Mmmmeat. It includes, but is not limited to: Sticky Chicken Legs

As I mentioned my father's rejection of meaty funtimes in my last post, I thought I would tell you a little about my own thoughts on the subject.

I like to think of myself as a fairly ethically minded person, and I’m certainly horrified by many of the farming practices that supply us with meat, but I’ve never been able to bring myself to give it up. I can’t even argue that it’s all part of the circle of life and it’s ‘natural’ to eat meat. Not because I don’t believe it, but our food has developed to a stage where what was or is intended by nature has become rather beside the point. If I had to stick with what was natural then I’d probably have to give up Prawn Cocktail flavour Skips, and I’m afraid I’m just not prepared to do that. If there is a healthy way to cut meat out of your diet (and my father is proof that there is), then is there really any justification in continuing to eat it?

Well, mayhaps there is and mayhaps there ain't, as Mother Abigail says (and she still bakes her own biscuits). I am full of admiration for vegetarians as it requires a level of self discipline that I don't believe I'm capable of. I reconcile my moral vanity with my carnal (in the food sense) desires by trying to avoid intensively farmed meats. Fortunately I am lucky enough to live close to what is probably the best butcher’s in the country.

Aubrey Allens in Warwick Street bases its reputation on getting the best meat possible. Yes, it’s more expensive, but it’s also a lot better, and you can sleep easy on a bellyful of happy meat. Also, if you don’t buy meat too often (vegetarian meals are meals too, remember), the price works out about the same as cheap meat every day. I know I'm coming off as a touch on the snobby side here, and I can't promise to never touch farmed meat again (a girl's got needs, you know). I just likes it, is all.

I can highly recommend the pork rolls served here at lunchtime. I had to stop eating them if I had to go back to work in the afternoon as they’re so big they made me a little sleepy. Aubrey Allen’s is also right next door to Richard Clarke’s greengrocers, which means a bi weekly shop down Warwick Street and I can more or less stop going to the supermarket entirely. Which is AWESOME.

On Mondays they have some decent offers on, and recently I bought a big ole load of chicken legs for a lot cheaper than I was expecting. I'm usually not too fussed about chgicken as I find it a little bland, but this was the good shit. I squashed them into a roasting tin and poured over a marinade of honey, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, crushed garlic and grated ginger. I left the whole lot in the fridge for a day and cooked them for 45 min at Gas Mark 6. I'd show you a picture, but I forgot to take one, so here is a picture of a chicken.

Mmm, delicious.