Slow Grown Goodness with Swaledale Butchers

I love nothing more than cooking for the family. Making meals from scratch with the best produce is a real privilege, I am very lucky that I can cook using the very best ingredients to create well balanced meals. It’s been fun going from making dishes for three of us to two but I batch cooking and fill the freezer. It makes life even more stress free when it comes to deciding what to have for dinner after a busy day knowing you cooked it rather than reaching for a take away.

I wish I lived in a small village that had all amenities on my doorstep but alas I don’t, so finding the best produce is challenging, I don’t like using Supermarkets for vegetables, fish or meat. Then again travelling for miles to get all the things I need isn’t always economical either. Not having the best produce especially meat can be difficult but if you do your homework you can find wonderful suppliers that meet the high standards you are looking for.

When it comes to meat I want the very best, I don’t eat a lot but when I do I want it to be the highest quality. I usually make meat rich meals on Sundays when there are no time constraints to potter in the kitchen creating wonderful tasty dishes. Spending all afternoon making something delicious to enjoy with a glass of wine is one of life’s pleasurable moments.

Swaledale Butchers are an online business, their products are of the highest quality and delivered quickly and easily to your door. They are a family run Yorkshire based whole carcass online butchers working in partnership with the finest small scale, sustainable farms in the Dales. They specialise in heritage breeds of cattle, sheep and pigs, wild venison and native game birds. Their meat is slow grown and free roaming, just as nature intended.

“Our commitment to whole-carcass butchery and nose-to-tail eating sets us apart as one of the UK’s best online butchers. Our meat is nutrient-dense, grass-fed, and dry-aged for rich flavour, with a heritage worth preserving. Always Fresh, Never Frozen®, it’s expertly butchered to order, vacuum-packed, and shipped in recyclable packaging – arriving safely insulated and ready to enjoy.”

Having the produce delivered was a game changer, it arrived well packaged but knowing that it was all recyclable was brilliant. The meat is of the highest standard, so very good that it cooked like a dream and the taste was out of this world. I can honestly say it is some of the best meat I have had in a very long time.

I chose to create two different dishes, a rolled brisket to make Beouf en daube and diced venison for an aromatic curry both firm favourites in our house. Both dishes very simple to make but need a little time to cook, making the meat melt in your mouth but infuse the flavours of the sauces they cook in.

Beouf en Daube

Goose fat for browning

1 – 1 ¼ kg Rolled beef brisket (slow grown, grass fed)

Salt and freshly ground pepper for seasoning

1 Large onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 Garlic clove, crushed

400g Tin of organic chopped tomatoes

100g Green or black olives

150 ml Dry white wine

1 tsp Freshly chopped thyme

Method

Melt a knob of fat in a large casserole pot. Season the beef well with salt and pepper and place in the casserole pot. Brown quickly on all sides over a high heat. Remove the meat and set aside.

Add the onion and garlic to the pot. Lower the heat and fry gently for 2 – 3 minutes until golden. Return the meat to the pot and add the tomatoes, olives, white wine and thyme. Place the lid on the casserole pot and transfer to a moderate oven at 180°c and cook for 2 to 2½ hours or until the meat is very tender.

Stir a little water into the sauce if it becomes dry during cooking.

Transfer the meat to carve onto a serving platter, Adjust the seasoning of the sauce if needed and serve separately in a gravy boat.

It works very well with mashed potato and green beans.

Aromatic One Pot Venison Curry

1 tbsp Oil

1 Large onion, chopped

1 tsp Dark muscovado sugar

3 Garlic cloves, crushed

Walnut sized piece of fresh ginger, grated

2 tsp Garam masala

1 tsp Ground coriander

1 tsp Tumeric

1 tsp Chilli flakes

400g Tin of organic plum tomatoes

1 kg Diced venison (wild, estate reared)

150g creme freche

Freshly chopped coriander to garnish

Mango chutney to serve

Method

Heat the oven to 150ºC

Heat the oil in a large hob proof casserole pot, gently fry the onions for 10 minutes until soft. Turn up the heat to medium, stir in the sugar and cook for another 5 minutes until golden.

Stir in the garlic, ginger and spices and fry for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and break up with a wooden spoon. Add 400ml water and bubble for 10 minutes.

Add the venison and 1 tsp salt. Bring back to the just under the boil, cover and cook for 1 – 1½ hours until the meat is meltingly tender.

Check the seasoning and stir in the creme freche.

Garnish with coriander. Serve with naan bread, rice and chutney