Slippers and sausages

I'm up in Lincolnshire at the moment visiting my friend Alexa who I studied with at CAT. Two things about this visit have been especially inspiring.

Firstly, last year Alexa and Gavin got pigs. This was mainly because the garden of the house they bought was full of the wild version of comfrey, and pretty much the only way to get rid of it (without resorting to nasty chemicals) is with pigs. The problem with trying to dig it up, is that if you split the root, two plants grow in its place. However, pigs dig up and eat the roots, solving the problem.

 

So two little piglets were purchased, an area was fenced off, and the pigs started digging. Apart from a few minor mishaps and some escaping piglets, the pigs were a resounding success. The comfrey was eradicated, and the pigs had a completely free-range and happy upbringing. The pigs went to the butchers in January, with one pigs worth of meat going to Gavin's family, and the other pig being kept by Alexa and Gavin. Now, Gavin is a vegetarian, and hasn't eaten meat in 15 years, but decided that he couldn't possibly disagree with eating the pigs on environmental or animal welfare grounds. And so, he's been eating the pork. 

Best of all, they got given all the offal too, so Alexa and I are going to have a bash at making pork liver pate this weekend - I shall report back on the outcome...

Secondly, and perhaps more interestingly, Alexa makes slippers for a living. She made a pair for Gavin for his birthday a few years ago, and they worked out so well that the idea for Motties slippers was born. Alexa now makes slippers full time, making them out of a little  workshop in her house.

What's really inspiring about Motties is what they're made out of and how they're made. The leather for the slippers is rescued waste from the upholstery industry, where it would otherwise be thrown out. Likewise for the wool and the rest of the fabric that goes into a pair of the slippers, often made from unwanted blankets or jumpers. Material that is unusable or unsuitable for other parts of the slippers is used inside the inner sole, then layered with a suede sole and fabric inner. A top is crafted from a leather outer and wool inside, and then the slipper is stitched together. Each pair is unique as the stock of leather and material that Alexa has to work with changes week to week, and so the colours vary all the time. 

And there's some inspiring details behind the scene. She's currently experimenting with composting the wool, leather and cotton scraps that are too small to use, making sure any waste is recycled as much as possible. Added to that, the packaging that the slippers come in is minimal and reusable - simple brown paper envelopes that protect the slippers, but can be reused by the recipient or easily recycled. She's also currently experimenting with making removable inner soles for the slippers that can be bought to allow old Motties to be given a second lease of life, or be washed to keep your slippers smelling fresh. 

I love the fact that they're upcycled from reclaimed materials, and Alexa works with what she has available at the time. Plus they're super comfy and mine have lasted brilliantly. 

So, as well as catching up with a friend, I've had a lesson in ethical and happy meat, and upcycling and sustainable product design. 

The chicken saga...

Ok, so maybe saga is too strong a word, but it was a bit of a mission...

I was cooking a special meal for some friends last night and had planned a big Chinese feast. One of the central parts of this meal was planned to be sweet and sour chicken. Which using my incredible powers of deduction required me therefore buying some chicken.

So Saturday morning, I set off up Gloucester Road armed with my reusable shopping bags and a stupidly long shopping list, which featured some free range chicken breasts.

The first hurdle however was when I got to the local butchers, only to discover that their chicken wasn't free range. With supermarkets off the agenda, I was faced with walking 20 minutes up the road to the next butchers that I knew stocked free range chicken (all the time grumbling that I hadn't taken my bike).

The second hurdle was reached when I got to the butchers. Yes, they had free range chickens, but no chicken breasts, only whole chickens. Parting with the best part of a tenner (internally lamenting that I could have bought a free range chicken for half that from the supermarket, whilst constantly reminding myself that this isn't about the money), I bought a chicken and carried it all the way home.

But then the hurdles turned into positives. I jointed the chicken yesterday, ready to cook it for the sweet and sour, and using only the breasts and one of the thighs, I fed myself and three friends, and still had enough to supply my two housemates with leftovers.

And then I roasted the remaining chicken parts, stripped off the meat, and made stock with the carcass and the bits of leftover vegetables that I've been keeping all week (supplemented with a few bits from my veg box). The remaining chicken and the stock then went into making a (by my own admission, delicious) chicken noodle soup that will supply me with lunches for the rest of the week.

So, having to travel quite a long way to get the chicken was a bit of a pain, but now I know which butchers to go to, things will be easier in future. Also, I've discovered a great butcher that clearly labels the free range/organic status of its meat.

However, I think the fact that I had to buy a whole chicken was a real positive (and good lesson). I don't think it's right that we can just buy the best parts of the animal and ignore the rest of it. If you want the chicken breast, you should use the rest of the meat too, and waste as little of it as possible. And by doing that with the rest of the chicken, I made stock (also using up lots of ends of vegetables that would have been wasted), and ended up with a lovely soup that will feed me for several further days.