Meet our Butchers: Part 1

Organic Farm Shops

When we launched our organic grocery delivery company back in 2004, our sole focus was on delivering organic meat and grass fed beef. Our first herd of native Aberdeen Angus heritage cattle arrived the year before and, alongside work to gain Soil Association organic certification, set a steady base for selling organic meat to the local community. We’re proud to reduce food miles by, alongside our own cattle, supporting local livestock farmers who supply our Farm’s organic Butchery and Butchers Counters with premium organic meat.

Whilst rearing organic and 100% grass fed meat with the utmost attention to animal welfare is an integral part of our work at Eversfield Organic, it’s only the first step. We understand that our expertly skilled, traditional trained butchers are key to getting the full field to fork journey, hand-butchering your favourite cuts. With this in mind, we’re introducing a new Newsbeet Article series in which we chat with a member of our various butcher teams to give them the appreciation they deserve.

Field to (Organic) Farm Shop

Although our Organic Farm Shops in Tavistock and Totnes were launched relatively recently to support our local high streets, it’s here we’re heading first. We love the idea of our customers being able to hand pick their own cut of organic meat like at a traditional butchers as opposed to an online butchers. Being able to ask the butchers themselves questions also seems to draw customers to our farm shop butchers counters. Our retail butcher, Jamie, explains that meat lovers often ask him questions about the provenance of our organic meat. These kinds of queries are great for an organic business like ours, and Jamie doesn’t hesitate in letting shoppers know just how much care we put into our locally sourced meat. 

The ethical nature behind organic farming and pasture fed for life meat is also what Jamie appreciates most about working with this type of meat. Knowing that every joint, cut or piece of meat given to a customer is of the highest standards in more ways than one reassures him that they’ll return for more. Plus, knowing the animals have had the best treatment possible throughout their lifetime allows Jamie to rest a little easier both at work and at home.

A Family Affair

Although Jamie admits that butchery wasn’t his first career choice, he decided after leaving college that university wasn’t for him. Now, at age 22, he’s been working in the meat and retail industry for the past 6 years, which makes sense as he explains that both his Dad and his Grandad were butchers too. His interest in the trade continued to grow the more he learnt, quickly turning interest into passion.

Continuing to learn what you can get out of an animal and being creative with what you can do with meat keeps Jamie immersed in his work. His personal favourite meat to work on would be an organic Rib of Beef. The versatility of this joint makes it Jamie’s favourite, being able to trim, tie and present as you like. Plus, with the right trimming this joint makes the famous Ribeye steak (just awarded Taste of the West Gold), Tomahawk steak and Cote De Boeuf steak.

When it comes to cooking, Jamie recommends a Beef Brisket, marinated and cooked low and slow for the most succulent joint. In terms of our organic beef, Jamie reveals the shoppers’ favourite seems to be our 28 Day Dry Aged Beef cuts, or our delicious organic chicken.

Head down to our Tavistock or Totnes Farm Shop to browse our wide selection of organic grass fed meat, plus everything you need for a weekly organic food shop. You can also bring your own box or container to pick up your meat, allowing us to cut back on the use of our butchers bags (plus, our counters don’t vacuum pack the meat, allowing for the best texture and quality). And of course, Jamie will be at hand to answer questions and assist in picking the perfect organic meat cut for you.