7 August 2016

Win a double pass to lunch and a masterclass with the maestro of meat

| Rachel Ziv
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Ten years ago, before eating “organic” and “sustainable” meat was the cool thing to do, Grant Hilliard founded Feather and Bone, a butchery in Sydney with the sole purpose of sourcing and selling the highest quality whole meats in the country.

Over the years, Feather and Bone has developed a stellar reputation – becoming known by restaurateurs all over the country as one of the leading sources of the highest quality meats.

All produce and animals sourced by Grant and his team are subject to an incredibly strict process, including ensuring that they are traceable to farms with transparent breeding and culling practices, chemical and hormone-free, raised on (or with easy access to) quality pasture, fed appropriately and more.

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And with all of this experience sourcing and distributing organic and ethically-produced meats, Grant has developed a true understanding of the right way to cook and enjoy them.

This weekend Canberrans are in for a rare treat as Grant Hilliard joins with Pialligo Estate to offer a Masterclass and five course lunch with a focus on learning about, cooking and enjoying the best Feather and Bone has to offer.

The Masterclass, which runs this Saturday from 1:00pm to 4:00pm, will provide guests with a lesson on butchery and sustainable production, cooking tips, delicious tastes of different cooked cuts, selected beverages, bespoke Pialligo Estate recipes for home cooking, and a fresh cut of lamb.

The Sunday lunch starts at 1:00pm and offers five courses of decadence, including cured meats, carpaccio of mutton and local olives, rillettes, pate and smoked meats, chargrilled quail, roasted porchetta, salty crackling and more.

The RiotACT has secured a free double pass, and is giving it away to one lucky reader.

To enter, simply leave a comment below telling us why organic and ethical meat production is important to you.

Spots are filling fast, so leave your comment now or visit Eventbrite to purchase your tickets.

The Masterclass and lunch will be held at Pialligo Estate – 18 Kallaroo Road, Pialligo.

The lucky Winner will be announced Friday the 8th.

To find out more about the Pialligo Estate Winter Series – The Butcher, The Baker and The Merry Maker visit www.thepialligoestate.com.au

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kean van choc5:40 pm 10 Jul 16

So, which earnestly ethical piece of prose won the meaty prize?

For me, it’s two fold. Firstly, I think about the chemicals, hormones and who-knows-what-else that is used in produce these days and I wonder; what is it doing to my body? Will it cause me serious issues down the track? Will it shorten my life? What will it mean for my children? I think we have an obligation to ourselves and our children (won’t somebody think of the children!) to be the healthiest we can be. I also think that we need to respect the land and the animals – their purpose in life is to feed us (which seems ridiculously selfish) so it’s important to me that we give them the best life possible while they are on this earth. And if we don’t farm in an ethical, organic and sustainable manner, will we one day be hunting unicorns for food?

I eat meat. Look at my pic 🙂

Organic and ethical meat production is important to me, because I want to make thoughtful food choices that align with my personal values. To me, you can still eat ethically without being vegan, by scanning your options such as respecting human rights, Avoiding cruelty, eating seasonally, choosing the eco-friendly options and lowering (but not necessarily stopping) your intake of meat.

For me, it’s two fold. Firstly, I think about the chemicals, hormones and who-knows-what-else that is used in produce these days and I wonder; what is it doing to my body? Will it cause me serious issues down the track? Will it shorten my life? What will it mean for my children? I think we have an obligation to ourselves and our children (won’t somebody think of the children!) to be the healthiest we can be. I also think that we need to respect the land and the animals – their purpose in life is to feed us (which seems ridiculously selfish) so it’s important to me that we give them the best life possible while they are on this earth. And if we don’t farm in an ethical, organic and sustainable manner, will we one day be hunting unicorns for food?

I truly believe that every dollar we spend is a vote for the type of world we want to live in. I want to live in a world that nurtures the Earth, myself and the things that we eat. I don’t believe we have a right to do anything but this.

Quite simply, I want to produce my own ethically farmed meat one day. I currently produce ethically farmed chicken eggs in Tharwa. I hate the wasting and distain people have for proper food that doesn’t look like it came out of the Masterchef pantry. It’s not necessarily about the better price for the famer, it’s the simple fact that if we all need to think about food security, and ethically, chemically and hormone free permaculture is the way forward. Would love to see what someone with serious skills and knowledge can do with this awesome produce.

