We are very proud and excited to introduce you to our new supplier of buffalo steaks: Broughton Water Buffalo.

Broughton Farm is just outside the pretty village of Stockbridge in Hampshire.
It’s in the Test Valley, a gorgeous area right in the middle of three officially designated Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (Cranbourne Chase, the North Wessex Downs, and the South Downs National Park).
With rolling hills, natural streams, and stunning views in every direction, this is the English countryside at its very finest.

Broughton Farm itself spreads over 500 acres, and farmer Nick has been breeding buffalo there for 14 years.
He uses only completely natural farming methods, meaning no fertilisers or chemicals are used at all on the farm, and the 250 buffalo that live there are left to roam their huge pastures amongst wild grasses and flowers that are left waist-height to mimic their natural habitat.

The buffalo are never given any additional feed than what grows on the farm, and they aren’t given hormones or antibiotics, either.
This very natural life is how farming was done 100s of years ago, and is really clear in the resulting meat that the buffalo produce.

To help drain the soil at Broughton, Nick has planted Lucerne, which is in the same plant family as clover. It has high levels of protein and fibre and the buffalo love to eat it, and its long roots can grow up to 15 metres in length, helping with soil drainage. It also means the plants still survive even during dry periods because the long roots can reach water far below the surface.

The buffalo are slaughtered very close to the farm, so their transport time is minimal, which is of course better for the animals as they have less stress to deal with.
The meat is left to hang and dry-age for 21 days which helps tenderise the meat and also allows the flavour to develop. After hanging, the meat is portioned and then frozen in vacuum-sealed packs.
Freezing the steaks is the best way to preserve them at their best, and when you receive them you can easily put them in the freezer if you don’t want to eat them straight away.

Buffalo itself is a very lean meat, similar to beef but with a more robust flavour – delicate but with a full, rich taste that beef just doesn’t have.

You can order Broughton buffalo steaks online individually, or buy a Buffalo Selection box containing one of each steak, and this way you also save 15% on the individual prices.

We know our buffalo is good – and we are really happy to let you know that our Buffalo Sirloin steaks have been shortlisted as Best British Meat in the 2017 Great British Food Awards.
The winners will be announced in September, and we are confident Broughton will come out on top!

For more information please see:
Buffalo Steaks
Buffalo Steak Selection Box
Great British Food Awards 2017

19^th June 2017

Father’s Day this year is on Sunday 18^th June, and if you haven’t bought your Dad a present yet you really need to start thinking about it!

Dads always tend to do worse on Father’s Day than Mums do on Mother’s Day. In fact, research shows that we spend on average a third more on Mother’s Day presents than on the male equivalent.
This is terrible – those poor Dads!

We think it’s about time this was put right, and if you’re struggling for ideas on what Father’s Day present to buy the top man in your life, we have a great idea!

We all know the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, right? Well it’s just the same when that man is your Dad.

Our new Breakfast Box is a brilliant combination of our favourite breakfast items, including our superb new Breakfast Sauce, made by our friends at Salubrious Sauces.
All you need to add are eggs, beans, maybe a tomato or two, and mushrooms (if you’re that way inclined).

Breakfast Sauce is somewhere between tomato ketchup and brown sauce; it’s fruity, tangy, with a mild spicy kick. It’s fantastic with a fry-up and finally settles that age-old debate “red or brown?”.

Also included in the Breakfast Box is a large pack of 18 of our ever-popular Cumberland Sauces, taken from prime British pork shoulder, mixed with black and white pepper.
Around 30 slices of premium Dry-Cured smoked Back Bacon from Norfolk, and one of our delicious traditional Irish Black Pudding Sticks.

So that’s breakfast all round, with plenty for everyone.
(We find the best presents are the ones that you get to share!).

Don’t forget – it isn’t just your Dad that needs to be treated on Father’s Day! What about your Grandad, Step Dad, Father-in-law, and even the father of your children. They all deserve a day of being spoilt, too.

Order the Breakfast Box online for delivery to your choice of UK mainland address.
Place your order by Midnight on Wednesday 14^th June to guarantee delivery before Father’s Day 18^th June.

For more information please see:
Breakfast Box
Breakfast Sauce

12^th June 2017

We love bacon. OK, it isn’t the healthiest option but we just can’t help ourselves when we hear the sizzle and smell the smoky aroma of our favourite meaty treat!

Back bacon is cut from the loin, the same part of the pig that pork chops and loin steaks come from, while streaky bacon is taken from the belly.
Back bacon is the leaner type of bacon, and it has a layer of fat down one side which can be easily removed if you prefer.
Streaky bacon is fattier and this makes it perfect for wrapping around chicken breasts or your Christmas turkey to keep them moist during cooking. We also love streaky bacon served the American way – cooked until really crispy and piled on top of pancakes with lashings of maple syrup.

At Keevils we have a few types of bacon, and there’s something for everyone.

Our large Big Value packs weigh a hefty 2.3kg each, and contain plenty of bacon to keep you going for a while. The Big Value Back Bacon packs contain at least 50 slices, and the Big Value Streaky Bacon packs have around 90 slices. Enough for the largest family, or the biggest bacon fan!

Our Big Value packs of bacon are wet-cured, which means they are left in big vats of brine to cure. Although the wet cure is a mix of water and salt, the bacon doesn’t have extra water pumped into it like some cheap bacon does, so it won’t shrink when you cook it.

Our Big Value bacon is available to order online and you can choose for it to be smoked, unsmoked, or sweetcure. Smoked and unsmoked speak for themselves, while sweetcure is not as common, but completely delicious. We take out a little of the salt used in curing and replace it with sugar for a sweeter flavour, it really works!

We also sell Dry-Cured Bacon, which again is available as back or streaky bacon, smoked or unsmoked. The Dry-Cured Bacon comes in a smaller pack, weighing 1.5kg, however you’ll still get around 30 slices of back bacon, or 50 slices of streaky.

In a dry-cure, the sides of pork are covered in a dry mix of salt and sugar, and then left to cure. No water is used at all in the curing process, and this is a more traditional method which takes longer than wet-curing but leads to a higher quality product which will crisp up beautifully.

If you’re as bacon-crazy as us you might be interested in these bacon-scented candles we found online. Sure to set a romantic mood.
And if you really LOVE bacon, why on Earth would you want minty-fresh breath when you can be bacon-fresh?! Yes, you can buy bacon toothpaste. Bit much..?

For more information please see:
Keevils’ Bacon range
Big Value Bacon Packs
Dry-Cured Bacon

5^th June 2017