June Butchers' Specials

June 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 June, summer produce is beginning to come into its own and cooking starts to shift again. There is still room for slower dishes and gentle braises, but the mood is lighter now, with brighter flavours, quicker cooking and more opportunities to cook outdoors. As that happens, demand for certain cuts naturally changes too.

By shopping our monthly specials, you help us maintain that balance. Every purchase supports our heritage breed farmers and helps ensure each animal is valued in full. This month’s selection brings together cuts that suit the season particularly well, from easy midweek cooking to long, lazy weekends outdoors.

12 products

June Specials: Early Summer Cooking, Borlotti Beans and Barbecue Days

Right, well that little heatwave has officially jump-started the Great British summertime. We’ve gone from longing for some sunshine to being fully immersed in all things summer: overcrowded beaches, river swimming, grade 5 sunburn and metric tonnes of ice cream. Whilst we may be returning to more typical June weather for a minute or two, it’s still good to be staring down the barrel of our favourite time of year. Aside from the light, the sunshine and the good vibes, it is also a brilliant time to be cooking, with some of the very best ingredients coming into season. Plus, of course, there is every excuse to get the barbecue out.

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One ingredient that excites us every year is fresh borlotti beans. Famed in Italian cooking, they are beautiful in their raw state and spectacularly delicious once cooked. Simmer them simply with a splash of white wine, some stock, a healthy glug or three of olive oil, a couple of whole garlic cloves and a few choice herbs, and they are at their best: the beans creamy, the stock sumptuous. They are a wonderful thing to serve with all sorts of meat.

Try a pair of pork loin steaks, grilled gently on the barbecue and rested on a couple of sprigs of rosemary, served with borlotti beans and a bowl of salmoriglio, with some dressed chard on the side. Simple, heavenly stuff. Or try lamb’s liver, fried in slices and served with a salad of borlotti beans, juicy summer tomatoes, a little onion and fresh marjoram. Finally, try adding the borlotti beans raw to a braise of featherblade steaks, with a few friggitelli peppers, onions and plenty of garlic: early summer on a plate.

Away from the fagioli, there is still plenty of joy to be had. Case in point: this epic recipe for barbecued lamb leg steaks with caponata. In keeping with the Italian slant so far, the sweet-sour character of Sicily’s most famous side dish stands up beautifully to the flavour of the lamb.

Finally, taking inspiration from one of our wholesale customers, try simmering a smoked ox tongue, then peeling and chilling it. Slice it as thinly as you possibly can and grill it over the smouldering embers of a barbecue. Once charred and crisped, season liberally with salt, chilli flakes and ground cumin, then stuff into a soft fresh pitta with salad, garlic yoghurt and a pickled green chilli, kebab-shop style.

Benefits of Swaledale Butchers