Tuesday 28 April 2015

Fen Farm Venison - Creake Abbey Farmers Market - Venison & Pork Sausage


I first found Fen Farm Venison at Docking Market, all the way back in September 2012. The stall was inviting on a drizzly day and there was a sizzling sound combined with yummy aroma in the air as they grilled some sample sausages for shoppers to taste. You'll receive a warm welcome and be able to take home some very high provenance and healthy venison products.



The proprietors tell us that venison "is one of the healthiest red meats available, having only 207 calories per 100gms. Not only is it low in fat, but it is very low in cholesterol, high in iron and high in protein. Therefore, it is excellent for low-fat diets, medical or otherwise, and in the case of some of our customers, the only red meat they eat." All of which sounds rather good.


Where To Find Them:
Fen Farm Venison's natural habitat is the farmers market, and they are present at lots of these in the East Midlands/Lincolnshire/Norfolk area. You can find the full schedule on the "Markets" page of their informative website - Fen Farm Venison  Or if you prefer, you can have these high quality meat products delivered to your door - see the "Ordering" page for the full details. However you decide to get hold of their produce, hurry to the current website as there's a newer, shinier version on the way....




Stanwatch:
We spotted our first ever Junior Stan! Check the picture of the stall and you can see the smart turnout of the staff, bravo!


Flavour:
RICH! Gamey and intense meaty flavour with just a hint of pine forest. Venison is a powerful flavour and not to everybody's liking, but if you love a tasty sausage you'll really enjoy a venison banger. There's a peppery after-taste which compliments the meaty maelstrom that goes before. OMB (Oh My Bambi), these sausages seem to be made up of 137% meat. Don't mess with them.




Texture:
Solid scaffolding poles of meat, but somehow super-juicy at the same time. These looked kind of aggressive in the frying pan and on the plate. Brooding looks and gnarly texture is a macho combination. These really are a carnivore's dream. Solidly chunky filling that is actually chopped quite fine but sticks together tightly like neutrinos subjected to a weak nuclear force. True dat.


Vital Statistics:
Average Weight Uncooked = 78 grams
Average Weight Cooked = 72 grams

Meat Content = 80% venison combined with 19% pork




Value For Money:
£3.02 for 4 sausages weighing 310 grams. This works out as £9.74 per kg and 75p per banger. These are high quality bangers and so we rate this as very good value for money.


The Imaginatively Titled Next Day Cold Sausage Test:
There were two of these venison & pork sausages lurking, snarling and muttering expletives in the fridge the next morning. After putting on some meat-proof body armour I plucked up courage to tackle them - a cold sausage sandwich made with the cheapest, whitest bread that money can buy. It was a meal in itself! The red sauce half was yummy but the brown sauce half was "off the chuffing scale". The sausages bond together even more fiercely in the fridge and this means that a simple sausage buttie will take you quite a while to tackle. Delicious!



And Finally, Esther:
I bloody loved these man-sized, manly bangers. The full-on flavour may be a little too powerful for some palates but if you're a sausage fan (and if you're not, why are you on this website?) don't just take my word for it - I thoroughly recommend trying out some of Fen Farm Venison's delicious produce for yourself.

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