OUR LOCAL BUTCHER

He’s Back. YOUR LOCAL BUTCHER How to make better meat choices while supporting small businesses

Not too long ago we used to buy our meat from the friendly butcher down the road. Jump forward a decade or two and the neighbourhood butchery has all but disappeared. We now pop into our local supermarket and choose meat from what’s already cut, wrapped and priced. But slowly, here and there, things are changing. We’re starting to see the local or artisanal butcher shop making a comeback. is time they’re slightly dierent. eir focus is on buying whole animals from local farms that look aer their animals the way you and I would. Some of these butchers call themselves nose-to-tail butchers, or artisans. ese guys (and gals) ensure they source their animals from reputable farms with humane farming practices and where animals are free-range and fed on a diet that doesn’t include hormones.

A welcome change? Sure. You and many of today’s consumers want to know how food is being produced. You want transparency. ese butchers are bringing awareness and the conversation

Perhaps the HIGHER PRICES will inspire some consumers to REDUCE their quantity OF MEAT

around the meat that we eat back into our daily lives. ey are, of course, also providing the farmers who share their views with a place to sell their animals. ey are also a driving force for many other farmers wanting to switch to this type of husbandry, where they can get better prices for their meat and get back to farming the way their families used to in the past. Of course, although this all sounds nice, not everyone can aord the prices these butcheries are charging. Like most artisanal food products, they are priced higher than what you pay in the supermarket. e question for the meat industry is: how can we change the system to make accessible price points for meat that is humanely raised and, let’s face it, much better for the environment? One way, of course, is to educate consumers on the cheaper cuts of meat—such as brisket and mince. You don’t always need to be buying rib-eye steak or boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Farmers should also advocate for using older animals, like spent dairy cows that cut food costs and waste.

Perhaps the higher prices will inspire some consumers to reduce the quantity of meat they eat to just a few times a week, rather than every day, as well as get more out of the parts of the animals they usually throw away, like the bones (hello, bone broth). Isn’t this one of the keys to building a better planet? is brings us to the Slow Meat South Africa group that brings together farmers, butchers, artisanal meat producers, chefs and consumers. is group has a lot to say about the way farmers breed and rear meat. Since we’re a tjop en dop nation that eats a lot of meat, it’s time we start nding out what we’re putting into our bodies. e slow food movement is all about the alternatives to fast food and an awareness of our food’s origins. It’s about taking the time to connect to real life and what is local, traditional, and ethical. Founding member, Caroline McCann, of Braeside Butchery in Johannesburg, explains: “With increased demand, industrial farming has turned food production into a machine that puts prot and eciency ahead of health and sustainability. It is a short-sighted approach that comes at a cost to our health, our environment, animal welfare, the nutritional value of the meat we consume and even its taste.”

Here’s to a local butchery popping up around the corner from you soon.

FRANKIE FENNER MEAT MERCHANTS, CAPE TOWN e local favourites and quickly expanding Frankie Fenner believe that buying meat is about the farmers and, of course, the animals. ey work with passionate suppliers (the type who rear healthy, happy animals) to produce clean, ethical, sustainable food. LOCATION: Woodstock, Claremont, Gardens & Durbanville • TEL: 081 316 9251 • WEB: www.mm.co.za

THE FARM SHOP & BUTCHERY, STELLENBOSCH Stocks a range of products including Boschendal’s own pasture-reared Black Angus Beef, Duroc Pork, pasture-raised eggs, and fresh produce. e Farm Shop & Butchery is our go-to butchery in the winelands. LOCATION: Boschendal • TEL: 021 870 4281 • EMAIL: farmshop@boschendal.co.za

BRAESIDE, BRYANSTON ORGANIC MARKET, JOBURG All Braeside’s meat comes from specially selected farmers that they visit frequently and who farm ethically. Braeside claims to buy and sell only the best and most natural meat you’ll nd in Jozi. LOCATION: Bryanston Organic Market • TEL: 011 788 3613 • WEB: www.braesidebutchery.co.za Remember to ask your local butcher any questions you may have about your meat.

KAROO KITCHEN, DURBAN NORTH Karoo Kitchen partners with suppliers from across SA. The lamb is sourced from their own abattoir in the Karoo. They also stock Greenfields grass-fed beef, Wagyu and pure-bred Angus beef from Netherwood Farm, fresh Riversmead chicken, Sala pork and processed pork products, as well as game and artisanal products. LOCATION: Durban North • TEL: 031 564 0172 • WEB: www.karookitchen.co.za