Values
Our
philosophy is simple. We believe that meat should be produced using
sustainable and organic methods that are both good for you and good for our
environment.
It's healthy
Organic meat is good for you. Organic food contains higher levels of essential minerals and antioxidants. They don't contain unnecessary nasty additives and you will not find chemical pesticide residues in our animals.
Our organic livestock is grass fed this means it has higher levels of omega-3-fatty acids.
Animal Welfare
Animal Welfare is top of our list of priorities. Where possible, we source animals that are slaughtered either on the farm or at the small local abattoir 5 minutes down the road from us. Compare this to some conventional livestock that may travel the length of the country to be slaughtered at a supermarket's favoured abattoir.
When we come to slaughter the process is as quick and painless as possible using a small abattoir where stockmanship is of the highest standard. A knock-on effect of this is that the animal is less stressed which avoids giving the animals a rush of adrenaline that could taint the flavour of the meat.
This isn't rocket science: an animal that has led a happy life produces great meat.
The Environment
We care for the beautiful landscape in which we are lucky enough to live and work. Farming organically means that we work with the land to get the best out of it, not just this year but for years to come. 'Organic farming is better for wildlife' Soil Association, five reasons to eat organic.
Organic
100% of our meat is organic. This means it is reared to organic standards as laid down by organisations such as the Soil Association. Well Hung Meat is certified by the Soil Association, who inspect us every year to ensure we are meeting their stringent regulations.
The philosophy behind organic livestock farming is to prevent disease by promoting health. An appropriate diet, lower stocking levels, rotations, high welfare standards and reduced stress all help the animals to be healthier and therefore more resistant to disease. For example Anthony from the Flete estate has never had to worm his animals because they are regularly rotated onto new pasture and kept under low stress conditions, this helps their immunity to build up.
For more information on Soil Association standards click here
Food
Miles
We believe that food miles should be reduced where possible, especially where live animals are involved. Animals travel short distances to the abattoir, we then collect the carcasses from the abattoir; a round trip of 5 miles, before we use couriers to deliver the meat to your door.
Hanging
We hang the lamb for 7 days, the beef for at least 3 weeks, the pork for 5 days and we even hang the poultry for 2 days to ensure the meat you buy is as tender and succulent as possible.
Butchery
The meat is expertly butchered by Julian and Bev before being carefully packed in vacuum packs to ensure all the hard work of mother nature and the Well Hung team doesn't go to waste. Since joining the company in 2007, Julian has focused on returning to a more traditional approach to butchery. All the butchery is now done by hand, without the use of machinery. This results in a finer quality product for you, the consumer.
Julian has recently been made a Member of The Worshipful Company of Butchers' Guild, which acknowledges his high level of expertise and skill.Taste
Most importantly, taste is top of our agenda, we are continually tasting our products to ensure the highest standards are maintained. Wednesday is taste test time (the highlight of my week!) we blind taste everything from the hanging time, different breeds and new recipes. This way we KNOW we are only selling the best.
We also have a number of accolades for the quality of our meat from the Soil Association and Rick Stein to name but a few to find out more click here
The ultimate test of our organic meat is down to you - we're confident once you've tried a little of our organic meat, you'll be over the moon. That's why our customers come back again and again!
Go on.. give it a try. We'd love to know what you think!
