Our January Update from the Dales

Happy New Year! Here's hoping for a good 2016.

It hasn't exactly been the best start: Spare a thought for the bits of the North which are currently under water. York and Tadcaster have always been liable to flooding as the Ouse is fed by so many rivers in the Eastern Dales (where we and most of our farms are), like the Ure, the Nidd, the Swale, and so on. This year though feels unprecedented, and let's hope everyone affected can get back on their feet as soon as possible.

The past year has been one of tremendous success for us. We've launched our new website for starters, which was the results of months of careful planning and construction. The main idea was to make shopping with us as clear as possible. We wanted customers to know what exactly the cut of meat is, where it's from and which breed it is, and also how to use it.

This last point is part of our on going commitment to sell all of the beast, and not just prime cuts. This is vital, as so often these days so much gets wasted, when there's perfectly good meat to be had from all over the animal. We've been delighted at how many of our customers have taken up the challenge of trying something new, and the success of our lesser known cuts such as Beef Chicken Steak, Oxtail, and Jacob's Ladder.

The other big news is we've moved into new premises in Ripon. Previously our office was in Ripon, (known for its beautiful cathedral) while our dispatch hub was in Skipton, at the foot of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. This was for geographic reasons more than anything else, meaning we were right in the heart of the Dales and close to the farms.

Our new hub in Ripon is slightly closer to Nidderdale, the Dales valley where the majority of our produce is now sourced from, and it means we can dry age meat for longer in our new dedicated dry aging rooms. That means the most tender finishes possible, and if you haven't tried our 45 day aged beef already, you're in for a treat.

With these developments, we're in a good place, and there's lots on the horizon for us. We'll be adding more farms to the fold, and more breeds to try in the near future, not least goat!

It's also our Great Winter Sale at the moment, if you haven't seen already, so be sure to pick up some steaks to stock the freezer with.

All the best,

John & Lee