Page 46 - Phonebox Magazine 2013

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Beef Glorious Beef....
I’ve never knowingly eaten horse, but I have no beef (sorry) about the concept. It’s the unknowingly bit that leaves a nasty taste in the mouth. The upside of the whole horse/beef scandal is that our butchers and farmshops have never been busier. Heritage and traceability are the new buzz words on the street. Flavour and texture are the delightful added bonuses. Luckily for us, our local restaurants have been proponents of this philosophy for many years. The Phonebox Foodie hears what two of our favourites have to say on the matter.
Direct from the Farm: Bell and Bear, Emberton
“In the close to three years Sophie and I have owned the Bell & Bear we've sourced our beef from many local places. Bennets in Olney, Burleys in Turvey, Douglas' in Newport Pagnell, Browns in Stagsden (who even rear their own). We've dabbled in some fine beef from the farmers market. Each one of the these suppliers can tell you exactly where the meat came from, and I can't speak highly enough of any of them.
outside events, so she can keep production moving swiftly, providing food from her beautiful catering trailer to many a local event. She also runs markets in London where traceability is a real buzz word. We worked together on Emberton's Jubilee Celebrations last year. Customers were astonished by the traceability, it was hard to miss, the pedigree certificate was pinned up right above the menu!
Now even venison, pigeon, rose veal and pheasants can all be sourced direct, (maybe just a butcher in the supply chain). We do it for vegetables, working with growers themselves. We do it with Amazing Grains bread, locally and honestly baked, never part baked or frozen. All of this applies to everything we do, sandwiches at lunchtimes, the full priced a la carte menu even the set lunch - just £8 for two courses.
However, we wanted to take it to the next level by working directly with the farm. Farmer Monica Brown and I hatched a plan to bring pedigree Hereford beef to local diners. This was over two years ago now. Monica rears her animals on beautiful pastures in the Cold Brayfield, Newton Blossomville area. Pasture land that has never directly seen a pesticide or fertiliser. Monica knows her cows by name. She births calves and nurtures them literally from birth to the kitchen. Monica’s polled pedigree Hereford cows come with a pedigree certificate showing lineage back two generations (and I've never seen Shergar or Red Rum mentioned)!
Being able to get beef to my specifications is wondrous, although I never really know which bit of cow is coming next. The ability to hang on the bone in cold storage for 30- 50 days means we can provide stronger, more delicious, more tender beef. A butcher could do this for you if you asked, but be aware that the meat shrinks so you'll pay much more! This however means plenty of time to work through each animal, no freezing. Freezing seriously damages the integrity of the meat. Monica doesn't brave the rain at 4am so we can chuck it in the freezer!
But back to the beef. Proof is in the tasting we think. Monica recently took two pieces of sirloin to the Hereford Breeders Tasting Competition. Judged by Michelin starred chef, Adam Jackson, her beef came 1st and 2nd in its class from over 50 entrants. A fine accolade. We now turn away over 300 people every weekend for tables and beef is our biggest seller, that for me is the ultimate accolade for the quality.”
Working with a constant supply from one animal to the next is difficult, as we must use the whole animal. We are fortunate that Monica herself is well known for her
For us though, it's not just the beef, we carry this ethos throughout everything we do. Pastures farm do it for us direct with guinea fowls, chickens and ducks. We've got many suppliers for pork and lamb, some of which is reared in Emberton itself.
Thanks Jon.
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Photo shows Monica’s Fillet of Hereford Beef with Braised Faggot. Heritage Parsnips, Mushroom Cream, Bordelaise Sauce.
Photos by Max Evans.
And a word from a supplier: Browns of Stagsden
Buy and Cook Smart:
“We use our own cattle and pigs for the shop which I take to Evans and Sons at Marston Moretaine for slaughter. The lambs that we use are from 3 local farms, Turvey, Harrold and Oakley and I either collect the animals from them or they take them to Evans for us. I collect the carcasses whole and bring them back to our shop for butchering. This gives us fantastic traceability. We know we get our own animals back as they all have a unique number on a tag in their ear. It also helps that we have known the people we are dealing with for many years.
In the current economic situation it is completely understandable that shoppers go for the cheapest most convenient op- tion, but there is an alternative. Whilst
we cannot compete on price with the cheapest meat in supermarkets we are not as expensive as you may think. If you come in to see us we can advise on how best to use the cheaper cuts and how to get the best out of them. For instance, use shin beef in a slow cooked casserole with plenty of vegetables as an easy way of stretching out a smaller amount of meat packed full of flavour.
So to sum up, the best way to know what you are eating is to buy from those pro- ducing it, not from someone retailing a product that has passed through half a dozen processors and dealers on its way to you.”
Thanks Peter!
The Bull Inn, Olney
“In striving to offer ever cheaper portions of lasagne, burgers and chilli con carne, the supermarkets and mass food suppliers have put more and more pressure on the food manufacturer to achieve a price point They in turn have looked to the cheapest supplies of meat.
So is the situation ever likely to change? Unfortunately as long as there is demand for cheap processed food, probably not. The billion pound supermarket chains will deliver a product at a price....but what price.
So how can we feed ourselves without having to risk the issues that are currently abounding? We don’t all have the wallets or the time to do the organic, free range thing. Or do we? The answer of course is to cook smart.