Ginger Pig Meat Book [Hardcover]

This is at first glance a beautifully presented cookery book, but on further inspection, it is so, so much more.

Whilst the majority of the book is dedicated to meaty recipes, the first section of the book (about 100 pages) is a crash course in all things meat. Different breeds of pig, sheep and cow are discussed (amongst others); there are pictorial step-by-step guides to boning, stuffing and rolling a loin or pork, boning and rolling a shoulder of pork, preparing a cote de boeuf or cutting two joints from a shoulder of lamb; there is guidance for purchasing each type of meat in terms of what to look for visually - colour, signs of stress etc; British (and French) chicken labelling - I could go on.

This book has also been a real revelation for me in terms of seeking advice and guidance from my local butcher. In the past I have always felt rather foolish, as I am very aware that I am not very knowledgeable about which cuts are best used for which purpose (even though many of the terms are very familiar, such as rump, silverside, chump, topside, saddle etc.) I have lacked confidence in knowing what cuts are fit for a particular kind of cooking and I have been rather ashamed of it. Not only has this book helped me to understand why different cuts work differently (in terms of how hard they work), but it has also opened my eyes to what many may see as a fairly obvious fact, that that my butcher is there to help me and guide me (rather than to make me feel "sheepish"!) I am now going into my butchers with a good idea of what I want and then I am explaining that to him my plans for the meat and seeing whether he agrees with me! Very liberating!

The heart of the book, the recipe section, has been organised month-by-month, taking into account the seasonality of ingredients. However, there is a personal insight into that month's running of the farm at the beginning of each chapter. This is a really personal, human account, which together with the outstanding photography, captured by Kirin Perers, really transports you between the farmyard, the kitchen and the dinner table.

There is a plethora of information and guidance, from preparation and butchery of the meat and the seasonal availability of game in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland right through to a roasting table for temperatures and timings for everything from the relatively commonplace beef to the more unusual mallard or teal.

The recipes are nicely balanced, with recipes for homely favourites like Toad-in-the-hole or Tim's Roast Chicken to the more adventurous such as Braised Spanish Pork with Muscatel Raisins or Duck and Pistachio Pate. However, it is a practical book and the recipes are ones to make rather than just to read and with that in mind, the balance is more towards the homely and recognisable and most of the ingredients are readily available (I haven't yet found any Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) though!) and the techniques are believably achievable. It is great to have a book like this which if you are ever fearful of taking a recipe on, even stares your fear down on your behalf, like the recipe for wet-cured ham from scratch, which begins, "Don't be scared...." (I still am a little, but less so!)

If recipes such as Mutton Shepherd's Pie or Hungarian Pork Goulash, whet your appeitite (as they did mine) then this is the book for you. It would make a great gift for someone who likes to read cookbooks as much as they like to read novels - as it is nicely balanced tome of information, storytelling and food.

With the recent trend of people accepting the origins of their food due to the work of chefs, butchers, fishmongers and all the other wonderful people who connect us with every delicious morsel that passes our lips, a book such as The Ginger Pig Meat Book is expectedly seeing tons of attention.
I'd like to take some time to really bring attention to the farm-related text in the book. As a cook, farmers are cool. Farmers are the guys who do the REAL hard work, and we're given the gorgeous results of their hard labour and, in most cases, we're in charge of just heating it up, and then taking all the credit. By including "day-in-the-life" journal entries for the farm, Wilson sheds light upon a much underappreciated aspect of the food industry. It sure is a dramatic journey; from the birth of a rare breed of pigs, to the premature death of a large chunk of his lamb population, Wilson documents the rewards and heartbreak of running a farm. It truly is such a treat to have a book such as this to really highlight the work of the people raising good meat from happy, healthy and well-cared for animals.
The Ginger Pig Meat Book has easily become one of my favorite cookbooks. Not for the same reasons as The French Laundry Cookbook or Michel Bras, mind you, but as a book that, on principle, sends an important message to the uninformed. Times are a changin' in the world of food as people begin to really care about where their food comes from, and with this book, Ginger Pig Farms affirms it's position as a rallying point of such a powerful and momentous movement.

This is a fantastic cookery book for meat lovers. It's well presented and has lots of informative pictures of animals, cuts of meat and how to joint meat as well as yummy photos of the finished product - a meal on a plate. There is no vegetarian section in this book unless you count Mint Sauce or Yorkshire Pudding.

The recipes I've tried have worked really well and have been easy to follow. Most are meals that people want to eat at home and can be prepared without too much faffing. There are loads of good old traditional recipes such as Slow Roast Belly of Pork (page 142), Beef Stew and Dumplings (page 181) and Lancashire Hot Pot (page 184). But equally, if you want a twist on the usual or are cooking for a dinner party there are lovely ones such as Pork Fillet with Rhubarb (page 200) or Mediterranean Gunea Fowl (page 206).

The only gripe I have with this book is the Roasting Table at the back of the book. I often pick up a recipe book just to check roasting times, weights and temperatures but this one is confusing. Meats, temperatures and cooking times are given as usual but at the bottom of the page is a note saying that `temperatures are calculated for a fan oven; if using a conventional oven reduce the heat by 10 - 20C'. Now that is completely the opposite of what is normally stated (a fan oven temperature is reduced by 10 - 20C, not conventional). It's probably best not to use the Roasting Table and follow cooking instructions as stated on each recipe. This is a lovely book to own and any `foodie' would be over the moon to have one grace their kitchen.