In light of the British Food Festival, we thought we would give our readers an insight into the brains behind the fantastic butchers: Allens of Mayfair. All of the meat served at The Lonsdale comes from these guys; we know that their product is top notch, but lets hear it from the horses mouth, (no – they don’t sell horse meat!)
Lonsdale - For a shop that has such a long history, was it daunting to take over and re-build?
Allens of Mayfair - We tidied it up; we didn’t re-build it as such. We gave it a new floor and ceilings, but nothing major.
L - We Brits are mostly a meat loving nation, and we have some great traditions. What is your favourite way of cooking beef?
A - My favourite way of cooking beef is to pan-fry and then grill it. For a fillet steak – literally two minutes on each side.
L - Which meat do your customers most like to buy? And can you say why this is?
A - Everything. Lamb, beef – we’re heading into game season so we are selling a lot of grouse, mallard and pheasant is very popular. It’s seasonal popularity more than anything else.
L - Over the years we’ve found that some cuts / types of meat rise and fall in popularity; is there anything missing from today’s market that you’d like to see make a comeback?
A - They are all making a comeback. Braising meats such as oxtail and lamb shank are coming back in.
L - We guess that over the years you have both consumed a mass amount of meat, but besides the usual, what’s the craziest you’ve eaten?
A - Lamb testicles. I got conned into eating it by a chef who told me that it was scampi. I quickly realised that it wasn’t!
L - Tell us more about your butchery classes?
A - We run the butchery classes every Wednesday from 1 – 2.30. It’s £100 a session – but you get five different cuts of meat and then you get to take it home. It is very popular – it is fully booked until December – a lot of people buy it as a Christmas present or birthday present.
We can’t really add much after lamb’s testicles…
Now that you know a little bit more about the minds behind the guys that provide us with our top quality meat, the next time you tuck into your steak or a burger, think about joining the top butchers at Allens – maybe it’s time for a butchery class…
For further information on Allens of Mayfair, visit their website http://www.allensofmayfair.co.uk/ or say hello on twitter - @allensofmayfair.
Lonsdale - For a shop that has such a long history, was it daunting to take over and re-build?
Allens of Mayfair - We tidied it up; we didn’t re-build it as such. We gave it a new floor and ceilings, but nothing major.
L - We Brits are mostly a meat loving nation, and we have some great traditions. What is your favourite way of cooking beef?
A - My favourite way of cooking beef is to pan-fry and then grill it. For a fillet steak – literally two minutes on each side.
L - Which meat do your customers most like to buy? And can you say why this is?
A - Everything. Lamb, beef – we’re heading into game season so we are selling a lot of grouse, mallard and pheasant is very popular. It’s seasonal popularity more than anything else.
L - Over the years we’ve found that some cuts / types of meat rise and fall in popularity; is there anything missing from today’s market that you’d like to see make a comeback?
A - They are all making a comeback. Braising meats such as oxtail and lamb shank are coming back in.
L - We guess that over the years you have both consumed a mass amount of meat, but besides the usual, what’s the craziest you’ve eaten?
A - Lamb testicles. I got conned into eating it by a chef who told me that it was scampi. I quickly realised that it wasn’t!
L - Tell us more about your butchery classes?
A - We run the butchery classes every Wednesday from 1 – 2.30. It’s £100 a session – but you get five different cuts of meat and then you get to take it home. It is very popular – it is fully booked until December – a lot of people buy it as a Christmas present or birthday present.
We can’t really add much after lamb’s testicles…
Now that you know a little bit more about the minds behind the guys that provide us with our top quality meat, the next time you tuck into your steak or a burger, think about joining the top butchers at Allens – maybe it’s time for a butchery class…
For further information on Allens of Mayfair, visit their website http://www.allensofmayfair.co.uk/ or say hello on twitter - @allensofmayfair.
