Abby Allen - Meat Seasonality

We spoke to Abby Allen, Farms Director at Pipers Farm, who provided her expertise on the UK meat seasons. Here’s what she had to say about each animal:

Chicken

Mid-May–Dec

Soy-fed chickens are available year-round, but soy-free, pasture-fed chicken can only be reared in the summer in the UK. Chicks are hatched weekly from March, and are ready at 10 weeks, from mid May. The final hatches are at the beginning of September, with some of these birds taken to 120 days, providing large birds for Christmas. 

Abby’s message to chefs: Create demand for soy-free, pasture-fed chicken. Ask your farmers for it; plan ahead and agree how many birds you’ll take. Consider freezing them so you have them all year round. Always buy the whole chicken – they’re easy and quick to joint and you can make the most of the bird by making stocks etc.

SHEEP

Lamb

Oct-Feb

Lambing season is Jan-Apr, and most lambs are slaughtered at 6 months, meaning supply starts from the end of June. But sheep younger than 8-9 months old don’t have fully developed muscles or marrow, so supply shouldn’t really start until the beginning of October. 

Hogget

Year-round

Hogget (12-18 month old sheep) is what we should be eating at Springtime and for Easter celebrations. UK Lamb has never been seasonal at Easter – it’s imported New Zealand lamb that has created this idea. 

Mutton

Year-round

The decision as to whether a ewe will have another lamb or go into meat production is generally made in August/September, so expect an increase in availability of mutton then.

Message to chefs: Eat more mutton. Not all mutton is tough! Talk to your farmer about how it has spent its life as this will have a big impact on the quality of the meat. See our contribution on Cull Yaw for more info!

pigs

Year-round

(possibly from multiple sources!)

Outdoor-raised pigs are typically slaughtered at 6 months, but pigs are rooters – this means that where some farms are too wet in winter, they can cause damage to the land, so farmers may avoid keeping them then. Other farmers may have access to woodland, or drier land, and so might keep pigs year-round.


Message to chefs: Understand the land that your pig farmer is producing on, and have the flexibility to source from multiple farmers if their land is not suited to year-round production.

Beef

Year-round

Note: If you’re sourcing beef from just one agroecological farm, it’s unlikely to have the capacity to supply you all year-round. If this is the case, showcase it on your menu when its available. There are on average 900 portions available from one beef animal - by buying the whole carcass and using everything you can extend the availability.

Because butchery of a beef carcass is always required to get it suitable for use in a kitchen, we recommend building a relationship with a small-scale butcher or abattoir with good practices (see below). They’re a crucial link in the centre of a short supply chain that enable chefs to source from multiple farms and have a consistent supply of grass-fed beef. What’s more, it supports both the farmer and the processor.

100% grass-fed cattle tend to be slaughtered at around 31 months, but there are multiple factors that impact the age at which an animal reaches natural maturity:

  • The calving period. Lots of farmers block calve in Spring/Autumn but some farms calve all year round

  • The breed (genetics) of the cattle

  • The weather

  • Pasture management

Importantly, there are enough animals in the system for there to be a constant supply.

Message to chefs: Consider carcass balance and utilise the whole carcass including the offal, not just the prime cuts. Certain cuts are more popular at different times of year - like steaks in summer. That’s OK, but make sure to use slow-cooking cuts in winter.

HOW TO EXTEND THE SEASON: Freezing meat - the solution to year round supply 

‘It is a problematic misconception in our industry that frozen meat is of a lesser quality than fresh meat. Meat that has been properly dry aged, hung on the carcass, then portioned appropriately, vac packed and immediately blast frozen, retains all of its qualities (nutritional and structural values).

Leaving fresh meat vac-packed in the fridge is criminal. It’s sat in its own blood which is degrading it. The alternative of storing fresh meat in peach paper is a high risk strategy for butchers/chefs as it is only good for ~2 days and is therefore much higher risk of going to waste.’