September Butchers' Specials

September 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 September, summer is beginning to give way to autumn and the way we cook shifts with it. Some of the best late summer produce is still abundant, whilst cooler days bring an appetite for slightly richer dishes, slower cooking and more time back in the kitchen. Demand for different cuts changes with the season too.

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 particularly well suited to September, from lamb and late summer cooking to smoked pork, sausages and deeply savoury dishes for the first days of autumn.

12 products

September Specials: Early Autumn Cooking and Late Summer Produce

Right, that’s it. Summer is over. Done, finito, finished. So, pack away your shorts, beach towels and fancy summer shirts and dresses, and check how much of your knitwear has been eaten by moths over the past few months. Autumn is on its way.

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Of course, we’re being a little dramatic, and seasons don’t just change at the click of a finger. We’re making the slow, steady transition into what is actually one of the best times of the year. And isn’t it so nice to do so off the back of a warm, hazy summer? It really has been wonderful.

The slide into autumn does bring with it a slightly different focus in the kitchen. Some of the best summer crops will keep giving into September, plus we have the arrival of the game season, which is always a delight. As always, our monthly specials collection is a great place to find that culinary inspiration you were looking for.

Aubergines are slow to ripen, needing all of the summer sun to fully develop, so they are at their best now. One of our favourite preparations for them is imam bayildi. The aubergines are fried in olive oil and then folded through a spiced tomato sauce, spiked with raisins, pine nuts and mint. Served warm, it makes for a fantastic side to many a cut of lamb. Try lamb liver, fried in butter with salt and a sprinkling of cumin seeds, or a rolled lamb belly braised with onions and peppers. Warm flatbreads, cacik and perhaps some couscous on hand complete the picture.

Beans have a life-affirming quality to them, and the end of summer is a perfect time to be eating them. Braise some fresh white beans, cannellini or similar, with plenty of garlic, a little tomato and bay leaves, plus a piece of smoked pork belly and a handful of chorizo sausages. What you now have is a picture of simplicity and a dish of beans to rival anything else. Bread and a glass of light red wine, or fino sherry, is all that is needed.

Finally, as this awesome recipe is always worth a revisit, try Val’s version of an all-time takeaway classic, crispy chilli beef.

Happy cooking!

Benefits of Swaledale Butchers