Pub Talk (business plan)

[Old McDonald]

The reality is thought that in this country people have a big problem with horse meat

Have you, or any other poster, knowingly eaten horsemeat?

We tried it here not long after arriving. Three steaks for my wife, son and me. It was pleasant enough to eat and quite tender, but the texture was more towards liver than bovine meat. I prefer to live without it.

Our son's in laws have a rural "retreat" in Italy and they let the next door people use the land and harvest the olives etc. My son, his wife and in-laws were invited to dinner and as a special treat were served Horse Tartare - you know, the horse equivalen of minced raw fillet steak with a raw egg in the middle. The boy reckons he managed to eat his (and some of everybody else's without the hosts seeing) but he would not, by choice, try it again. He reckoned the horse steak was far better, but does not want that again either.

 

[Pieces_of_Eight]

Have you, or any other poster, knowingly eaten horsemeat?

Yes I've tried it twice.

Aside from the paperwork of starting an equine slaughterhouse and supplying trade or retail, the machinery for mincing 30 year old horse bones would create significant cost. Skinning and boning horse carcasses is not a fun job.

Defra paperwork would be less than for cattle/sheep as there is no BSE/CJD/FMD risk

Scrap value of the shoes would be a perk though

Also, horse owners are not always sharp about recording medication (which could affect the end product).

Buying surplus young horses could work, but transport would be a big cost.

 

[llamedos]

Yes I've tried it twice.

Aside from the paperwork of starting an equine slaughterhouse and supplying trade or retail, the machinery for mincing 30 year old horse bones would create significant cost. Skinning and boning horse carcasses is not a fun job.

Defra paperwork would be less than for cattle/sheep as there is no BSE/CJD/FMD risk

Scrap value of the shoes would be a perk though

Also, horse owners are not always sharp about recording medication (which could affect the end product).

Buying surplus young horses could work, but transport would be a big cost.

This + what really ruined the job in the first place, the silly silly people who for some false reason decided it was better for the horse to be bought for a £5 and then spend its life being passed from pillar to post, in many of those living in sh!te conditions going stir crazy, or sent off to some 'sanktooary' to prolong its life of misery.

It is the massive elephant in the room as far as horses are concerned, as witness by the gasps in the audience when Princess Ann at a WHW meeting some years ago, suggested Horse slaughter for meat should be re considered.

I have an acquaintance who up into the early 80s still produced Shetlands(mainly) for the UK meat market, he said they killed out well, and I have to agree the steak from them was quite pleasant, although I dont agree on the earlier comparison to liver, however the pressure from animal right types finally stopped him + the imminent closure of the local abattoir he dealt with, he disagreed with the live export market, so would not go down that route.

 

[ffukedfarmer]

Have you, or any other poster, knowingly eaten horsemeat?

No, I've never (knowingly) tried it. I have no problem with eating horse, subject to it passing a taste test!

 

[Pieces_of_Eight]

I have no problem with eating horse, subject to it passing a taste test!

It is richer than beef and darker (similar to a pigeon breast) with yellow fat around the organs and under the skin, but very little fat within the muscle.

I'm surprised that it doesn't appeal to the ethnic markets.

 

[Old McDonald]

I rarely see it here now, so I assume it is not well liked.

Llamedos, it was the texture, not the taste, which I felt was more of a liver texture. Personal opinion only. I accepted a dinner invitation last year from a vegan (allergy she told me, not choice) and I was served tofu. I thought it was like tough pork pieces. Again personal opinion because many think it is not. You probably know offhand - is there some legal restriction on selling horsemeat for human consumption in the UK?

 

[JCMaloney]

Horse meat can be prepared and sold in the UK if it meets the general requirements for selling and labelling meat. There are three abattoirs operating in the UK that are licensed to slaughter horses for human consumption. It is also legal to export live horses from the UK for slaughter if they have the necessary paperwork such as a horse passport, export licence and health certification.
Source & more: http://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/SN06534

Yes, I`ve eaten it......... mind you in the early days of "exotic meats" there isn`t much walking or flying on this planet that i haven`t tried!

 

[llamedos]

is there some legal restriction on selling horsemeat for human consumption in the UK?

No, it is more difficult to procure due to the declaration in our passport system.
It is baulked it by a certain group, and this is the main issue, I think there are now only 2 abattoirs licensed to slaughter, as far as I know, it is/has to be a quiet operation, and is sold only through specialist companies.

 

[JCMaloney]

As far as i recall (and its been a while!!) there is only one in Bristol and one in Cheshire left, used to be one in Romford area when I worked in Essex but I think that has gone now.

 

[Blod]

I had some home killed colt that was weaned into the freezer. They made the forequarters into kofta type kebabs on the bbq. It wasn't much different to veal really. Texture was ok, just a bit tasteless and pale. Had smoked horse in Italy and wouldn't bother again. Carpaccio of horse is rather good though.

 

[J 1177]

Didn't a certain petfood manafacturer near Melton Mowbray used to have human tasters for their petfoods, or was that an urban myth ?

They have them every friday and saturday night in most towns after a skinfull.

 

[Goatherderess]

Being married to a Frenchman who loves horsemeat, yes I've eaten it and it's good - especially from a specialist horsemeat butcher in France. Rich like venison so you would eat it as a treat not daily I think. It's a shame it isn't accepted here and so many ponies and horses are exported live (nasty business I think) abroad.

 

[Paddington]

Princess Anne was trying to promote the consumption of horsemeat on the grounds that if your old nag had a value in the butcher's market you would be more likely to look after its welfare.
Had some horsemeat burgers abroad last year and they were delicious, need the name changed to attract more buyers, like deer meat people think of Bambi, so venison. How about Equisteaks ?

 

[Turra farmer]

I was chatting to a few mates who are non farmers and they had came up with an idea about buying animals and mincing the whole lot (bones and all) to create a food for working dogs. I told them about price for lamb/mutton/ and beef to buy in markets but they were asking about Horses.but i didnt know what the price of a horse would be for meet? Ie an old one or 6 months old. And what would the legalities be of it?
I thought they were crazy at first but the more we drunk the more it made sense

Sounds like a nice bunch of mates