Slow-Cook
Long, slow cooking rewards us with melt-in-the-mouth tenderness and succulent meat that flakes under the fork, and it's one of our favourite ways to eek out every last bit of flavour from our slow-grown organic meat. Our butchers have prepared a delicious range of classic diced meat, cut into perfect sized pieces for stews, casseroles and one-pot style dishes. But that's not all - we work to a nose-to-tail philosophy, prizing every piece of the carcass to minimise waste. So we encourage you to try the more off-the-wall, unusual cuts that are rarely available in your local butcher's or supermarket. Explore the world of Organic Lamb Neck Rings, Organic Beef Osso Buco and Organic Breast of Lamb on the Bone and you will be delighted by the flavours and textures you get from these overlooked cuts.
FAQs
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By definition, organic beef in the UK is fed on a diet predominantly made up of grass. However this won't necessarily make it 100% grass fed, this is not an organic standard. We supplement our organic beef’s diets when grass alone isn’t up to doing the job. As part of our regular crop rotation, we plant some cereals, such as barley, alongside nutritious legumes like peas. These can be grown together in the same field and harvested as a ‘whole crop’. That means the stalk and seed are cut and stored together, so there’s no by-product and no waste. It also means the cattle get a balanced meal with plenty of roughage.
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Organic chicken and regular chicken are reared very differently, to different standards of welfare. Our organic chicken is Soil Association certified which is considered the highest welfare organic certification. All of our chickens are reared by trusted local suppliers in a system that allows the birds free access to pastures where they can roam during the day using their natural instincts. The chickens are grown slowly for approximately 70 days. In intensive systems, which rely heavily on genetic breeding and antibiotics, birds are ready at just 35 days which is why their meat has very little flavour. We believe the slow approach is better for the welfare of our birds, and results in the delicious flavour you can try for yourself.
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Dairy cows are ‘retired’ when they can no longer produce enough milk, this is usually at around ten years, after they have produced thousands of gallons of milk. The ‘retired’ beef is becoming increasing popular because of its deep pronounced flavouring and wonderful marbling, resulting from a lifetime of feeding on grass. At The Organic Butchery, we have a ‘waste-not-want-not’ approach, using ‘retired’ dairy cattle for beef. You really should try it. We promise you won’t be disappointed.
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When choosing lamb to purchase, it is worth carrying out some research. There are several studies that suggest organic meat is a healthier option, containing less saturated fat and higher in omega- 3 fatty acids, which are good for your heart. We believe organic lamb tastes better than commercially farmed alternatives, tasting ‘meaty’, rich, sweet and decadent. All of The Organic Butchery's lamb comes from our trusted local suppliers. They thrive on a diet of grass as well as clover and herbs. Growing slowly, the lambs build hearty immune systems and strong skeletons. All of this influences the way their meat tastes and cooks, we really believe that happy animals result in the best quality and best tasting meat.
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Lamb refers to young meat, which is tender with a pale pink colour, where as mutton is meat from a sheep that is over two years old, at The Organic Butchery, our mutton comes from ewes who've retired from the breeding flock. That means they've grown to maturity naturally, have well-developed muscles and a strong skeleton. All of these things ensure their meat is strongly flavoured (but not 'gamey') and has excellent texture (but isn't stringy). Mutton's a distinctive meat that's having a bit of a renaissance at the moment.
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Organic pork comes from organic pigs that have been reared in accordance to high welfare standards, we there are raised a nature intended, they live active lives outdoors, foraging and exercising freely. Our pigs are slow grown unlike intensive farming, this gives their muscles deep colour and robust flavour.