The Carnivore Club
I’m totally passionate about meat. Not the water filled, dubious origin, super bright red stuff you often find in the supermarket or as part of your evening take-away, I’m talking really well grazed, ethically produced, ‘you know what’s in there’ animals.
I spent a lot of time working with a non-profit organisation called NEW HARVEST last year researching the cultivation of ‘meat cells’ in bioreactors. This has already been successful by a lean mean meat making team of scientists lead by one Mr. Mark Post. The product is meat, through and through, however the cells are sourced without killing an animal. The next step is to form a completely ‘vegetarian’ process, where no animals are killed in the formation of this meat. All I can say is through this work I have learned a lot! Aside from that I am from a farming community back home, so really understand the meaning of good quality meat.
Eclectic meat facts:
– The number of abattoirs in GBR is declining, and animals are having to travel longer before slaughter especially if not sourced locally*****
– The average american eats the meat equivalent of 1000 burgers per year*.
– 53 billion chickens are consumed worldwide per year**.
– Livestock production account for 30% of the planet’s total land surface
– Organic farms can use up to 70% less energy than intensive farming methods****
– The livestock sector accounts for 18% of the global greenhouse gas emissions (9% CO2, 37% methane, 65% ammonia)***
– The haem iron found in red meat is more easily absorbed into the bloodstream than plant sourced iron.
– A 100 gram portion (3.5 ounces) of raw ground beef contains large amounts of Vitamin B12, B3 (Niacin), B6, Iron, Zinc, Selenium and plenty of other vitamins and minerals******.
– Vitamin B12 is particularly important because it can not be gotten in ANY amount from plants. Studies show that out of vegans who don’t supplement with B12, 92% are deficient in this critical nutrient******.
So this leaves us in a dilemma. Meat is a good source of nourishment and vitamins, however we as a planet are abusing this once plentiful source of nutrition. Maybe it is time to eat less quantity and good quality.
So when the Carnivore Club popped up on my radar, I thought ‘why not?’ let’s have a look-see.
The worlds first cured meat club, THE CARNIVORE CLUB offers artisan meats from around the globe. Each month members will receive 4-6 handcrafted cured meat from artisan suppliers. This might be French Charcuterie, Italian Salumi, Spanish Chorizo to name a few!
So one fine day a shiny faux-wooden package arrived in the post. The Carnivore Club had arrived! They had supplied an awesome mixture of chorizo, Cornish coppa, venison bresaola, black olive salami and pepperoni. Ironically all the meats were supplied by Deli Farm in Delabole, Cornwall, which is about 10 minutes from my home home. Y’all know home home? The house where your folks live!
After taste testing them all straight out the pack I decided to make a cheeky enchilada out of them!
The flavours were all unique, from the tangy chorizo to the smoky pepperoni. The salami wasn’t quite to my taste (I’m not a massive olive fan) however my housemate chomped it up in no time! The venison was really tender with a rich, deep flavour. This was a cool change as I very rarely eat venison!
Together in an enchilada the flavours married together really well. I didn’t have to add any herbs or spices as they were all uniquely seasoned, and it made for an fantastic dinner.
Boxes are priced from £29 – £32, which may be more pricey than the supermarket/ However if you take nothing else away from this article except maybe looking a bit more where your meat is sourced I’ll be chuffed, and luckily the Carnivore Club supports a number of independent farmers around the world. So maybe we should stop looking for cheap options, steer clear of factory farmed and intensively reared animal produce, and see meat as a luxury item instead of an unnecessary staple?
Reporter: Aspen Glencross @GollumCrackCorn
Fancy knowing a bit more about free range farming and London farmers markets? Check out here!
Website: https://www.carnivoreclub.co/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CarnivoreClubUK
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarnivoreClubUK
Instagram: http://instagram.com/thecarnivoreclub
* http://modernmeadow.com/about/problem/
** http://www.new-harvest.org/meat-substitutes/
*** http://www.new-harvest.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/LivestocksLongShadow.pdf
**** http://www.care2.com/greenliving/why-buy-organic-dairy-meat.html
***** http://tna.europarchive.org/20120419000433/http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/board/fsa080504a2.pdf
****** http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/beef-products/6193/2
