From Farm to Fork: Pembroke’s Catering Team Visit Local Provider

Pembroke’s chefs and other members of the Catering team visited Holland Farm in Great Milton to gain an insight into the origins of the meat which they cook and serve at College. This farm supplies Aldens Specialist Catering Butchers, which Pembroke uses for everything from minced beef to make lunchtime lasagne to fillet steaks for a Gaudy or a College feast.

This 200-year-old, family-run business uses local and regional farms, so all meat is traceable to its origins. The Butchers are trained in traditional methods and meat is aged in dry ageing fridges to the requirements of individual clients.

The motivation behind this trip was to give staff a better understanding of what it takes to get the product to the College; from the birth of calf to  preparing a 28-day aged rib of beef. The informative visit involved a tour of the farm and a special demonstration from one of the butchers (see picture below).

Sous Chef at Pembroke College, Linsey Worrall commented: 'Responsible sourcing is important to us at Pembroke College. Working with suppliers who meet the quality and quantity of product we require, means they too have to responsibly source their products. Things that we take into account with responsible sourcing include human rights, food safety, ethical sourcing and animal welfare, environment pollution and food fraud.'