filled with raspberry purée.
Babka (centre) and Cruffin (right)
There was a coffee machine, and I decided we should try out the simplest emblem of the French patissier’s art, the humble croissant.
We sat at the table at the back of the shop, where behind a glass screen we could watch four bakers going about their useful work.
Croissants: their useful work before
…and after
The coffee was the best we’ve had in Paris (they use Peruvian beans)….
and as for the croissant….
It wasn’t too big, with a darker colour than is usual, apparently derived from the rich butter they use. It was very flaky and light, but still had substance, a rich taste, the merest hint of caramel from the butter, and not at all greasy in the fingers.
…and during
A baker came out of the kitchen and introduced himself as Emmanuel, one of the business partners. He asked what we had tried, and agreed the croissant was a good choice. ‘It’s like choosing spaghetti with tomato sauce in an Italian place; if it’s good, you know you’re in safe hands’.
Although they’ve only been open a few months, they’re already looking for more sites. The first shop is close to Le Marais and the Picasso museum, on rue Oberkampf, close to a busy street market on Boulevard Richard Lenoir.
As well as pastries they make very good bread, from Le Tradition (the baguette) to a Pain de Campagne with honey, turmeric and Corinth grapes, ‘yellower than your gilet’.
Bread at The French Bastards
Before leaving, I had to admit to another motive. While it had been worth crossing Paris for the croissant, I couldn’t resist making it known that I have another occupation.
As an English longbow archer, I had wanted to come and take a look at the French Bastards.
‘Maison Fondee Hier’ (founded yesterday)
The FRENCH BASTARDS, 61, rue Oberkampf, Paris 11eme. (The Bastards take ‘Thursday Off’)
Nearest Metro Filles de Calvaire
Playlist: mellow. As well as the table, there’s a battered leather sofa.
Your sofa awaits
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Indonesia will be London Book Fair’s Market Focus for 2019, introducing the country’s “17,000 Islands of Imagination” to the international public, “symbolising the intellectual and artistic richness of this incredibly diverse and multi-religious nation”. London Book Fair, 12 – 14 March 2019, at Olympia.
General de Gaulle famously asked “How can you govern a country which has 246 varieties of cheese?”
He was of course referring to France, but I wonder what he might have said of Indonesia, a country of more than 17,000 islands and a population of over 261 million, speaking 726 languages.
Many of the islands are tiny, so their agriculture is “organic by default”.
Natives of Papua say they can navigate their way in the rainforest as you and I would the aisles of a supermarket.
Javara is an entrepreneurial business that was created to help Indonesian indigenous rural economies to flourish.
Founder & CEO, Helianti Hilman, flew to London in December 2018 to support Indonesian Organic Food Day, a new initiative to raise awareness in the UK. Forbes Magazine Indonesia has mentioned her as one of 20 Global Rising Stars.
Helianti Hilman (centre) with Tracey Howes, who coordinated the day. Photo credit traceymayhowes
Guests were invited by the Embassy of Indonesia to a breakfast buffet at the London Marriott Hotel at County Hall, followed by a panel discussion.
Javara works with over 50,000 smallholder farmers, from production to distribution, to make their products available to broader markets. The demographic of both the farmers and consumers is getting younger; Javara makes the connection between the two.
Indonesian organic food can only survive through export. Sales started in 2011 to one country, and by 2014 90% of sales were exported to 23 countries.
The Indonesian Breakfast Buffet
The breakfast buffet was mostly savoury: crispy prawns, Rendang skewers, fried rice in eggshells….
“Oh no, I couldn’t possibly….”
It was enthusiastically received!
I usually drink espresso, but I enjoyed tasting a mild organic coffee from Sumatra. It’s quite low in caffeine, so I could imagine enjoying rather a lot of it!
Enjoying Indonesian coffee with the producer
I also came across this dried mushroom powder, described as being a new super food “coffee”. I think it could also work as a condiment, perhaps dusted over rice, eggs or fish.
“Mushroom Coffee”
The breakfast buffet was created and prepared by London Marriott County Hall’s executive sous chef, Budiono Bin Sukim. It was a celebration of Indonesian cuisine, showcasing the region’s organic produce, presented with pride, enthusiasm and an infectious smile.
Chef Budiono Bin Sukim
Chef Budio and his team also prepared a lunch, served in The Library, which overlooks the Thames and Big Ben.
This part of the day was by invitation from the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to the United Kingdom, His Excellency Dr Rizal Sukma.
The Ambassador’s speech of welcome
Highlights of lunch: a trio of starters, including Gado Gado, one of five national dishes of Indonesia, and Forman’s “London cure” smoked salmon, a playful nod to the London location.
Starter
Part of the main course was grilled Ribeye with Rendang, a richly flavoured dry curry sauce with coconut, accompanied by a wonderful chilli sambal, made with lemongrass, ginger and galangal.
Desserts were served in a cascade of dry ice; another playful touch. There were glutinous rice cakes with chocolate mousse; black rice porridge; this time the London accent was a lemon meringue pie.
Desserts AKA “Indonesian steamed pudding”
A crack team of professional food commentators attended Indonesian Organic Food Day, 2018.
