The Jerry Croft restaurant is now taking prime beef from us and we source it direct from local farmers John and Alison Spensley, of Manor Farm, Thorlby.

Luc Daguzan, who launched Le Bistro des Amis with business partner Liz Weatherby in December, 2010, explains:

“Developing on-the-doorstep field-to-table partnerships such as this allows us to have hands-on control over the supply process. This means we are able to ensure quality, along with full traceability, which is important to us, as many of our customers want to know where the meat they eat comes from and we are happy to provide them with this valuable information. Moreover, our local supply ethos both helps keep food miles to a minimum and supports the local economy.”

The French-style bar and bistro is strengthening its links with Drake & Macefield.  We established a supply partnership with the Spensleys five years ago and we’re now sourcing some 300 prime cattle every year from the farm. Among them are British Blue, Limousin and Aberdeen Angus breeds, all renowned for the eating quality of their beef.

All are reared completely naturally, being grass-fed in the summer months and finished on a special  high-energy diet of potatoes, maize, grass sileage, crushed and rolled barley, and protein pellets.

After a fact-finding visit to the Spensleys’ 550-acre holding, which is fully farm-assured, Luc explained:

“I was extremely impressed by the high standards maintained. The fact that the farm has to undergo rigorous annual inspections, guaranteeing all aspects of animal welfare and environmental care, is extremely important to us – as, I am sure, it is to our customers.”

Le Bistro des Amis also sources other meat products through Drake & Macefield Butchers, including prime lamb, also from the Spensleys, free-range chickens, and home-cured bacon. Some of the bacon comes from rare breed Saddleback pigs raised by one of our partners, Ian Thompson on the outskirts of Skipton.

Amy, of Earby, is undertaking her NVQ Level 2 in Meat & Poultry Processing, run by the butchery school at M.E.A.T. (Ipswich) in Suffolk. She receives her training in-house and was chosen as the top apprentice in April from hundreds of young butchers involved in the scheme.

Amy is no stranger to success in the awards arena. While studying catering at Craven College in Skipton, she was presented with a special trophy for her outstanding work both in and out of college, also receiving a second work experience award while at Drake & Macefield Butchers.

In fact, Amy passed her NVQ Level 1, 2 and 3 catering qualification courses at Craven College in just three years – half the time it normally takes to complete the six-year programme. She was then offered a full-time job with us.

Steven Rudelhoff, Amy’s assessor at M.E.A.T. (Ipswich), said:

”Amy is an enthusiastic young lady and tackles all her objectives and tasks with a lot of enthusiasm. In her exams, she has gained four distinctions and three credits, which is excellent. She shows so much flair with what she is doing and has achieved so much. It is a joy to work with her. She will go a long way and make a very good butcher. Her customer care skills are very good as well.”

Drake & Macefield places major emphasis on staff training, notably among its rising stars. A second butcher, 22-year-old Adam Proctor, who works at the Settle shop, is also undertaking the same apprenticeship scheme.
We are proud of our support of local meat producers and expansion has seen our workforce grow to 15-strong.

This will be complimented by the introduction of on-line shopping through our website, where you will be able to order and then either collect from the shops or have your shopping delivered. More coming soon…..

To find out more, let us know your name and email address in the box below.

We have a range of specials on offer for Christmas, with Turkey, Lamb, Chicken and Pork all on the menu and an extra special Three Bird Roast (Boned duck stuffed with chicken breast, pheasant breast and cranberry & orange stuffing).

If you would like to order now for Christmas, please give us a call or download our order form.

Ian has always been interested in raising his own livestock on a part-time basis and realised that dream two years ago when taking over 35 acres of pastureland on the outskirts of Skipton – fondly known as “The Ponderosa” – to produce
his own Suffolk and Texel prime lambs, also rearing a few cattle.

However, customers are now set to benefit from Ian’s latest venture to breed and nurture Saddleback pigs, after clearing sections of a pine forest in which the two sows Ian uses for breeding purposes and their offspring are free to roam and root to their heart’s content. More than 20 youngsters are currently being brought on and, once they have reached peak
condition, their pork will be sold as both delicious joints and home-cured bacon.

There’s something really special about rare breeds pork. The pigs mature more slowly and put down slightly more fat than their modern-day counterparts, overall producing a higher quality and tastier meat. And the crackling is out of this world – you only have to taste it to be convinced!

Ian explains:

Our customers should be under no illusions whatsoever – by purchasing meat from rare breed pigs, they are helping to ensure the very survival of the species. It’s all down to supply and demand – and the fact that the pork tastes absolutely wonderful is a major bonus too!

DID YOU KNOW THAT ……

The British Saddleback was recognised in 1967 when the Wessex Saddleback and Essex breeds were amalgamated. The body is deep and long, reflecting its advantages both as an excellent breeding animal and as a producer of high quality meat.

