Boneshaker #11 Launch night

I spotted on the Boneshaker Blog that there was going to be a launch for issue 11 of their fine magazine just over the water at the Bristol Bike Project. As chance would have it I was supposed to be over there for a meal and drinks with some friends. Hurrah convenience.
I scoffed some lovely pizza and then walked out across the city to Stokes Croft to find the Bike Project. Heading down City Road I could smell fire and sure enough there was a welcome blaze in a front mounted bike basket just outside the Project's doors. Inside the rooms were lit by LED strips and the pooling light from the cinema screen. With the electricity being hummingly provided through human effort on the Cycletricity bikes that were running the show.

There were four bikes being used; a hybrid, a polo bike, a mountain bike and a tall bike.
At one point the tall bike had some candles pleasingly inserted and lit for additional light-

As time went on I took my turn on the mountain bike and can only say that it was like a turbo session, only more cramped due to the tiny bike size :-D
I had a bit more of wander round after finding the loo to wash the sweat off and bought a lovely tee shirt before heading back to the friends. A nice night.
Oh and I spotted these knitted bangers in the window of Blaze Studio as I headed back-

Where do good pigs go?

You may, or may not, remember that I had two rare breed Saddleback pigs up on my friends farm; Cinderhill Farm. They were called Genghis and Aristotle.
Well the time came for them to go to the piggy seaside after seven months of living the life of Riley on the hillside. They went to separate butchers as they were different statures. Aristotle (a meat pig) went to my local butcher, Neil Lewis and in return I got some cracking joints, plain sausages made to his award wining recipe, faggots, diced casserole meat and a middle side being cured for bacon.
Genghis (a bacon pig) went to a chap called Gerald who does a lot of curing. I received close to 50lb of lincolnshire sausages, offal, bacon and some lovely hams, including this absolute gem.

That's for a special occasion.
Here's some bacon;

and lurking at the bottom of that box was this beautiful side that I'm going to cold smoke.

I am so pleased with how the pigs turned out. The meat is delicious and for those that will look at the bacon and wince thinking it will be fatty, I can assure you that all the lovely flavour from that band of fat melts into the meat and the result is truly outstanding. I have eaten a lot of bacon and sausages and modesty be damned, this is the best I've tasted.
If you want to know exactly where your meat comes from and how it is treated then speak to Neil or Debs at Cinderhill.