Butchers, WH Frost Butchers, and meat wholesaler, Hartshead Meats, have joined forces to help educate the chefs of the future.
A group of ten catering students from Trafford College in Altrincham spent a day at Hartshead Meats’ abattoir and meat production facility in Mossley, Ashton-under-Lyne, viewing live cattle in the lairage, moving into the abattoir to see them humanely dispatched, and then following the entire production process.
WH Frost’s Lee Frost and Hartshead’s Meats’ Richard Mullaney were on hand to provide expert advice during the trip.
Frost commented: “Forward-looking business-education initiatives such as these are imperative. These students are our chefs of the future and it is vital that they understand as much as possible about our industry sector from a young age.
“They are learning valuable lessons – for example, that food does not simply come from plastic bags, but from first-rate local farmers and reputable local auction marts. It was a master class in farm-to-fork butchery and they absolutely loved it.”
Mullaney added: “It is so important that our children and young people understand where their food is sourced and how it is processed and prepared before purchase. We want them to be fully aware of the very real significance of responsible and sustainable farming, coupled with the importance of local sourcing and provenance, issues which remain key in our own businesses.”
Frost says the students will now be invited to visit to the WH Frost Butchers shop, followed by a butchery demonstration at the college. There are also plans to organise a visit to a local auction mart.
Both WH Frost Butchers, in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester, and Hartshead Meats are north-west members of the Q Guild. WH Frost Butchers is a butcher member, whilst Hartshead Meats is a Q Guild corporate member.
Q Guild manager Gordon Newlands said: “It is always gratifying to see butcher and corporate members combine with each other. On this occasion, it is to teach the younger generation about the skills and craftsmanship of the meat industry. We in the Q Guild applaud both members and hope this link goes from strength to strength.”
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.