All cattle and sheep are raised completely naturally on the 560 acres of rich and lush pastureland farmed by the Spensleys,
guaranteeing the best quality meat that money can buy. Drake & Macefield buys only heifers, in line with a tradition first introduced by the late Jack Macefield many, many years ago.

It’s a philosophy that has served the business – and customer tastes – extremely well over the decades. The Spensleys raise British Blue and Limousin-cross heifers especially for Drake & Macefield. The meat from both remains highly popular,
with the cattle producing lean beef of consistent quality and a low proportion of bone and fat.

John explains:

We try to keep all our cattle out for two summers. It may be a longer process, but grass-fed beef is proven to produce a better quality, more tender meat.

Spensleys’ prime lambs are out of Texel ewes run with Suffolk rams, both extremely well known breeds used widely these
days.

They produce lamb of excellent eating quality, with plenty of flavour, good husbandry is paramount throughout the production process. Manor Farm is registered as farm-assured and has to undergo rigorous annual inspections. This guarantees all aspects of animal welfare and environmental care.

COMMITTED TO THE CAUSE

Partner Richard Teal explained:

We remain committed to sourcing quality meat direct from local farms, at the same time making every effort to inform customers where the meat they eat comes from. We think it imperative that not only should we sell British-produced meats, but also those sourced locally at every opportunity. In this way, we can ensure full traceability and constant quality, keep down food miles and help to boost the rural economy by encouraging people to produce and purchase food locally and in season. This ethos is central to our whole philosophy.

We’ve managed to win a haul of gold awards in the national Q Guild’s 2009 Smithfield Awards, two for our traditional pork sausage one for stuffed pork loin and a Christmas special.

The Smithfield Awards, held in London, are among the most highly coveted in the meat industry and a true indication of excellence. More than 500 products from Q butchers throughout the UK were assessed by an independent panel of experts.

We then followed up with a further two gold awards at a British Pig Executive (BPEX) event in Harrogate – again with our traditional pork sausage, the second in the ‘Young Sausage Maker’ category, when Andrew Teal struck gold with his pork with honey and wholegrain mustard sausage.

Andrew, 24, from Barnoldswick, also received a BPEX silver award for the business’s dry-cured bacon.

Andrew first joined us on leaving school, before returningin September this year after honing his butchery experience and skills with a meat industry supplier in Colne. Andrew and fellow butcher Andrew Cawkwell produce the award-winning products all of which are on sale in the shop.

Television chef and food author Lesley Waters is helping with a major branding exercise to lift the profile of the Q Guild, the organisation that represents some of the best butchers in Britain, including Drake & Macefield. Lesley is devising a series of seasonal recipes for promotion in Q butcher shops throughout the country, showing consumers what can be achieved with British beef, lamb, pork and chicken.

The promotion coincides with a national branding exercise by the Guild in all of its 150 member shops to convince consumers that the best place to buy the best meat, which will be British and more than likely sourced locally, is at a Q butcher – the Q stands for quality. Q butchers shops like Drake & Macefield now have new external signage – a signal to consumers that they are shopping at one of the best independent meat retailers in the country. Q butchers are unique in that they voluntarily submit their businesses to a stringent and independent audit before attaining membership. They are then subjected to regular audits, spot checks and visits from mystery shoppers to ensure standards are adhered to.

Q membership is one of the meat trade’s highest endorsements of excellence.

“We want to get that across to consumers. Many are fed up with the impersonal service, confusing labeling and variable quality frequently experienced in the multiples,” said Drake & Macefield’s partner Richard Teal. “Q Butchers support local retailers and local producers. There are less food miles, meat is fresher, there are quality products and quality service. We have our own individual brand, but being associated with the Q brand should send a strong message to local consumers.

Partner Ian Thompson added:

“As Q Guild members, we are well known for our innovative approach to developing and presenting meat products. Now we have the celebrity touch with Lesley’s excellent recipes.”

Drake & Macefield won one of only seven diamond awards presented in the annual Smithfield Awards, run by the Q Guild.
The winning product – Steak & Kidney Pie – received maximum marks in the pies and bakery section and was one of three gold and two silver awards landed by Drake & Macefield. The business also won gold for its Steak & Kidney Pudding and Thick Pork Sausage, and silver for Lincolnshire Sausage and Beefburger with Chilli & Cheese. Partner Ian Thompson travelled to the Butchers Hall in London to receive the diamond trophy and other awards from celebrity tv chef and cookery school owner Lesley Waters, the Q Guild’s celebrity partner this year.The duo are pictured above and Ian
said afterwards:

We’re absolutely thrilled. We normally do well in product evaluation events, but a diamond award is the pinnacle.

The Smithfield Awards are among the most prestigious in the meat industry and a true indication of excellence. More than 400 products from Q butchers across the UK were assessed by an independent panel of experts.