Westcountry farm is a beacon of sustainably farmed, expertly prepared meat

Lewis Clarke survives the 'Christmas carnage' on a visit to a Devon business that is aiming to reconnect people with truly good food

- 

IT is the season of peace on earth, but for one Westcountry farming family, December is defined by a very different phrase; 'Christmas carnage'!

While most of the country is beginning to wind down, James Vining has been contemplating tens of thousands of pigs in blankets.

This year, however, the festive rush includes a new, distinctly Westcountry twist on the classic trimming - the “deer and duvet”.

“We source wild deer from Devon, so that is about as sustainable as meat gets,” James explains. “We have made a deer and duvet this year, which is a venison sausage wrapped in bacon. In that sausage there are no preservatives, no additives, no artificial ingredients. It is just a pure wild venison sausage wrapped in a nice piece of streaky bacon.”

James, 30, is one of the founders of Beacon Farms, a business that is quietly dismantling the traditional image of the high street butcher while fighting to preserve the very skills that defined it.

Based in Axminster, in East Devon, the company has no shop front, no deli counter and no closing time. It is an online-only operation designed to connect consumers directly with skilled butchery and sustainable farming, cutting out the middlemen and the massive overheads that have forced so many small producers out of business.

The Christmas period is the ultimate test of this model. Preparations begin as early as June, long before the first tinsel appears on the high street.

“It is crazy,” James admits. “You never really know what the orders are going to be until they start coming in. Making sure that everything is tied up from the farm to the butcher delivery is something that starts months in advance. There is a lot that goes into Christmas that people just do not see.”