The Yarn by The Free Range Butcher

Maggie Beer’s Tips for the Perfect Roast Chicken

Written by Alison Clinch on August 17, 2011. Posted in Cooking Tips, Free Range Poultry. Leave a Comment

If I ever get the chance to invite a celebrity chef to dinner at our house, I know who I’m inviting – Maggie Beer. It’s not just Maggie’s amazing cooking knowledge that I’d love to absorb; I think she’d be such a wonderful dinner guest with her warm and joyful personality. At MasterChef...

Where There’s Smoke There’s Flavour

Written by Ben Clinch on July 14, 2011. Posted in Cooking Tips, Free Range Pasture Fed Pork. Leave a Comment

Smoking is the process of flavouring, cooking, or preserving food by exposing it to the smoke from burning or smouldering wood. Meats and fish are the most common smoked foods, though cheeses, vegetables and ingredients used to make beverages such as whisky, are also smoked. Historically, farms included a small building...

Food, Shelter, Friends and Space – It’s a Free Range Pig’s Life

Written by Ben Clinch on June 4, 2011. Posted in Farming and Agriculture, Free Range Pasture Fed Pork. Leave a Comment

It’s really exciting watching our pig herd evolve. I haven’t had a lot of exposure to large groups of pigs before. To watch a group of pigs in natural surroundings is like watching a group of kids in the playground at lunch; some are sleeping under trees or trying to hide in the bushes, others are chasing...

Our Escape to the Country

Written by Ben Clinch on April 27, 2011. Posted in Farming and Agriculture. Leave a Comment

It’s funny you know, we started the business with idea that we could get the best of both worlds; the city and the farm. Reality is its more city than the farm for the minute (except for Dad who really only leaves the farm when he has to!), but Alison and I did make a trip to the farm a few weeks ago… We...

Shepherd’s Pie

Written by Alison Clinch on April 19, 2011. Posted in Grass Fed Beef, Recipes. Leave a Comment

My sister Diana made this for us recently and it reminded me how much I loved it. Serves 4 – 6. Ingredients: 500g grass fed beef mince 1 tbsp olive oil 2 onions, chopped 2 carrots, chopped 2tbsps tomato paste 400g can peeled tomatoes 1 cup beef stock 1 cup frozen peas 1kg potatoes, peeled and chopped 75g butter 1/4...

The Great Milk Price War – Where Do You Stand?

Written by Ben Clinch on March 31, 2011. Posted in Farmers Markets, Farming and Agriculture, Health and Wellbeing. Leave a Comment

I have been watching with interest the great milk price war we have going on at the moment. I’m sure you are all across the story; generic brand milk is being sold below cost at $1.00 a litre. Aussies love a bargain so at $1.00 a litre we are stampeding the supermarkets, and driving right past the corner shop where...

Recipe: How to Make Chicken Stock

Written by Alison Clinch on February 10, 2011. Posted in Cooking Tips, Free Range Poultry, Recipes. Leave a Comment

There’s no denying that the very best chicken stock is home made. You can make it ahead of time and refrigerate until needed. In a sealed container, a stock will keep for 3 – 4 days in the fridge or up to 2 months in the freezer. Ingredients: 1kg raw chicken carcasses 25g unsalted butter 1 onion, peeled...

It’s a Good Season for Farming and Finding Love

Written by Ben Clinch on February 8, 2011. Posted in Farming and Agriculture, Free Range Pasture Fed Pork, Pasture Fed Lamb. Leave a Comment

It’s a cracking season at the farm; the hot weather has dried things out a bit and the lambs, pigs and cattle are doing well. With the better season I am very happy to say that we will start with local lamb supply again next week. We continue to bring our pigs down when they are ready to see the big lights of Sydney…...