ORDER EARLY AND WE'LL GIVE YOU A PRESENT
Be a clever pants and order a whole turkey or whole ham before 26th November and we'll give you $20.00 to spend online or in the butchery.
Before we launch into spruiking our offer (which is fabulous and includes a reward for our clever pants OCD customers as well as the chance to win a Belted Galloway hide), humour us a moment as we examine our navels briefly and ponder the meaning of Christmas.
As self-appointed Champions of The Feast, we get very excited about Christmas because it's the biggest, national, annual Feast and the perfect excuse for us to do two of our favourite things - trumpet the virtues of our product offering and gather our loved ones together for a slap up feed. It's an opportunity to celebrate community and tribe and family, however far-reaching or particular your definition of those things might be.
It's a time to reflect on what binds us together and, as we tuck in to the bounty of the season, what binds us to the land that feeds us and on which we depend.
For us, family includes the regenerative farmers with a long-term commitment to sustainable food production and you, the consumers who support these producers and endorse their practice by buying their food. Together, we form a community of like-minded people united by the idea that a meaningful approach to food production, distribution and consumption starts with an understanding that we, as biological beings, are embedded in the process, not separate from it. We are, literally, what our food ate.
Whether we accept it or not, eating is a political act. Every decision about what we eat and every dollar we spend reinforces the way in which our food is produced and the choices we make at the checkout ripple all the way back to the farm and down into the earth. We are active and powerful agents in the cycle and we have the real capacity to change things for the better.
So whatever your tradition, whatever your culture, whatever your family and however you choose to celebrate this festive season, don't forget that when we sit down to eat, we are consuming the fruits of the soil, the lives of animals and the labour of farmers.
And for that we can all give thanks.
If you're a regular customer, we look forward to seeing how you feast this Christmas and we enthusiastically thank you for supporting regenerative farming and humane animal welfare in 2018. If you're a new customer, we're very pleased to see you and we hope that, if you order your Christmas fare with us, it will be the start of a life-long commitment to eating better meat raised on regenerative farms.
Right, that's the end of the serious bit, let the feasting begin!
FESTIVE RAFFLE - THIS IS TWO GOODS FOR YOU! The first Good:pay $5.00 and you go into the draw to win a gorgeous Ashrose organic Belted Galloway hide valued at $1,950. The second Good:we'll use proceeds from the raffle to add to our annual contribution to the Two Good Foundation's Christmas Feast at St Canice's Church Soup Kitchenon 19th December. We've been supporting the Two Good Foundation since 2010 and each year we contribute to the annual Christmas soup kitchen dinner, served to about 80 people. The feast includes a spit-roasted lamb, hams and lots of other lovely food and the diners will be serenaded by the Sydney Street Choir. The more raffle tickets you buy, the more we'll be able to offer the soup kitchen guests at Christmas dinner. GET YOUR RAFFLE TICKET NOW!
Christmas Hams - made from pasture-raised, NSW pork Order your Christmas ham
Only about 2% of Australian ham is made from pasture-raised pork and we are proud to say that all of our cured pork products come from pigs free to range on pasture at a handful of NSW farms. This is a traditional, bone in ham but you can also choose an easycarve ham or, if it's a smaller feast, a half ham. We know which farms our hams came from, how they’ve been stored, how they’ve been cured and, finally, who is buying them. Not many butchers can give you that kind of detail. Guaranteed provenance, full transparency, no exceptions. Photo: Alan Benson. Styling: Jane Hann.
Humane Choice Free Range turkey Order your Almond Grove Turkey
We'll have fresh birds for Thanksgiving and then again for Christmas. We've been buying Almond Grove White turkeys for four years and they remain the only Humane Choice Free Range certified turkeys in Australia. They're raised with great skill and care on certified organic pastures and provide an excellent table bird. Photo: Alan Benson. Styling: Michele Cranston.
Deutscher Heritage Breed, pasture-raised turkeys Order your Deutscher Heritage Turkey
Heritage breeds are more agile and grow more slowly than the commonly available commercial White turkey and they have slightly darker, gamier-flavoured meat and the skin and fat are yellower. Darryl Deutscher's Heritage turkeys range freely on chemical-free pastures and are born, bred and killed on the farm.
Jumbo Sommerlad Heritage Christmas Chook - Grassland Poultry Order your Jumbo Sommerlad
Grown out specially for us to over 112 days by Grasslands Poultry for December feasting (the intensive standard for white broiler chickens is 35). These will be mature, deeply-flavoured birds and it's a special treat. If turkey's not really your thing, then this is definitely the way to go. From 3.5 kg. Gorgeous, slow-growing, pasture-raised, heritage birds that hark back to the days when a big, plump chicken was proudly presented as the the centre piece for special feasts. Photo: Alan Benson. Styling: Michele Cranston.
Can't Stop Stuffing stuffing kit (pork, fennel, orange, pine nuts) Order your stuffing
We've done half the work for you and it's a snap to put together. Combining it all at home means your stuffing will be fresher than a pre-prepared one and allows you to legitimately claim you cooked it yourself! We cooked ours in our turkey for our Christmas photography shoot and it was so good we couldn't stop stuffing it down. Which is why we called it the 'Can't Stop Stuffing' stuffing. Photo: Alan Benson. Styling: Michele Cranston.
