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Love meat!

Those of you who’ve read my blog on more than one occasion will know that I try to not feature the obvious, am not much of a lover of the themed gift, and tend to write about stuff that first and foremost tastes great, rather than looks right for the occasion. I’m not going to divert from that now so, if you’re looking for hearts and flowers, you’re in the wrong place.

Instead I’m going to write a series of these for foodies with different kinds of tastes. Perhaps I should have called this first entry My Bloody Valentine, as I thought I would start with great gifts for those that love their meat.

Of course it’s not a traditional gift (unless it’s in the stalkerish tradition of sending an animl heart in a box to an ex, not recommended) but could be good excuse to indulge in some great meat (no tittering at the back please). Here’s a few suggestions from me:

•  A little dried sausage, perhaps? A whole saucisson or two could be just the thing . Try a natural countryside rosette of whole smoked saucisson dried in an old fashioned fireplace by Roches Blanches. Available through Virtual Farmer’s Market.
• Where’s the beef? Well, they won’t be asking that if they take delivery of 18kgs of Longhorn beef from Huntsham Farm. Every cut of beef you could want, from sirloin to silverside and plenty of mince in between. Renowned for their rare breed meat, this is going to be a gift of exceptional taste that will create a whole heap of meals for you to share happily together.
  

  Salami from The Real Boar Co

• Want to see a look of confusion followed by delight? Try wrapping up an 8kg Serrano ham on the bone. It’ll look like you’re sending a haunch of something, but once they’ve stopped being concerned/laughing then delicious ham is guaranteed, for weeks!
• Indulge them in the glory that is a proper pork pie with the only certified organic Melton Mowbray pork pie from Brocklebys. Made with organic Saddleback pork to a traditional 200 year old recipe, this is what a pork pie should really be like.
• Valentine’s Day is no time to be mean, so be generous and go large. How about a whole traditional rare breed pig, all butchered and ready for great eating? Well Keythorpe Traditional Pork & Lamb can offer you just that. It could be any one of the rare breed pigs that they keep, but all are going to be interesting eating, or curing, depending on your loved one’s level of skill.
• For a slight tounge in cheek gift, how about salami from The Real Boar Co? Hopefully they won’t take offence and will get slicing these great British salamis. The Bit of Each gives you three tasty salamis and a chorizo, or you can buy the individual salamis. Great looking cutting boards and knives too.

Meat serving board

• If they’re into roasts, then how about a meat serving board? I like the one that Jamie Oliver has, for having both style and substance. Looks good, spikes will hold the joint securely and the grooves will capture the juices ready for gravy making. Or just pouring directly back onto the meat!
• For a bit of inspiration for recipes, then you can’t go wrong with The River Cottage Meat Book for almost the a to z of all meat. But I would guess most meat loving foodies already have that one, so perhaps something like Rotis by Stephane Reynaud or John Torode’s Chicken and Other Birds for something a bit specific.
• If they would like to take things into their own hands, then there are some really good butchery courses around for the amateur. The School of Artisan Food has an introductory two day course, as well as Lamb & Mutton or Pig in a day, and River Cottage are of course past masters in this.

So, choose to indulge their favourite food choice, rather than falling prey to the norms of Valentine’s Day gifting. It will give them something to talk about, as well as something very tasty to get their teeth into.

Fabulous neon sign photo by SqueakyMarmot on Flickr and Saddleback pig photographed by Dave Hamster.

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