Three-day butchery course

Last week we held the first of our three-day butchery and charcuterie courses and I must say what a lovely group of people. As on all of our courses, the students  come from varied backgrounds, Charlotte and Gary were leaving the military, Rosie was taking some time out to do some woofing, Suzanne ran a large farming enterprise in Herefordshire, Andy a keen foodie, Robert (Yogi)  chef and  smallholder,  and the youngest Michael, straight out of college and looking to set up a farm shop. The three-day format gave plenty of opportunity for the group to get to know each other and I am sure some friendships and links have been established.

Day 1 was devoted to venison and lamb and Marc showed the group how to skin a deer and butcher it, followed by the butchery of one of our Dorset x Southdown lambs.The group made venison sausages with a spicy seasoning and some chorizo made with venison and pork. 

Day 2 was led by Dan who arrived with a whole pig  (from the abbatoir!). The morning was spent on the butchery of one side for meat cuts rather than curing. Then we all departed to the Stapleton Arms where chef Mark had prepared a lovely meal for us. The tasting platter of seafoods was delightful as was the spicy squash soup (using crown prince squash, my favourite).  Back to the classroom to complete the butchery, with some hands-on practice and lots of  butcher's knots. By the end of the day everybody had had a go at linking sausages,  wrapping pork in caul fat to make faggots, and pressing out some apple burgers.

Day 3 and it was Marc's turn again. This day was devoted to curing and  processing. The group made bacon (streaky and back)  and were shown how to make pancetta and coppa. Then onto processing, making pork pies, pates, and rillettes. Lunch of course was bangers and burgers which were really tasty - everybody was really pleased to think that they had made them all themselves.

So a great first three-day course. Hopefully some photos to come!