I am a self confessed BBQ addict. The quality of the meat hugely impacts on the quality of the finished product. In trying to start a successful local mobile BBQ business I continuously try to obtain locally sourced organic foods for my product. If we look after the environment, and how we choose to obtain our food, than the environment will be around for future generations to enjoy too!

Maya123 said :

The only eco-friendly meat is “no meat”, actually.

Hmmm, thats like saying that the only eco friendly produce is no produce – I don’t want to get into a vegetarian vs meat lover debate, but I would like to mention that the vegetarian diet is not what it’s cracked up to be if, like the point of this article, you aren’t paying attention to the seasons and the practices of the farmers. Tomatoes in winter? How?

I do agree that we should be looking at how much meat we consume and doing our best to reduce this. “Organic, sustainable” or animals fed and injected chemicals for a quick return aside – these animals still require a fair amount of resources to raise them before they are able to be processed. If you are looking at this from a bang for buck value, then also reduce the amount of chicken you eat. Chickens far surpass the amount of resources needed per return of meat than the larger animals.

kean van choc4:18 pm 06 Jul 16

Organic and ethical meat production is important to me because without it we’d be a civilisation of soil degrading, chemical absorbing, animal torturing narcissists heading down a path of unsustainability. Oh, hang on…

pink little birdie3:28 pm 06 Jul 16

justin heywood said :

Organic happy animals and birds taste better

They taste extra delicious.

Paying attention to what and how we consume is very important. I like to know exactly what I am buying and meat is no exception!

Organic and ethical meat production is important because the animal lived a happy life, the farmer is happy, his product sustainable and he makes a real living from his product and I am happy with a product that tastes wonderful for my family and friends.

I prefer ethical meats because it matters to me how the animals lived and died

Auriga_capella11:08 am 06 Jul 16

I try to get my meat from ethical suppliers. The meat tastes better, I know the animals were treated well and I’m also supporting local farmers. Win win!

Locality, ethicality, humaneness, respect for the animal being slaughtered, a fair profit for the farmer and not an unfair one for some conglomerate.

Because it probably annoys the heck out of Pauline Hanson every time someone consumes organic, cruelty free meat, especially if it’s halal. So I would eat it in protest to our stupid politicians.

As humans we take it for granted that we will always raise animals to be consumed. The least we can do is provide each animal with the healthiest, happiest and most stress-free life we can, and take respect in utilising it completely to honour its existence.

The only eco-friendly meat is “no meat”, actually.

Dynamicdumpling7:05 pm 05 Jul 16

I like to support sustainable farming methods. I feel ethical sourcing of food allows for a greater appreciation for the effort and care it takes to produce good food.
Naturally a happy beast tastes better

Organic and ethical meat production is important to me as it reintroduces the importance of taking care in what we do, how we do it and, of course, what we eat! It is also a step towards ensuring that there will be environmental resources for years to come. The world needs to stop consuming in excess and creating more waste, and look towards more sustainable practices. I also think it is incredibly important to use all parts of an animal in cooking and organic and ethical meat production makes sure all parts of an animal will be delicious.

Organic happy animals and birds taste better

The importance of eating organic and ethical is not just a personal one to me, in which I can take solace in knowing my food was treated with respect and dignity throughout all the processes of paddock to plate, but it has been proven that organic food has better flavour and nutrients than industrially grown. Furthermore, animals that have been reared ethically have had a happier life, which also translates to better flavours on the plate, as what they eat affects the flavour of their meat just as the levels of stress affects the flavour and quality of their meat. The slaughtering process also has a big impact on flavour and tenderness, as animals who are stressed at that time will release chemicals into their meat that give off a metallic smell and the meat will be tough.

So after all this, it makes sense to have an expert butcher who then understands proper hanging and handling, so to get the best.

I would love to attend this opportunity to learn more at the Masterclass!

It is important to me as it shows that the farmer takes care of their animals and respects the land on which they are farmed. Spraying the fields with fungicides, pesticides and fertilisers will destroy the integrity of the soil over time and essentially end up as an unwelcome guest in my meal.

To put it simply, I give a s$#t about what I eat.

I like being able to know that my money is going to a local farm that is doing the right thing.

Also my partner is a vegetarian so ethical sourcing is the only way I can get away with eating meat!

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