Porchetta with fennel, orange and chilli marinade Made with pasture-raised, NSW pork Order your Porchetta
Everyone's favourite and the ultimate party pleaser. Boned, rolled loin and belly lined with a marinade of crushed roasted fennel seeds, organic NSW garlic, salt, pepper, orange zest and a hint of chilli. If fennel's not your thing, try the rosemary porchetta. We also make shoulder porchettas which are just as delicious but a little easier on the hip pocket. Photo: Alan Benson. Styling: Michele Cranston.
Dry-aged Wagyu and Black Angus beef Click here to order special, dry-aged beef cuts for December
We're dry-ageing Gundooee Organic Wagyu and Glenburnie Black Angus prime cuts ready for the last two weeks of December including standing rib roasts, ribeye cutlets, sirloin and rump roasts and, of course, steaks a plenty. Remember, the body only yields a limited amount of eye fillet, scotch and sirloin so, if you're after something particular like a standing rib roast for six or more, please order as soon as possible so we can bags your cuts and you won't miss out.
Classes and vouchers Give your loved ones the gift of knowledge with a butchery or sausage making class. They may think they know everything but you and I know that isn't true and you should see what happens in the cool room when people start connecting with their inner butcher... Classes for Summer and Autumn are up online.
Alternatively, if they're a total smarty pants and really do know much more than you, give 'em a gift voucher for our gorgeous tucker. At least they can't make you feel inadequate when their mouths are full. Book a class.Give a voucher.
With the right ingredients, feasting can be a walk in the park. Literally. All you need is a bag full of goodies, a picnic rug and a negroni with a splash of Katie Swift's Blood Orange cordial...
Burraduc Buffalo Farmhouse mozzarella Order your mozzarella here.
A farmer who can breed and grow animals this well and then make extraordinary cheese all on the same farm is a rare thing. Danielle Alvarez at Fred's uses it and it was a 2018 Delicious Awards NSW State Finalist. Elena's feta and Dolce Nina cheeses are similarly gorgeous and her yoghurt is delicious. O'Tama Carey uses it at Lankan Filling Station. You'll find the cheeses and yoghurt at our butchery. Photo: Alan Benson, styling: Michele Cranston
Cured meats Order your pasture-raised cured meats
Only 2-3% of Australian pigs are raised outside on pasture, genuinely free to do their piggy thing. Between 50-75% of most pigs are cured for ham, bacon, salami etc. Which means only about 2% of the cured pork sold in restaurants, cafes, supermarkets, butchers and delis is made from pasture-raised pork. The rest is made from local or imported, intensively-raised pigs squashed together in sheds, restricted, medicated and definitely not free to range. Who wants to eat that? Read about pastured pork.
Karrabool Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Gold Award winner! Get your Karrabool oil
Karrabool Olives just won gold for their oil at the Sydney Royal Fine Food Show. It's a damn fine drop and we've been selling and using it since 2011. Here it is with Kristen Allan's Buttermilk Ricotta on Providence Bakery's sourdough (which we sell here on Saturdays). When you've finished your bottle, wash it out and bring it back and we'll refill it with more lovely Karrabool oil. Photo: Alan Benson, styling: Michele Cranston
UP-COMING EVENTS
Pocket City Farm Chats // 'Water & Drought' Wednesday 7 November, Camperdown
Discussion about helping farmers and best practice land management.
Hear celebrated regenerative designer Darren Doherty, farmers David Watson and Fraser Bayley and our Laura Dalrymple (Mrs Feather) Info & tickets here
22nd Symposium of Australian Gastronomy Monday 19 November
Feather and Bone whole goat butchery demonstration with Grant Hilliard.
Panel discussion on the role of food in social change, chaired by Benjamin Law, with Laura Dalrymple, Angie Sceats and others Info & tickets here Photo: Alice Wesley-Smith
Home Butchery class - last class for 2018 Saturday 10 November
Do you massacre the chook when you joint it? Does the string on your rolled roast remind you of school macrame projects? When you sharpen your expensive kitchen knives do they inexplicably end up slightly blunter than before? If this sounds familiar and you also fancy knowing how to bone a lamb leg then this class is for you. If someone lovely gave you a voucher for this class, now's the time! Info & tickets here
Sausage making class - last class for 2018 Saturday 24 November
It’s time to elevate the humble sausage from a receptacle for all the rubbish and scrapings that can’t otherwise be sold by butchers to its proper role as a mouth-watering showcase for gorgeous, local ingredients. Join us as we explain the provenance of the meats we source and the secret art of creating the superlative snag. Info & tickets here
PRIVATE CLASSES / CHRISTMAS PARTIES
Our classes are hands on, creative and eye-opening and are designed to teach good knife skills, explain what goes into raising great meat and inspire a more thoughtful approach to buying, cooking and eating meat.
Christmas party at the butchery, anyone? Find out more
CHEW THE FAT Read our blog for stories from the farms, produce and event news, ruminations on value and trust, a few dodgy jokes and the occasional rant about food labelling. Sometimes we talk about our pets - chickens, children, dog.
FEATHER AND BONE BUTCHERY Pick up an order or drop in and see what's on the block. Open Tuesday - Saturday:
8.00 am - 4.00 pm 8/10-14 Lilian Fowler Place
Marrickville, NSW 2204
