6 minute read
BONE BROTH
Packed with nutrients, bone broth is making a significant comeback as a simple, healthy superfood
It’s hard to think of a food that is super-healthy, packed with nutrients, warming and totally delicious. Well, bone broth is becoming increasingly popular in terms of nutrition, ethics and in hard times, it’s economical too.
The broth is made out of animal bones –something consumers and supermarkets have in recent years tended to dismiss, but there’s one place in the Ribble Valley that has been advocating this nose-to-tail consumer philosophy for many years.
Ian O’Reilly and Emma Robinson of Gazegill Organics at Rimington are true believers that all parts of the animal should be used: “We are selling more mixed stock bones, beef, lamb, chicken and marrow bone than ever.
“Our organic bones are in high demand such is their extraordinary quality –an essential for anyone searching for an abundance of vitamins, minerals and trace elements,” says Ian.
Gazegill has been farmed by the Robinson family for almost 500 years and Ian and Emma have looked to the past to influence how they farm today. Their animals feed on rich hay meadows, which have a direct impact on their produce.
“Bone broth is a traditional concept that has returned. It’s uncanny that people are buying chicken feet again – boiling them down to make a delicious broth with other bones. All bones have a slightly different taste. When they are boiled slowly, they release gelatine that sets in the pan as it cools. It’s so dense and full of nutrients,” explains Ian.
“Warmed up as a cup of broth, used to make gravy or to add taste to other dishes, it’s simply delicious!”
Gazegill Organics now sell a quarter of a ton of bones every week to restaurants and private consumers.
“A lot of our customers are very health conscious,” agree Ian and Emma. “They read up and find out about the benefits of broth –it’s a very nutrient-dense product.”
Bone broth is a rich, nutritious food that contains protein, collagen and minerals such as iron, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus and it is believed to improve our bone and joint health, promote weight loss and improve hair, skin and nails.
As well as selling animal bones and marrow bones for consumers to make their own broth, Gazegill also retails ready-made organic bone broth too.
“Any broth tends to be good for you, and it’s super tasty too!”
Gazegill has also experienced a noticeable increase in the sale of offal too: “Chicken feet and pig’s trotters have a really high level of gelatine, they are really popular with our customers.
“Ox liver has stayed in our ‘top 10’ in terms of sales for a long time – heart too is also popular,” add Ian and Emma, who make their own five per cent fat mincemeat featuring 10 per cent heart, 10 per cent liver and 80 per cent minced beef as well as producing their own beef and offal burgers.
“The mince is delicious and again, packed with nutrients. Used just as you would normal mince, it is perfect for getting children to eat offal – as they don’t even know they are eating it!”
Gazegill has regular customers who buy grass-fed marrow bones: “Our customer base is from a wide demographic – from single parent families to those with lots of disposable income – we have even had orders from a leading Manchester City player!
“The concept of bone broth has animal welfare and ethics at its core,” adds Ian. “When we send out our Gazegill newsletter whenever we talk about nature and animal welfare it tends to engage people.”
Nose-to-tail consumerism has seen a huge resurgence among world renowned chefs as well as home cooks, who are reluctant to waste any part of the animal, especially in hard times: “It is about respecting the animal. It is amazing, from ox cheeks to pig cheeks, we have been advocating this way of eating for many years,” says Emma.
Ian adds: “All the things that some of the best supermarkets don’t seem to want, like ox tail, we can’t get enough of! People are becoming much more aware of what they eat and what they buy.”
gazegillorganics.co.uk
GAZEGILL BROTH RECIPE
Ingredients:
1-2 kg marrow middles
1 chicken carcass (use left over from a Sunday roast – zero waste)
Mixed veg – any combination of these
1 medium onion 1 large carrot 1 leek 1 chives 1 celery Salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar Water
Take your marrows and place in a covered roasting tray and roast at 180-200˚C for an hour (you can use a spare shelf in the oven when cooking your roast chicken dinner or air fry them). Roasting the bones gets all the flavour from them.
Don’t forget to deglaze the roasting tray and use this liquid. Store in the fridge until ready to use.
Take the bones, chicken carcass and all the other ingredients and place in a large stock pan or slow cooker and cover with water.
TIP: Use leftover veg water, this has a lot of goodness in it already.
Timings are roughly the same for hob and slow cooker.
Simmer bones (don’t let them boil or reduce too much) for 24 hours. If you do not want to cook overnight, cool and store in the fridge until you put them on the next day.
TIP: If you have, a pressure cooker is ideal and reduces cooking time by three hours.
Pass the cooked broth through a fine mesh sieve and place in jars. You can freeze these and use them as required.
TIP: For a deeper flavor add two tablespoons of soy sauce or coconut aminos, one cup roughly chopped mushrooms and two tablespoons of tomato paste – this creates a richer flavour.
Heat and season to taste – Maggi liquid seasoning is very good for this. Enjoy!
