About us
The Ethical Butcher
Overview
We are on a mission to reconnect people with nature. We believe that as a society we have become far too disconnected from our food and the land it comes from. Everything we're about ties together, naturally. The way our farmers manage their animals affects the flavour of the meat they produce as well as their impact on the environment. It's not just about eating good food. It's about knowing where it comes from and how your choices impact both people and planet.
We started The Ethical Butcher because we wanted to create change. It might sound cliché but we know that the industry needed a shift and that we could 'be the change'. Our founders, Farshad who has been in the meat industry for over 15 years and Glen who is an ex vegetarian, believe passionately in righting an industry that has gone so far wrong.
Quality
The ingredients you use are everything. Good quality ingredients are fundamental to a good quality meal, from both a flavour and health point of view. For us, producing high-quality meat isn't just about the flavour or the health benefits; it's about a thoughtful process that puts more into our world than it takes out of it.
Terroir
The combination of factors including soil, climate and environment that gives food its distinctive character.
Terroir – a term ordinarily reserved for the wine industry – is increasingly being used to explain why meat produced in distinct regions has individual qualities and tastes different from other meat. Since working with a number of farmers in different parts of the country, we've been surprised at just how noticeable the difference in flavour is from farm to farm.
We take great pride in the unique and incredible flavours that our meats possess. It's important to us that we know what affects those flavours and why you might prefer one region's meat over another.
Farmers
Farming in a way that is better for the animals, us as humans and the planet isn't always easy at the beginning. Many of our farmers haven't always farmed in the natural way they do today — they have had to go through a transition to get to where they are today, making a choice to use different methods than those they're used to. We appreciate that that choice can be difficult, which is why we're here to make it easier.
Our farmers are our family. They are an integral part of The Ethical Butcher community and we want to support them in every way that we can. We provide our farmers with Holistic Management training, which helps to safeguard their future as the demand for ethical meat increases.
We will continue to visit and conduct interviews with our farmers so that you can get to know them as well as we do.
Regenerative agriculture
Meat gets a lot of stick. What is often, conveniently, left out is the fact that it's the how not the cow that causes most of these problems. Meat that is produced using regenerative methods isn't comparable in our eyes to meat produced in factories. The environment in which the animals live and the food they eat each play big roles in the flavour and nutritional quality.
Our farmers honour natural systems and farm in ways that increase biodiversity and regenerate the land, having a positive impact on the British countryside. Many of our farmers have measured a large sequestration of carbon which may be taking more from the atmosphere than the animals produce as a result of the methods they employ, improving soil health and combating climate change. We believe all farming should be like this, so a proportion of our profits will be channelled into training more farmers in regenerative techniques.
A considered process
It's not just about the meat. We're on a mission to reconnect people with nature and that means each decision we make will echo the respect we have for our environment. From our seasonal recipes to the environmentally friendly packaging that arrives on your doorstep, each step of the process – from farm to table – has been carefully considered.
By interviewing our farmers, providing you with recipes for popular and unusual cuts of meat, and being honest with you about our processes, we want to help you reconnect with your food and the land it is grown on.
From the coffee we drink to the shampoo we use, each time we buy something, we're making a choice about the kind of world we want to live in. We're making one more choice easier to make.
Eating meat shouldn't cost the earth and now it doesn't have to.