The Brace - Issue 2

FREE

AUTUMN & WINTER 2017/18 ISSUE 2

Seasonal Recipes

Meet the Producer

Winter Events

Our seasonal recipes and tips to make the perfect Christmas dishes. This issue we feature our favourite festive recipes

From farm to fork. Meet the dedicated Norfolk farmer behind our free-range turkeys this Christmas

From festive events with sizzling marshmallows to delicious haggis on Burns Night. Find out where to catch us this winter

THE BRACE OUR PRODUCERS

WELCOME THE BRACE

OUR DELI PRODUCERS

Welcome to our second edition of The Brace. For this issue we are more excited than ever to share with you all the exciting things we’ve been up to at Brace of Butchers.

It’s not all about the award-winning meat at Brace of Butchers, you know.

Here’s this issue’s selection of delicious local producers.

This year I’ve been immensely proud of not only our fantastic team, who keep going on to win award after award, but also the thriving local producers who help make Brace of Butchers so special. We founded the shop to provide a local food hall which really showcases the incredible producers on our doorstep. As the shop grows, so does our list of incredible suppliers and we’re so excited about each one.

You can now even order fresh local crab and hampers brimming full of Dorset goodies. as well as all your weekly food shopping.

You can read about this and much more in the issue. We believe that as long as you are able to offer your customers great service and fine products, the ethos of the traditional trader is still alive and kicking, which enables us to flourish in the heart of the community.

Our experienced butchers have knowledge about meat that you won’t find easily and we want to encourage people to tap into that knowledge, discover more about meat and most importantly of all, learn how to cook it and enjoy it at home.

Tilly Whim Soft Cheese

Sopley Vegetables

Traditional market gardener delivering superb vegetables and salad all year round. We love this season’s heritage carrots.

Tom Amery

Leaker’s Bakery

This lovely artisan bread is always popular in-store and flies off the shelf. We heartily recommend you try the mighty Dorset Cobber.

Tom Amery, Brace of Butchers

© Photography by Lara-Jane Thorpe

This colourful little cheese is named after the caves in Dorset where the Purbeck stone was once mined.

Brace of Butchers CELEBRATE DORSET WITH US Since opening in October 2014 in Queen Mother Square, Brace of Butchers has developed into a whole lot more than a traditional butchers shop.

The Watercress Company

We are so proud of our sister company’s delicious produce and incorporate it in lots of our recipes, sandwiches and products.

Chesil Smokery

We absolutely love the Chesil Smokery’s kippers, smoked salmon and gravlax. Check out the range of fish available this season.

Pear Tree Produce

Produced in nearby Nottington, Weymouth, this delicious range of jams and chutneys is worth shouting about. Come & try for yourself.

This has been a big year for us at Brace of Butchers.

Brace of Butchers now boasts a range of in-

National New Butcher of the Year in the Butcher’s

house products, thoughtfully developed by local

Shop of the Year Awards 2015, finalists for Best

Since opening our doors our range has developed

restauranteur and chef Mark Vaughan that make a

Butcher in the Taste of Dorset Awards 2015, 2016

welcome addition to the baskets of more than 55,000

and 2017, plus a silver in the National Sausage

of our customers per year.

Awards.

butchers in the heart of Poundbury, we not only

A popular addition this year has been our hot

Founder Tom Amery said: “We opened the shop

offer locally-sourced beef (expertly dry-aged in the

lunches. We plan these each morning, using the

and built it around customer needs. It was a grass

shop), pork, lamb, poultry and game but a whole

freshest seasonal ingredients and post the day’s

roots concept and we look forward to many more

range of local produce that can be bought including

special on our social media platforms. So now,

awards to celebrate Dorset food and drink in the

bread from artisan bakeries, West Country cheeses,

lunchtimes are busier and eager customers are

coming years.”

charcuterie, home-baked pies and pasties, market

delighted to find comforting classics along with new

fresh fruit and vegetables and a range of food-to-go.

dishes and also our range of fresh soups.

and grown and we are at a place where we’re really proud of our foodie destination. As an artisan

Derwen Farm Organic Hens Eggs

These eggs are a popular addition to our deli counter. You can handpick these beautiful organic eggs.

