At Home & In T e Garden • Sunday 24 May 2020
Food & drink — cooking at home • 57
British food heroes: Ben Rigby Game and Direct Meats
Two businesses adapting to the constantly changing situation are Essex-based supplier Direct Meats and Ben Rigby Game
When the coronavirus started having an impact in the UK, both compa- nies moved quickly to ensure there was a regular supply of food available to help take pressure off the super- markets. Traditionally, they supply to high-end restaurants around the country,
however they’ve started
providing an online service to the general public, off ering up a wide selection of meats and family boxes, as well as key non-meat essentials. Direct Meats has recently been
honoured with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade. T e business was founded in
Chappel, Essex in 1995 as an inno- vative butcher providing a bespoke service — that of a ‘larder chef ’ supplier, serving some of the fi nest restaurants, hotels and eateries in the UK. A quarter of a century later, it’s still a family-run business, employing 120 full-time staff and delivering an average of 2,500 orders a week, as well as exporting to 19 countries around the world. Direct Meats managing director
Martin Blackwell said: “To be awarded the Queen’s Award is testament to our hard-working staff and the farmer/ producer brands we work with, which
allow us to export their products. We’re classed as a small and medium-sized enterprise, and to receive an award with global standing recognises our innovative movement into an incred- ibly challenging global market. “It also means a lot as a representa-
tive of small British farmers who believe in sustainable, traditional methods.” Martin ran through the process of
applying for the Queen’s Award. “It took 20 years of building the infra- structure and getting the business in a position to appeal to a global market, with exports commencing in 2015,” he explained. “T e application process for the award has taken two years, during which time we’ve had to prove excellence in several areas. “First of all, showing growth in the
export market was a vital factor. Since 2015, we’ve opened up business with 19 countries, the latest being Canada. We showed a unique and innovative side to how we do things. We aren’t aware of other export companies like ours who train butchers in other countries, showing care towards not only our own team but our customers too. T is puts British business at the forefront because the staff we sell our product too know how to create
unique dishes and get the very best out of the product we supply.” Martin said that proving sustain-
ability was also vital to winning the Queen’s Award. Ben Rigby started game dealing in
1979, aged 17, with knowledge gained from a farming background, deter- mination and an enormous will to succeed. Today, the company he started is a family-run aff air, with his fi ve children all working in various roles behind the scenes. It’s grown from its small beginnings into one of England’s foremost game dealer- ships, specialising in procuring and processing the fi nest UK venison, wild boar and small game. Chances are, if you’ve eaten venison or game in a lovely restaurant, Ben and his team may well have had something to do with the raw ingredient. “Venison is the kind of meat
people are used to eating in restau- rants, but have rarely cooked at home, either because they don’t know where to buy it or don’t feel confi dent cooking it,” explains Ben. “I’m keen to change this perception as it’s such an incredible meat, and so simple. You could make something really fancy with jus and sauces for a dinner party, or just treat it like a beef steak and throw it on the barbecue. I like mine rare, but each to their own, it will be fantastic however you choose to cook it.
Ben sources the best-quality
venison from the whole of the UK and Ireland. Prestigious estates throughout the UK, including T e Royal Parks, Forestry Commission and National Trust, to name but a few. “It’s the free-range and pasture-fed aspect that gives the meat a fantastic fl avour,” says Ben. “I know consumers are becoming more and more conscious of the damage caused by commercial farming, especially beef production — and venison and small game is a much more ethical and sustainable alternative.” High in protein, low in fat and
completely delicious, venison is a great option for meat lovers looking for some- thing diff erent. Here, Ben Rigby, founder of Ben Rigby Game, explains why more of us should be swapping beef, pork or lamb for venison this barbecue season. If you’ve ever been put off trying
game because of that characteristic ‘gamey’ fl avour, you’ll be pleased to hear venison these days will have been hung for a minimal amount of time. “Historically, game would have a
very strong fl avour due to being hung for days or even weeks, but tastes have changed, and we like to have the meat processed as quickly as possible and sent to our customers,” Ben explains. Indeed, a well butchered and
sourced cut of venison shouldn’t be aggressively gamey — it should be lean, fresh-tasting and beautifully tender.
For more information, contact:
T: 01787 223364 E:
orders@directmeats.co.uk directmeats-foodstore.co.uk dingleydellcured.co.uk
Make the most of your time at home! Vegan and Organic options also available
NATURALLY NAUGHTY & GLUTEN FREE
Available at the finest retailers including:
doughlicious_dough
doughlicious.co.uk/#order DoughliciousDough
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