Richard Mitchell loves food. Correction: No, he is absolutely passionate about the finest quality produce. So passionate that he proudly smokes his own ham and sources items for his gourmet butchery from unusual bespoke locations.

He opened his Potts Point Butchery and Delicatessen last week and has been super-surprised and super-charged with the response.  “Locals are so welcoming, “ he says.

He trained for five years to earn his professional qualifications “in the old days” when saw dust was used for flooring. His shop retains the massive, well-worn 19^th century wooden butcher’s block in the window as a feature item.  “The opening response has been fantastic. We’ve had a massive positive community feedback” he says through his thick, quirky, Irish accent.

The variety of items is delicious in itself.  Rabbit terrine, bespoke smoked ham, Angus pasture, certified organic, grass-fed beef direct from the Paul Kurtz’s Cowabee farm, Oberon, in the NSW central tablelands, hand-made semi- sundried tomato and basil sausages made in the shop, open range pork, Spanish turkey, bacon smoked in beechwood and local honey for 56 hours, veal, coriander zinger steak, silverside, lamb, panco-crumbed [cheese and herbs] chicken breast using a Japanese recipe are all on offer. There’s still more: Spanish creamy blue vein or goats cheese, free-range eggs, pickles in whiskey, Vermont-sourced maple syrup aged in bourbon [!], duck pasta in ginger and star anise sauce [cook for 10 minutes in water to impress guests], buffalo, quail, kangaroo, duck or crocodile sausages [a BBQ show stopper], organic vegan pies, organic ginger and lime ice-cream.

Richard is also a secret frustrated master chef and caters for individuals and parties including roast pork dinners – with crackling –  and his own hand-made sauce.

“We’re immensely proud of what we do. Our products are not just organic, they are next-level bio-dynamic. This is a more intricate process placing strict demands on the farmer and the whole farm-to-plate process,” says Richard.

It includes concepts espoused by Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925). Initially developed in 1924, it was the first of the organic agriculture movements. It treats soil fertility, plant growth, and livestock care as ecologically interrelated. Methods unique to the biodynamic approach include treatment of animals, crops, and soil as a single system, an emphasis from its beginnings on local production and distribution systems, use of traditional and development of new local breeds and varieties. Biodynamic agriculture uses various herbal and mineral additives for compost additives. Its ethos is to “restore, maintain and enhance the ecology and harmony of nature”.

Strict certification by Demeter International is required to claim foods as “biodynamic” an authority which takes its name from Demeter, the classical Greek goddess of grain and earth fertility.

Importantly, Richard is the only Certified Demeter Butcher in Sydney and one of only five in Australia, a source of delight and dignity.

By Andrew Woodhouse

Director, Heritage Solutions

Potts Point Butchery and Deli

Shop 4 (next to Westpac), 55 Macleay Street Potts Point NSW 2011

Phone:             0450 833 376

Email:              Richard@themeatemporium.com.au
Website:          www.themeatemporium.com.au

Opening hours:  Mon- Fri 9am to 7pm, Sat & Sun 9am to 3pm

For on-line Cooking with Richard classes go to https://www.themeatemporium.com.au/videos/