Dorset Brewing Company

Local brewers with a difference. Come and try the range of beers. We particularly love the Jurassic and Chesil bottles. Cheers!

Dorset Dairy Company

This thick, creamy yoghurt is a real treat.

The third generation company started 60 years ago in Stalbridge and is thriving today.

This year we have also got even more involved with the community with the popular Sausagetastic

Winning awards is always special to us. We work

competition at Damers First School. Our annual

hard and this recognition is important. Earlier this

conker championship was a delight and we were

year we won Gold in the Taste of West Awards and

pleased to help judge the Young Chef competition

one of our most prestigious accolades this year was

where teenager Olivia Lovell was selected. We hope

the finalist position for Best Butcher of the UK and

you watch this space for news of her progress. So for

winner for Best Newcomer in the UK.

us, in the run up to Christmas, we hope you can join

Since opening, the team is incredibly proud to have already picked up many other awards including

us in celebrating the very best of Dorset.

Happy festive season to you all from the entire team.

The Conker Championship winner 2017 Glenn Taylor

2

3

THE BRACE SEASONAL FOOD

SEASONAL FOOD THE BRACE

BEN BLACK BUTCHER

One of the friendliest faces you’ll come across in the butchery world, seasoned butcher Ben Black tells us all about his love of food.

How will you be spending Christmas?

and the greeting that customers receive on arrival.

I think butchers really are the forgotten heroes of Christmas! This will be my 21st Christmas as a butcher and we work very long hours in the lead up to it.

The uniforms are also popular with tourists visiting Poundbury and some want to take a picture with you or try the hat on!

I say goodbye to the wife and kids for the five days before Christmas. We have to be well-prepared and won’t let anyone down, but I’d advise customers to get your order in early. It’s a great time of year for local produce and with the temperature dropping we’ll be doing more hearty meals with slow cooks and stews. We also work with local shoots and game dealers.

“We have to be well-prepared and won’t let anyone down, but I’d advise customers to get your order in early.”

Do customers like a man in uniform?

People like to see a well-dressed butcher. We work hard with the shop display and the presentation of our produce, so it’s essential that you reflect that in person too. Uniform is a big thing and something that my colleagues and I take pride in.

We also try to bring a bit of theatre to the Brace, from the butchery skills on display, the shop layout

Is there a food revolution taking place right now?

People really care about what they’re eating again now. There’s been a huge shift away from ready meals and back to cooking at home and knowing where food comes from.

We have the trust of our customers, as we have full traceability of our meat. It was also why we decided to put the large glass window in, so the meat is there for everyone to see.

ORDER YOUR

Fresh crab

FOOD

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER/JANUARY/FEBRUARY

Autumn

Winter

NOVEMBER FRUIT

Apples Blackberries Damsons Elderberries Pears Plums Quince Sloes

VEG

Beetroot Carrots Celeriac 4

DECEMBER - FEBRUARY Fennel Field Mushrooms Kale Leeks Lettuce Marrows Potatoes Pumpkins Rocket Sorrel Squashes Sweetcorn Tomatoes Watercress

FRUIT Apples Pears

VEG

Jerusalem Artichoke Beetroot Brussels Sprouts Cabbages Cauliflowers Celeriac Chicory Fennel Kale

Leeks Parsnips Potatoes Red Cabbages Swedes Turnips

Roasted Chestnuts

We’re passionate about what we do and would like to grow within the community.

£12.50 per crab

If you’ve tasted locally caught Portland crab you will understand our excitement! You can now order fresh crab from Sally’s Fish Camp and it will be ready for collection every Friday. Fish Fridays has a new meaning...

Seasonal produce in Brace of Butchers - featuring New Forest Chanterelles

Seasonal

I can confidently answer anything that a customer would like to know about the meat.

