I was a few years into working in a tech company when I started getting itchy feet. They needed a lot more commitment from me and I wanted to spend more time on the family farm so I started planning my escape! That was what prompted me to contact William Farmer the owner of The Bay Tree, a boutique-style restaurant in Holywood that had an excellent reputation across the province.

It was round the time of the horse-meat debacle and the focus was on where food was coming from and transparent supply chains. I put it to William that I rear an animal on my farm for him to use on his menu. I had no plan beyond that but I knew the interest was in connecting up the start and end points of the supply chain and giving diners the opportunity to know exactly where their meat had come from.

This was my first time dealing directly with a restaurant so I had no idea of what to expect but thankfully William responded positively. I think I struck it lucky really because not all restaurateurs would have been so keen to embark on a project with someone who had no experience in artisan farming. It turned out to be first of many collaborations and the basis of our current business partnership, Farm & Food, an artisan catering company using meat reared on my farm and cooked up by William and his chefs.

In my mind our collaboration would result in me following the progress of a heifer calf from our farm over the course of a few years through to maturation. When the time came I expected The Bay Tree to include her meat in their weekly menu until it ran out. William had different thoughts, preferring the idea of hosting a one-off dining event where we would use as many cuts from our animal in the menu. As well as that he wanted to do it within 6 months giving me very little time to rear and animal.

It wouldn't be the first time William and I would have differing views on the best approach but every time we have the end result has been better than what either of us originally had in mind. By the farmer and the restaurateur working closely together we could raise issues from both parties and create solutions that ensured both the sustainable use of the whole animal in a format that worked for chefs and diners alike.

After a bit of knocking heads we came up with 'Meat Mireille' which was to be a seven course meal using only the meat from one commercial breed heifer (called Mireille) I selected from the farm (she was a good'un!). We would follow Mireille's progress through each stage of her journey from farm to fork, charting her winter, spring and summer before she (how can I put this delicately?) passed over for her carcass to be aged and butchered (probably not that delicate). Diners would be able to get to know their meal in intimate detail, be confident of what they were eating and where it came from.

I really had very little idea of the cuts of meat a cow could yield or what quantities, let alone how to cook them or turn them into a restaurant quality menu, so I was a little daunted by what would happen next. That is where the collaboration proved it's worth as William could focus on the menu planning and cooking while I focused on getting Mireille to the dinner plate in the best possible form. Everything in between (i.e. the butchery) could be advised upon and implemented by our fantastic butcher Owen McMahon. By working together and chatting through the processes we could learn from one another and start to understand each other's trade. For me this has proved hugely influential my farm planning and the direction I want to go in.

I won't go into every detail of Meat Mireille but I am pleased to say it was a great success. We sold all our seats within weeks of announcing the event and the menu got rave reviews (thanks of course to our excellent chefs). It was a very simple concept but people loved the idea of being able to meet their meat before eating it. Meat Mireille challenged the diners, it challenged the farmer, chef and butcher and the result was we all learnt something new about the farm to fork process. It also meant we could control each stage of the process and with careful planning we could produce great tasting meat. If you are interested in reading a bit more you can on my original blog Dad's Gastro Farm.

So what actually was the first menu? Here it is...

Carpaccio of Fillet 

Potted Tail and Tongue 

Belfast Ale braised Ox Cheek 

Jacob's Ladder 

with Mushrooms and Ginger 

Kidneys 

sautéed in Gin and Juniper 

Rump Steak 

with Pink Peppercorn Sauce and Duck Fat Fried Chips 

Lemon Sorbet

That's it for my first post, thanks for reading.  To round off here is a video we made of the Meat Mireille process.

Hope you like it!

Joel