What an amazing place Allens is, it’s the oldest butchers shop in London, and despite its position in busy Mayfair you get the feel you are in a village shop. Although not many village shops have people popping in to pick up a bag of mince in their chauffeur driven Rolls Royce!

At the time it was full of half plucked turkeys (see pic), all hanging up and ready for Easter. A great array of meat products from basics like bacon to luxuries including foie gras lined up along side each other. It’s like an Aladdin’s cave for carnivores!

In the centre of the shop is a chopping block is as big as I have ever seen and it really adds to the charm of the place. Apparently at around 25 years old it is still only on its first side…you turn it over and get another 25-35 years! On this they prepare the meat that you are buying right in front of you, which is a rare treat to see.

Our esteemed tutor for the day was Terry, a butcher of many, many year’s experience. As he introduced himself and talked about what we would be doing, he expertly trimmed a leg of lamb and tied it up with sprigs of rosemary. Turning a lump of meat into something that looked truly special…and I just know he could do this blindfolded.

That’s essentially what a butcher does, take a basic piece of meat and transform it into something that not only looks good, but will cook better. It sounds easy right?  Well when you watch the elegant knife work Terry and his colleagues display with such speed and precision, I can tell you easy it is not.

Terry described himself as a “real” butcher, saying if you brought in a bullock he could take it apart down to every cut of meat. Now that is something I would like to watch!

There were two of us in the class so the tutorage was very personal. Standing around the mighty chopping block in our white coats, gloves and a single chainmail over glove to protect from the super sharp knives, we were ready to start.

We worked through the following over approximately two hours

Whole chicken

Here we take a chicken down to its components, breasts (supreme of chicken), legs, drumsticks, wings, just leaving the carcass (for wonderful stock). Take a look in your local supermarket and check the kilo price of whole chicken vs. chicken breasts and you will see why this is an essential skill to learn.

Feather blade steak

A lesson in how to trim and cut through large pieces of boneless meat without it looking like you have hacked through it with a penknife…sounds much easier than it really is.

Ox tail

This really shows you how to follow the pattern of the bone and be able to pick the places where your knife will glide straight through. I was disappointed we didn’t get the use the weighty, razor-sharp chopper on this

Lamb rack

A bit of flair with this one as you French trim the rack, turning it into something that looks far more impressive than the product you started with, proving a little time and effort adds a lot of value for you.

We got to take all of this beautiful meat back home with us, and my freezer is currently groaning with my handy work. Luckily they give you recipes to match the various cuts, so my friends and family are in for a treat or two over the coming weeks!

Having such a knowledgeable and experienced teacher made this so enjoyable, and hearing the fantastic banter between the staff displayed the love and passion that goes into everything they do.

However Terry talked about how the industry is in decline, with slaughter houses preparing the meat into basic cuts for delivery, with chefs finishing off on site. He also mentioned the sad lack of young people willing to take up the trade.

If it happens, I think the cutting out the butchers’ noble art is a terrible shame. Another ancient artisan tradition disappearing…I suppose it’s a sign of the times.

I had a wonderful time and came out with new knowledge and skills. I would highly recommend taking if not this course (if you can’t make it to London) then one run by a proper butchers near you. You don’t just get to learn fantastic methods which can save you money, but you will be supporting a local business and the butchery industry as a whole.

Allens of Mayfair, 117 Mount St,  London, W1K 3LA. Tel: 0844 880 2460

Have you ever been on a course like this before? Or are you planning to do something similar? Please share

Author information

The Food Curator

The Food Curator (AKA Michael Robinson) is an aficionado of all things food and bon viveur based in London. A passion for cooking and dining has driven him to put fingers to keyboard to bring you his thoughts on the world of food. When not writing, eating or cooking he has a love of American muscle cars. Pop on over to my Facebook page and let's start a Facebook food revolution together: http://tinyurl.com/thefoodcurator

|

The post Cutting it with Allens of Mayfair appeared first on Food on the Blog. Post by The Food Curator