Game Season Hare

August 12 – January 31

Pheasant

October 1 – February 1

Partridge

September 1 – February 1

Grouse

August 12 – December 10

New

Fallow - Bucks August 1 - April 30 Fallow - Does November 1 – March 31 Sika - Stags

August 1 – April 30

Sika - Hinds

November 1 – March 31

Roe - Bucks

April 1 – October 31

Roe - Does

November 1 – March 31

CHERRY PICKED HAMPERS You can now order a Cherry Picked Hamper (full of delicious Dorset produce) in the shop and have it sent anywhere in the UK. Perfect present!

5

THE BRACE MEET THE PRODUCER

SEASONAL RECIPES THE BRACE

The Brace Christmas turkey

MARK CHILCOTT’S

Top TURKEY tips

WITH GARLIC, SAGE AND STREAKY BACON

TIP 1 As soon as possible after

This delicious recipe by our chef Mark Vaughan will help make your Christmas meal simple but mouthwatering. Serves six guests with the all essential leftovers.

collecting your turkey, remove all the packaging and put in a fridge.

People often ask us if their bird will be OK in the garage. It really won’t be as the ideal storage temperature for poultry is 0-4°C and garages are seldom that cold.

INGREDIENTS:

1 sprig fresh sage 12 slices BoB smoked streaky bacon 1 bulb garlic, broken into cloves

TIP 2 We would also advise not

4 medium red onions, peeled

stuffing the cavity, but stuff the neck instead and the breast. This stops the meat drying out during cooking.

2 sticks celery, trimmed and chopped 1 handful breadcrumbs 1 handful dried apricots 300g BoB minced pork 1 lemon, zested 1 pinch grated nutmeg 1 large free-range egg

© Photography by Lara-Jane Thorpe

Sea salt

Meet the producer

Freshly ground black pepper 12 small sprigs of fresh rosemary, plus a few extra 4-4.5 kg Chilcott Turkey, at room temperature 2 carrots, peeled Olive oil

MARK CHILCOTT CHILCOTT TURKEYS

2 tablespoons plain flour

Free-range turkey farmer Mark Chilcott makes sure that Brace of Butchers is supplied with the very best Bronze turkeys in preparation for the most important dinner of the year.

1 litre chicken or vegetable stock

For the last 25 years, Mark and his family have been fattening and preparing the birds in the old-fashioned way from their farm in Owermoigne near Dorchester.

Mark says: “We’re passionate about producing the finest quality turkeys for our consumers.

“We start rearing slow-growing strains of turkeys in June so by December they are fully mature and well finished.”

This maturing process is the reason why Mark’s turkeys are so moist and succulent with an outstanding taste. Unlike supermarket produce, the birds are grown to mature size and have a nice layer of fat under the skin, which makes them almost self-

6

basting. Mark adds: “The birds are housed in barns on straw bedding and allowed to free-range from eight weeks old. Traditional processing methods are used on our farm and the birds are plucked, finished by hand and hung in a cold store for at least a week prior to dressing. This way of preparing the poultry gives the best time period to make them much more tender and flavoursome.”

“We’re passionate about producing the finest quality turkeys for our customers.”

Mark is clearly passionate about his flock and knows all their quirks and eccentricities. “Their favourite things to eat are stinging nettles and slugs. It doesn’t

matter how many stinging nettles there are in the pen, they’ll soon strip the leaves off. They crave it!”

Chilcott Turkeys share the same passion for provenance and local produce as Brace of Butchers, so working together was a natural step.

“I was more than happy to supply Brace of Butchers with turkeys. Food miles is a big thing for us and it’s only six miles to Poundbury, so that’s the whole distance that the birds travel. It also means that the whole process stays within the community.”

Being a turkey farmer at Christmas is as busy as you’d imagine.

“It’s always manic and we have about 20 extra staff to get us through, but we always get there in the end.”

