Fleischerei Dutschke

Joachim Dutschke and his family have for many decades worked as Charcutiers (Metzgers) in the small village of Tundern near Hameln in Niedersachsen in Germany.

A mornings work hanging in the fridge maturing 

Joachim in the small shop front

Here Joachim's family are busy mixing a black pudding before it is filled and then cooked in the huge cooking vat.

Stirring the black pudding during cooking is essential to stop any solids including back fat from settling at the bottom of the wurst.

Tee Wurst awaiting to be smoked

Sealing the black pudding casings before cooking

Some wurst being cooked by steam

Real blood being used in yet another recipe of Blutwurst

Cooked whole tongues being filled with the mix

The Dutschke family make a huge amount of sausage and too many to mention here, but if you get the chance to visit the shop, then you will get to see a variant and a chance to try before you buy.

Another bucket of cooked tongues awaiting to be used

The shop front maybe small, but don't be fooled as the working area is huge, this is of no surprise when you learn that the Dutschke serve a large area of Niedersachsen including providing a catering service.

Next door to Joachims family business is a Butchers Museum of which he has built single handed and is filled with butchery tools some of which are centuries old.

If you find yourself near Hameln (Hamlin the town of the Pied Piper) then take time out and visit this small but very friendly family and their butchers shop and museum.

DANKE Joachim !

http://www.knabberstangen.de/start.html

Gloucester Old Spot Festival

Recently I attended the Gloucester Old Spot Festival at the Ludlow Food Centre where the sun shone in what had been a dark spell of bad weather and where the crowds came from as far as Devon.

The event started the evening before with a meal prepared to celebrate the breed, one occasion not to be missed so I attended with head butcher John Bereton.

Check out this wonderful menu !

The starter was just perfect.....

This main course was everything a pig should be and the pork & black pudding crocquet was heavenly.

I was enjoying my meal so much I completely forgot to photograph the dessert and cheeseboard but then came coffee with a homemade chocolate with a pork scratching topping, this should not of worked but it was just so right!

The Earl of Plymouth Estate where the food centre is situated farms the Gloucester Old Spot traditional breed of pig having given up several years ago the commercial breeds.

This festival to celebrate the breed was their first festival which brought in visitors of all ages and if the numbers were anything to go by it will not be their last.

Food was available in many forms on the day and there was as you might expect the obligatory pig roast on offer.

Having roasted many pigs myself over the years at events its always difficult to judge numbers and true to form this event was no exception and the spit roast was popular and quickly sold out.

Inside the marquees proved to be as busy as outside and the trade stalls of which were many were going about their business in a flurry as the pedestrian traffic kept coming.

I hope the Food Centre holds another event of this sought and that those who attended in their sun hats have the chance to come again and support this magnificent breed of pig.

Luckily Ruth of Native Breeds had time to check out that wonderful book on Charcuterie before the gates opened ;-)

It takes a great team effort to put on such an enjoyable event, so to all those involved I salute you ! Tres Bien...