For this one day course a side of beef is divided into the hindquarter, where most of the prime cuts come from, and the forequarter, where the more economical cuts are found. We will be focussing on the forequarter, which lends itself to all kinds of delicious but thrifty recipes.
The day will be hosted by Ray Smith, our resident butcher and regular teacher at River Cottage HQ. Ray will begin the day by demonstrating the principals and process of butchering the forequarter. Some of the resulting beef will be prepared for your lunch, which could be a Steak & Kidney pudding, or slow roast rolled brisket. There will be plenty of time to discuss such important issues as hanging beef, provenance and traceability.
In the afternoon, members of the River Cottage kitchen team will demonstrate a wide variety of recipes. These may include cured meats such as Biltong and Pastrami as well as beef burgers and sausages, ox tongue, Beef Olives and Salt Beef.
Alot will be packed into this day, and we hope you will leave with a deep knowledge and enthusiasm for the generally under-appreciated Forequarter of beef. You will take away a printed set of River Cottage recipes to enjoy at home.
This event is demonstration based. Practical participation is not required, although volunteers are encouraged to take part in the demonstrations, at some point during the day.
Additional Information
Time: 10.00am to c5.00pm
Location: This course is run from River Cottage H.Q on the Dorset/Devon borders. Full address details of H.Q. will be provided once you have booked.
Wine/drink: We are a licensed venue. We also have a Bring Your Own policy and we do not charge corkage. We have a wide selection of the finest organic wines. We will be serving organic cordial and iced water from our own well.
Accommodation: If you need local accommodation, click here for a list of hotels and bed & breakfasts, recommended to us by our customers. This list will be automatically posted to you with your tickets, when you book. We don't have camping facilities but for information on local campsites and self catering accommodation, call the Lyme Regis Tourist Information Office on 01297 442 138. They will be very happy to help.
Age: We would advise that this course is only really suitable for 12yrs of age and upwards. Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult. We put these guidelines for the safety, comfort and enjoyment of all our guests.
Tickets: We operate an E-ticket service so you will be sent confirmation of payment and an email confirmation of any places purchased on the course with all the information you need to know including our address, directions and a map.
Hugh availability: Please note Hugh will not be at every course date, you can see from the list at the top of this page, which dates he will be attending. Where a course is described as being with Hugh, this means that he is currently scheduled to be present for part of the day.