August Butchers' Specials

August Butchers' Specials

As a whole carcass butcher, we work nose to tail, offering every part of the animal rather than focusing only on prime or fashionable cuts. Achieving a consistent rate of sale across the carcass, known as carcass balance, sits at the heart of our whole animal approach.

That balance is closely tied to the rhythm of the seasons. By August, high summer is well underway and the way we cook shifts with it. There is more time spent outdoors, more cooking over fire and more appetite for food suited to long evenings, family gatherings and relaxed summer eating. At the same time, ambitious kitchen projects, midweek grilling and lighter braises all come into their own, and demand for certain cuts changes again.

By shopping our monthly specials, you help us maintain that balance. Every purchase supports our native breed farmers and helps ensure each animal is valued in full. This month’s selection brings together products that suit August particularly well, from charcoal cooking and generous summer suppers to deeply savoury midweek meals and slow cooked dishes.

12 products

August Specials: High Summer Cooking, Charcoal Grilling and Long Lunches

August, high summer. The month when the country slows down. When parents in a high state of stress and children in a high state of excitement head to the airports to board flights that are no longer cheap, bound for southern Europe. When museums, parks and holiday clubs bulge with children, and parental flexibility at work is pushed to its limits, along with patience. When the walking trails, roads and pubs of the Yorkshire Dales fill with tourists and cyclists. When memories are made and batteries recharged. August comes with its challenges, but we’re always sad to see it go.

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With the collective foot taken off the gas a touch, there is plenty of time and room for ambitious cooking. And that is what we wholeheartedly encourage. So, take a little inspiration from our August specials.

Kicking things off are three simple and very different things to do with beef mince this August. Firstly, stuffed tomatoes in the Greek style, with half-cooked rice, tomato flesh, herbs and spices folded through browned beef mince, then stuffed back inside hollowed-out tomatoes and baked with potatoes, stock and white wine. Secondly, köfte in the Turkish style, with the mince seasoned to the hilt with Urfa chilli, sumac and cumin, plus fresh parsley and some grated onion. Formed into balls or moulded onto skewers, they demand to be cooked over charcoal. Thirdly, dust off your wok and embark on making mapo tofu, that spicy, numbing and bright dish so synonymous with the Sichuan region of China. It isn’t as daunting as you might assume and, when you get it right, makes a special centrepiece for the table.

Our lamb leg steaks are a fantastic option for a midweek supper, and this Val Warner recipe with chips and anchoïade is a total winner. Or, staying within the realms of great midweek suppers, our Tuscan-style fennel and red wine sausages with braised lentils and salsa verde simply can’t be beaten.

A ham hock can go a long way in the kitchen. First, simmer it for a couple of hours with bay, an onion, a carrot and peppercorns, then reserve the stock. The picked meat could initially form part of a salad with summer radishes, leaves, the last of the season’s peas and a strong mustardy vinaigrette. Or pile it into a sandwich with piccalilli and watercress. Then, with the aforementioned stock, make a split pea soup for the most wholesome of lunch options.

Benefits of Swaledale Butchers