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to maximum. Heat a saucepan until medium hot and add a splash of olive oil, the sage leaves and six of the bacon strips. Peel and chop 2 garlic cloves and 1 onion. Add the garlic, celery and onion to the saucepan and fry everything gently until soft and golden brown. Take the pan off the heat, chop the apricots roughly and add to the pan along with the breadcrumbs and stir in. When the stuffing has cooled, add the pork, lemon zest, nutmeg, egg and a good seasoning of salt and pepper, mix together well.

2. Chop the remaining onions in half and slice the carrots thickly. Give your turkey a good wipe, inside and out, with kitchen paper, and place it on a board, with the neck end towards you. Find the edge of the skin that’s covering the turkey’s breasts and gently peel it back. Work your fingers and then your hand under the skin, freeing it from the meat. If you’re careful you should be able to pull all the skin away from the meat, keeping it attached at the sides. Go slowly and try not to make any holes! Lift the loose skin at the neck end and spoon the stuffing between the skin and the breast, tucking the flap of skin underneath to stop anything leaking out.

3. Place your turkey on a large roasting tray, rub it all over with olive oil and season well. Surround with the chopped carrots,

onions, remaining garlic, cover with tinfoil and place in the preheated oven. Turn the heat down right away to 180°C/350°F/gas 4, and roast for 20 minutes per lb , making sure that the juices run clear from the thigh if you pierce it with a knife. Remove the tinfoil for the last 45 minutes to brown, Carefully lift the turkey out of the tray and rest on a board that’s covered loosely with foil for at least 1 hour.

4. When the resting time is nearly up, skim the surface fat from the roasting tray and add the flour and stock. Place the tray on the hob and bring to the boil on a high heat. When the gravy starts to thicken, strain it into a bowl. Carve your turkey, serve with your gravy and enjoy with your favourite vegetables and of course roast potatoes.

7

THE BRACE SEASONAL EVENTS

WINTER EVENTS The colder weather has arrived but that just opens the doors for lots of Autumn and Winter events to get involved with. Come and join us over the festive period.

Winter events 2017/18

Join our Brace of Butchers team at these events this winter: 24 November Christmas Lights Switch On, Buttermarket in Poundbury 25 November Christmas Market in the Buttermarket, Poundbury

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS SWITCH ON

CHRISTMAS MARKET

Friday 24 November, The Buttermarket, 5.30pm - 7.30pm

Saturday 25 November, The Buttermarket, 10am - 4pm

It’s time to get festive at Poundbury’s light switch on. Come and listen to carols from schoolchildren of both The Prince of Wales First School & Damers First School. We will be there taking part and serving festive mulled wine on the night.

Come and join us at the nearby Buttermarket for the Poundbury Christmas Market. There will be activities, a Santa’s grotto and lots of delicious food.

Join us and enjoy marshmallows on sticks over the BoB fire and enjoy a glass of mulled wine.

17-24 December Hot mulled drinks every afternoon at Brace 25 January Burns Night at Brace 14 February Valentine’s Day at Brace

Connect with us @bracebutchers @braceofbutchers @Brace of Butchers www.braceofbutchers.co.uk SHOP OPENING HOURS Queen Mother Square, Poundbury, Dorset, DT1 3BW Telephone 01305 260956

CHRISTMAS ORDER FORMS AVAILABLE GET YOUR ORDERS IN...

Mon & Tues 8.30am - 5pm MULLED CIDER & CHESTNUTS

Weds, Thurs, Fri 8.30am - 6pm Saturday 8.30am - 4pm

Christmas orders from 7 November

Brace of Butchers, Sun 17 December onwards

Brace of Butchers source from great local farmers, growers and suppliers to ensure we are investing in the Dorset community. Our range is hand-picked and prepared for you to ensure you have the perfect Christmas dinner. Come and see us for advice for your special day.

Visit us this Christmas and celebrate the season with a cup of freshly mulled cider and chestnuts.

Keep popping in to see what seasonal treats we have on offer for you including Christmas tipples and tasters. We wish you the very best of the season.

Let’s raise a glass and celebrate!

8

Sunday (and bank holidays) 10am - 1pm This newspaper was proudly produced by our friends at Bright Daisy Publishing Ltd