When the Irish Blog Awards nominations open early next year, I’m pretty sure Ivan McCutcheon’s recent post about local West Cork abbatoirs and butchers will be the one I pick.
If you care about the food you put in your gob and appreciate the work of people with a passion for their craft, read Ivan’s piece, print it off and give it to those you know.
For so many reasons, it is imperative that businesses like Dan Maloney’s in Bandon survive and thrive. Supporting local food production is good for community, business, the environment and the economic independence of the country.
November 19, 2008 at 12:34 pm
Couldn’t agree more Conor. Ivan’s doing some great work promoting West Cork’s food culture.
November 19, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Totally agreed Connor!
November 19, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Thanks Conor and Tom. I’m very flattered by your kind words. Speaking to these butchers was a very enjoyable assignment, I learned a lot and I’ll definitely be going back to them. It boils down to a simple point – abattoirs don’t pay for themselves anymore like the used to when some of the unwanted parts could be sold. There is also a big commitment on the part of the local authority. The returns from abattoirs are now solely in terms of quality and provenence, so it’s in the hands of shoppers to keep them going by supporting local butchers.
November 19, 2008 at 6:41 pm
On a related note, the scariest thing I heard last week was “Walmart is going to buy Dunnes Stores”.
November 19, 2008 at 8:35 pm
Thumbs up to Ivan for his work. In my job I get to spend a lot of time with food microbiologists (I work for a Laboratory Services company) and they have a huge fear of abattoirs. I would have to say I’ve seen more short-cuts taken in the large ‘killing halls’ in animal welfare than you’ll ever see in abattoirs. In fact a butcher from co Wexford with his own abattoir rang me last year wanting to know if I could supply a simple test to check the level of chlorine in the water he was using to flush down carcasses. I was very impressed with his request. It showed the sort of detail he was willing to go to.
November 28, 2008 at 7:21 pm
You’re right. It’s a superb piece. Exactly what people interested in their food need from a blog piece. I’ll be voting for it too.
I’ve sent the link on to my brother in Limerick, urging him to do the same for Limerick food. Where can I get such meat in Cork city?