Just before we start, we'd like to congratulate all those awarded gongs in Monday's Queen's Birthday Honours list (with some reservations aboutthis bizarre inclusion). 40% of the honourees are women and, while this is below parity, it's the highest proportion so far and that is something to celebrate. It's particularly lovely to see one of our staunch advocates get a gong - the author Charlotte Wood AM. If you haven't read her books, start immediately.
Right, on to business.
In our experience, when it comes to sourcing ethical and sustainably-raised produce there are two kinds of people in this industry. Those who talk about it a lot and make sweeping motherhood statements that are thick on emotion and thin on facts and those who actually get on and do it without making a lot of noise about it. This week we're very pleased to celebrate one of the latter, the excellent Charlie and Franks Cafes on Sydney's north shore. Read more below.
In this newsletter:
~ 10% off lovely lamb legs in June
~ 2 spots in this Saturday's Home Butchery class
~ people who walk the talk: Charlie and Franks
~ mutton dressed as lamb
~ pre-order for Malfroys Gold Post Brood honey.
And, in case you missed last week's rave, read about the May winner of The Year of the Pastured Pig Competition and a brief digression about African Swine Flu. Buy a box and enter the competition to win one sixth of a pastured pig in June!
There are two spots available in this Saturday's Home Butchery class.
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 then this class is for you. A recent student had this to say.
'Having mastered the dagger hold, henceforth no chicken or leg of lamb will remain unboned in my presence! The class was an afternoon incredibly well spent - I can now confidently deal with a bird or lamb leg, and Grant shared a wealth of knowledge about everything from animal anatomy to sustainable practices and industry challenges.' Book the class.
10% off lamb legs in June!
We're going through one of those uncomfortable periods in the life of a whole body butcher where the maths just don't add up. You receive a delivery of whole lambs, all of which have four limbs - two shoulders and two legs. But it's winter and everyone's decided they only want to cook shoulder so you're left with an excess of excellent legs. This is a bore for us but very good news for you because we need to shift these legs so we're giving you 10% off all lamb legs for the month of June. Use the discount code10%LAMBLEG when you check out online.
Charlie and Franks: walking the talk and celebrating a three year relationship
There's no denying that we can be a cantankerous and cynical bunch here at Feather and Bone, but nothing melts our hearts faster than a wholesale customer who genuinely walks the sustainably-raised produce talk. There is so much green washing out there and so many snake oil salesmen who'll buy a single organic product and then claim that their entire offering is sustainable that it's a rare pleasure to come across someone with the courage of their convictions. Of course, we consider ourselves very spoiled in this regard because, along with all the excellent retail customers we deal with each week, we also get to work with some wonderful cafes and restaurants that support regenerative farming by putting their money where their mouths are, week in, week out.
George and Francesca, the owners of Charlie and Frank’s Cafes in North Sydney and St Leonards are one such customer. True industry professionals, they met while working the floor in a big, busy Sydney restaurant and worked together and separately for nearly two decades in some of the biggest places in town before setting off on their own. Francesca, with her then business-partner, kicked it off, opening the first Charlie and Frank’s in the city. After a few years, George and Fran took the plunge to merge their personal and professional lives and launched the business we know today in North Sydney and St Leonards. Somehow, they manage to balance three young children and two cafes (they like to open the cafés at the same time as birthing babies.)
For over three years, every week, they have been sourcing from us here at Feather and Bone. With no great chest-beating about how “everything we source is sustainable and grass-fed etc. etc.”, they just quietly offer what they think is the best product and let their customers make up their own mind. (It’s our experience that the cafes and restaurants that talk about being ‘sustainable’ the most, generally do it the least.) Not that their light is completely hidden under the bushel as a small chalkboard lists the origin of the meat we supply them week to week, along with their ever-changing coffee offer.
Lovely people, great food and coffee, a concise and interesting wine list and an ingredient list you can trust. Watch out for dinners coming soon at St.Leonard’s too. Possibly featuring spit-roasted meats. Just saying.
That's the blackboard pictured below and George with Mr Bone.
Mutton dressed as lamb and the 'under-loved' cuts
In an odd coincidence, we featured twice in the Sydney Morning Herald last week, on Tuesday in Good Living and on Thursday in the news section. In both instances, we were talking about sheep. On Tuesday, we raved about 'secondary' cuts and the joys of cuts like lamb breast or ribs. On Thursday, Jenny Noyes interviewed Mr Bone about the very interesting changes in lamb definition. 'Until now, the Australian definition has rested on an "arbitrary" age marker that farmers and butchers say dramatically reduces the value of perfectly tender meat. But from July 1, the definition of lamb will change, meaning Australian farmers will be able to sell some of the stock that is classified as hogget under the current system for about $50 more – and the nation's lamb lovers will be none the wiser.' Read the article here.
YEAR OF THE PASTURED PIG ~ PORK GIVEAWAY!
To celebrate The Year of the Pastured Pig, for six months from May to October we're giving away one sixth of a whole, NSW pastured pig. Buy a Feather and Bone box to be in the running to win.
We'll draw the second winner on 1 July.
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The more boxes you buy the better your chances. Go for it!
Malfroys Gold amazing Post Brood honey is back! Don't miss out. Email us to order your advance jars now. $32.00 per 500 gm jar.
The photos above are taken by Tim Malfroy and show the post brood honey combs and the wilderness locations of Tim's hives. It is extraordinary stuff. This is what Tim says about the Post Brood honey: 'Produced exclusively from Warré hives, post-brood is honey that has come through the broodnest over time (via the nadiring process unique to Warré method apiculture). The combs (built entirely by the bees) spend 2-4 years inside the hive, and the resulting honey is unlike any other honey, both in flavour and composition. The dark combs are fantastically rich with bee bread (fermented pollen) and propolis, giving the honey a layered, deep and complex flavour profile. We press the combs at room temperature, settle the honey, then bottle into glass jars in autumn when the honey sets into a finely textured, thick creamy consistency. The honey has tested at UMF 10+ to UMF 20+ (high medicinal activity), and has up to 80,000x the pollen grains of conventionally produced honey. '
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We sold out of this incredible honey months ago and Tim Malfroy tells us that he's just bottled up the new batch and we'll have it in the next few weeks.
Don't just take our word for it. Malfroys Gold Post Brood honey was a State Winner in the Delicious Produce Awards and is in the national competition held later in the year. Don't miss out. Email us to order your advance jars now. $32.00 per 500 gm jar.
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.
NEW BUTCHERY HOURS!
We've changed our weekday hours and our new opening times are as follows.
Tuesday to Friday: 10.00 am ~ 5.00 pm
Saturday (no change): 8.00 am ~ 4.00 pm Parking
If you're planning to come by car, please park in front of Feather and Bone, Unit 8. If there's no room in front of our place, hang five because a space will come up pretty soon. Alternatively, please park on the street just outside the front gate. We and our neighbours thank you for your consideration.
