Surry Docks Farm, one of just a handful of inner city farms licensed to sell meat for public consumption, has secured a partnership with big City caterers Lusso. Through its ‘Pig Tales’ initiative Lusso will demonstrate that you can breakdown supply chain complexities, guarantee provenance and local sourcing – a challenge for Central London caterers – and benefit from the role played by good animal husbandry, free range and slow maturation in producing outstanding pork for Urban diners.
The Pig Idea
Lusso is also a signatory to ‘The Pig Idea’ an award winning initiative supported by the likes of Valentine Warner, Michel Roux Jr and Yotam Ottolenghi campaigning for the use of food waste to feed pigs. Lusso’s fresh produce supplier Reynolds, who are also signatories to The Pig Idea, have been providing the Lusso Pigs with locally produced fruit & veg trimmings.
Pig Tales is an educational & sustainable partnership, and as such farm and caterer will work together to feed, nurture and breed the pigs ready for slaughter in late autumn.
The partnership started nine months ago when Lusso part-funded a Livestock Apprentice at Surrey Dock Farm, who in turn has reared the 10 Gloucester Old Spot cross porkers organically and free ranging at the London farm. Whilst being reared the piglets are being used by the farm in its urban education schools programme.
Lusso Chef Butchery scheme
After slaughter, which is earmarked for autumn 2014, the pigs will enter the Lusso Chef Butchery Training Scheme at IMS Butchers warehouse in Kings Cross. The junior chefs will undergo intense training from Lusso executive chef Jim Wealands and IMS butchers on how to maximise the potential from the pig using traditional and less traditional cuts – a snout-to-tail approach to butchery.
Lusso executive chef Jim Wealands will then work with his senior Chefs to create a full snout-to-tail menu for Lusso client restaurants and its fine dining offering.
“I shall be using everything from the brains to the trotters, creating a menu using meat cuts which have become less fashionable but offer exceptional taste. We want to demonstrate that ever cut, every item of offal, can be used to create a fine dining experience which is tasty, locally produced and sustainable” says Jim Wealands.
Delivering high quality food
Lusso Managing Director Paul Hurren says: “Pig Tales is another Lusso initiative that delivers exceptionally high quality food for our customers without compromising on authenticity, sustainability or taste. Our London clients can be working in Canada Place Tower and look across the Thames to the farm that has slowly and lovingly nurtured their food and then delivered it to them. That’s quite an achievement for a Central London caterer.”
About Lusso
Lusso is the niche city and fine dining specialist catering business within the CH&Co catering group, delivering fine food to the employees of media, law, accountancy, insurance and banking firms both within the Square Mile and also in Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester.
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