A Letter to the Editor a couple of weeks ago caught my eye. It spoke of how shops such as the old fashioned individually run butchers and greengrocers are disappearing from our shopping strips.
It struck a cord, because I’m old enough to remember when every strip had at least one of each, and may I add a good old fashioned baker to that – one who made ‘real’ pies and sausage rolls, and the like (and, of course, lamingtons, vanilla slices, butterfly cakes and chocolate éclairs) and not a muffin or one of those stupid half pie things in sight. And, if there were doughnuts, they were the old fashioned type – over stuffed with jam and cream.
Actually, when I was growing up in a New Zealand country town of 12,000 people, we had two or three such bakeries (Hazelwoods made the best pies – Mr Hazelwood had learned to bake in prison) and at least four good butchers who all bought whole beasts and cut them down – if you wanted fillet steak, you needed to get in early because there is, after all, only one whole fillet per beast. “What about some stewing steak, Mrs Hewitson?” I also remember the butcher in Birregurra (country Victoria), Cindy McGuire, who until he retired a few years ago did exactly that – gee, was his beef good but, like a good restaurant, for my beloved point rump I had to book weeks in advance. But I digress. Also in my country town we had some great greengrocers, including Young’s, who grew a lot of their produce themselves. And, then the supermarket came to town – enough said.
But, back to the letter in the paper, and can I quote:
“I would never believe I would ever mourn a butcher’s shop, our greengrocer and bakery have already gone and, now, in two weeks our butcher shop will be no more. Between a new Coles, a soon to be opened Aldi, people eating less meat and increasing rents, something had to give.”
When I first came to Australia and worked in Carlton, there were a number of butchers, greengrocers and bakers in Lygon Street – all of them run by Italians. Carlton, in those days was genuinely Italian in character, but greedy landlords soon got rid of all those pesky retail food stores to be replaced by cafes and pizza/pasta joints who of course paid higher rents, but were soon rarely owned by Italians. And, when I moved to St Kilda, something similar happened. At the beginning, there was the usual retail in Fitzroy Street and a bank to boot. Now, of course, the greedy landlords have had their way and not only got rid of retail, but the cafes and restaurants that they replaced them with have followed suit and 60% of the shops are now empty.
But, back to the butcher’s shop. While supermarkets’ meat offers have improved dramatically and markets are popular – although not open every day – I offer this further quote from William Dunne’s Letter to the Editor:
“The thing is a butcher shop is not just a butcher’s shop. It has that European/Italian tradition of the shopkeeper smiling and greeting everyone by name. Every person who comes into the shop is warmly greeted – often with a discussion of family, weather and local events (and recipe advice, may I add). The shop is a special place where most of us leave richer than we were when we entered. It is a shop where generosity in quality and quantity is always given in abundance.”
Sentiments with which I concur wholeheartedly. For over 30 years, I bought both professionally and personally from a Lygon Street butcher named Walter Cirone. I will always remember his excitement when he finally found someone to supply me with caul fat (crepinette) and the fact that, on my birthday and at Christmas, there was always a bottle of French champagne in the brine bin (along with the corned beef and pickled pork) for us to share out of coffee cups. When he died it was a sad day for Carlton and, of course me, but like the author of the Letter to the Editor, I mourned not only his passing, but that of his shop, which closed soon after.
In a similar vein to our favourite restaurants that need our support if they are to survive (instead of you continually rushing off to the ‘hot new thing’), retail is the same. If we don’t support our beloved butcher, greengrocer, baker, etc., etc., one day we will wake up and find that they have gone and been replaced by another bloody cafe.
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CORNISH LICKIE PASTIE (for 4)
Cut off the roots and dark green parts of 4-5 leeks. Then cut in half lengthways and wash well under running water, spreading out the layers as you do – to get rid of any sand – and finely slice.
Melt a good dollop of butter in a large pan and gently sauté the leek with seasonings until tender. Then put in a colander and drain well.
Place a bowl (or plate) that just fits on 4 bought puff pastry sheets and cut around. Then pile the leek on one side of each and top with a generous amount of grated gruyere cheese. Fold over and crimp the edges with fork or your thumb, and place on an oiled baking sheet.
Beat 1 egg with ¼ cup milk. Then brush the egg wash all over each pastie and bake in a preheated 180°C oven until golden brown.
http://www.hueyskitchen.com.au/
Click here to go to Hueys Youtube channel
Who Is Iain “Huey” Hewitson
Born 4 October 1948 (age 69)
Otaki, New Zealand
Culinary career
Iain “Huey” Hewitson (born 4 October 1948 in Otaki), is a New Zealand-born chef, restaurateur, author, and television personality who moved to Australia in 1972.[1] He is best known for his television involvement with Network Ten. He was also the face of supermarket chain BI-LO.
image for illustration only.Photo by https://www.cookinglight.com