Photo credit traceymayhowes
Disclosure:I was a guest of the Republic of Indonesia to the United Kingdom, Ireland and International Maritime Organization. All views are my own.
The Ethical Butcher has been a wholesale supplier of ethically raised meat since 2014. This month they are launching a crowdfunding campaign to expand the business into e-commerce, working with farmers to supply their meat direct to household consumers and to restaurants.
Speaking at a presentation to potential investors, founder and CEO Farshad Kazemian said “we really are trying to make this quality of meat available to everyone across the UK, we want to drive up demand, re-invest our profits to train more farmers in holistic land management and have a positive impact on the environment.
Currently in the UK meat can be labelled as grass-fed if only 51% of the animal’s diet has been grass; this is a very different product from 100% pasture fed meat. 100% Pasture fed animals are healthier, happier and their meat is better for us.”
The presentation brought together four farmers to explain the benefits of raising their beef animals on pasture.
“My neighbours think I’m a loony, they call my farm ‘Jurassic Park’.”
Andy Aldridge farms Lincoln Red Cattle, from the “original population” which dates back to the 1930s. The breed was shorthorn until the 1930s/40s when it was “de-horned”, now all calves are born without horns. The Lincoln Red is listed on the Rare Breed Survival Trust’s register as “At Risk” of extinction. As well as cows, he keeps Lincolnshire Longwool sheep, and Tamworth and Large Black pigs.
Talking to Andy afterwards, he said “it felt right to do it this way. I have a conscience; the business has to be profitable, but there’s no imperative to expand the farm.” He owns the land, so apart from some incidental costs, such as silage and mowing, grass on the farm is virtually free; “it makes no sense for us to buy feed.” The herd grazes happily outside, and is only brought inside in extreme weather conditions.
Farmers Robert Laycock, Andy Aldridge, Jonathan Chapman & Fidelity Weston, with Farshad Kazemian and Glen Burrows of The Ethical Butcher.
Beef from continental breeds is “tough as old boots.”
Jonathan Chapman contrasted his native Red Ruby Devon cattle (one of the UK’s oldest breeds) with Continental breeds, such as Charolais and Limousin, which are bred to be big, lean animals, with a “covering” of fat. They are “finished” on cereal, quickly losing the flavour of a beef animal grazed all its life on grass. The resulting beef, he says, is “tough as old boots.” It made me reflect on how many times I’ve struggled to chew a tough steak in a French brasserie.
Jonathan pointed out that while hungry human populations are unable to digest grass, they could be fed on grain and soya, which are currently used as feed for intensively reared livestock.
“Why am I doing it? I’m very greedy, and I want to eat the best beef.”
Robert Laycock, new to farming cattle, observed “the Australians are 20 years ahead of us. Their beef used to be terrible, but they addressed it by working on breed and feed”. Robert chose English Longhorns for his farm, a breed developed for taste in the 1780s, and decided to graze them on pasture, which he firmly believes is better for the environment.
English Longhorn. Image by www.benpetercatchpole.com
Tasting meat from their farms
As the three of them spoke, we tasted their beef, all from traditional native breeds. In each case we tried it raw as a tartare, and then a grilled piece of rib-eye. The raw beef was served like an Italian Carne Crudo, with a minimal seasoning of good olive oil and salt. The farmers advised us to take the meat off the crackers it was served on, which they said were a distraction from the flavours of the meat.
Each of the samples we tried had distinctive characteristics. The textures were different; one piece of cooked ribeye was firm, with a tender springiness that Jonathan said comes from intramuscular fat (that’s marbling to you and me). The raw beef was mild with sweet and savoury umami, and something vegetal, grassy, even mineral, that I could only put down to the soil and pasture the cattle were raised on.
Fidelity Weston, farmer, and Vice Chair of the Pasture-Fed Livestock Association,spoke about the need fora new vocabulary for tasting meat.
Thinking about the tasting later, it occurred to me that analogies could be drawn with tasting wine: the breeds are like grape varieties, with their own characteristics; pasture is equivalent to the terroir of a vineyard, (you can taste it in milk and cheese produced at different times of year); husbandry in the field is like viticulture, and ageing the final product to achieve its potential could be compared with cellaring a wine to maturity.
The Pasture-Fed Livestock Association.
Around fifty farms in the UK so far have signed up for certification by the Pasture-Fed Livestock Association. In animal husbandry, pasture grazing is the best system of rearing cattle for beef. They love to browse and feed on grass, wild herbs and hedgerows, and their manure regenerates the soil. Ruminants are efficient machines to break down cellulose; feeding them on grain is like giving children a sugar rush – these usually placid animals become skittish and disruptive.
Farshad added: “We strongly believe that it is possible to raise animals in a carbon-neutral, sometimes even carbon-negative, way. Farming this way increases biodiversity, repairing land damaged by traditional agriculture, and can invert the often cited statement that ‘eating meat is destroying the planet’, as rearing animals on pasture can actually combat climate change.”
The evening was hosted byThe Ethical Butcher, with the support of restaurant Enoteca Rosso.
To read about the project, or if you are interested in becoming a ‘steakholder’, click here:
Wines were sponsored by the Garofoli winery in Italy’s Le Marche region.
