Louise Gray - The Ethical Carnivore: My Year Killing to Eat

PRAISE FOR THE ETHICAL CARNIVORE

A charming and eye-opening book. The accounts of hunting trips with her father contain some vivid and quite moving nature writing.

Guardian

[The book is] not a reflection on whether or not to become a vegetarian Gray believes we can eat meat ethically, going for quality ahead of quantity.

i

A sensible read for meat-eaters who have ever wondered what it might be like to stand in the business end of an abattoir. Amusing and moving, Gray more than earns her stripes its impossible not to admire her.

Evening Standard

A fascinating insight The book is neither preachy nor lacking in laughs. Gray writes with humour and humanity.

Sunday Herald

Well paced, well researched and politically even-handed.

Country Life

A sensitive and powerful book.

Prospect Magazine

A really useful and interesting addition to the big debate. If were to have a decent, proper relationship with meat in the future, books like this need to get out and explain to people what is actually going on.

Alex Renton, BBC Food Programme

Gray seeks to answer perhaps the most important question every human faces how we feed ourselves. This humane, adventurous and wonderfully illuminating exploration will entertain and challenge everyone, from carnivore to vegan.

Patrick Barkham, author of Badgerlands

What makes this book special is that it somehow manages not to be sensationalist and yet also to be entertaining, making a tough and difficult subject digestible.

Hattie Ellis, author of Planet Chicken

Vivid, visceral and honest. Gray observes without ever being detached, and thats a rare talent.

Ella Risbridger, Eating with My Fingers

Compellingly readable, wise and kind. Theres plenty of serious refl ection too, all the more arresting for Grays lightness of touch.

Charles Foster, author of Being a Beast

Beautifully written. Brave and personal.

Kerstin Rodgers, author of V is for Vegan

A thorough, engaging, sometimes shocking account of where our meat comes from. It is also, importantly, a book about caring.

Malachy Tallack, Caught by the River

This is a book that all should read but it isnt simply a duty, its a gritty pleasure. It will make you look at dinner differently

Mark Avery, author of Inglorious

A NOTE ON THE AUTHOR

Louise Gray is a freelance writer based in Scotland. She worked for The Scotsman and as Environment Correspondent for The Daily Telegraph, and specialises in writing about food, farming and climate change. Her work has featured in many publications and Louise has made appearances on BBC television and radio. Louise is passionate about environmental issues, increasingly focusing her writing on how individuals can make a diff erence through the choices they make, such as the food we eat. She blogs at www.louisebgray.com and tweets @loubgray.

For Dad

Contents

A number of animals helped make this book happen, some of them human. I cannot possibly mention everyone, so please consider this a thank you to all the people who have given me tips on stalking, shooting, fishing and writing, introduced me to farmers, opened doors at abattoirs, recommended books, provided advice on cooking game, fed me delicious vegan food and been a shoulder to cry on when it all became too much.

Steve Reynolds is a true English countryman, perhaps one of the last. I owe him a huge debt of thanks for teaching me the most important lesson of all: to respect the quarry. I have much to learn and I hope that one day I can provide some of the joy he has brought to so many people, by learning to source and cook the food of the great British countryside.

Steve Harrod is the perfect gentleman and fishing buddy, and Gerald Stubbs, George Monbiot, Simon Furniss, Oli Hallam, Sheena Goode, Andy Richardson, Peter Cunningham: you are my 21st century Piscators! Thanks to Jack and Robbie Dale for the delicious lobsters, Bram and Richard Haward for the oysters, Spider for the langoustines.

Fishermen of the sea tend to be a salty lot. Nick Hutchings and the crew of the Britannia of Beesands , thanks for not making me eat raw fish. Im sorry I was so rude about the toilet arrangements. Charles Clover for The End of the Line and Callum Roberts for The Unnatural History of the Sea . Jake Chalmers, Jim and Alex Smith, Ian Burret, and the Professor of Fishing for your knowledge of the oceans.

Mike Park, Jess Sparks and the men and women of Peterhead fish market, thanks for letting me pose kissing that John Dory, before selling it.

Farmers are incredibly busy people, yet many gave up their time to talk to me, including Ross Mackenzie, Denis Rankine, Adrian Ivory, Robert Lanning, Nick Ball and Jacob Sykes, John Gray and Kenneth Gray. There is a new generation of farmers out there and I am excited about what you are all doing to improve and regenerate our shared landscape. Most especially Jade Bartlett and Oli Parsons, Roly and Camilla Puzey, James Rebanks and Nicola Bulgin. If anyone is looking to mail order good meat, look up their websites or Farmdrop.

Fred Berkmiller is a great chef and has helped me contact farmers, abattoirs and butchers to find out how meat is produced.

Abattoirs are supposed to be dark and difficult places. I was always treated politely and, considering all the questions I asked, with a good deal of patience. Special thanks to Philip Goodwin and everyone at Wishaw, St Merryn Foods in Cornwall, Dovecote Park in Yorkshire and Humphreys in Essex. Slaughtermen and women are not given enough thanks. I watched many at work and I believe you deserve respect from all meat-eaters. You are not dregs and you never were.

Danish Crown in Denmark is leading the world with their slaughterhouse with glass walls. Their transparency is truly impressive. Also thanks to John Gregson of Waitrose and Jo Roberts and Dionne Parker of McDonalds.

Thank you to Temple Grandin for phoning me at 6 am her time and talking for two hours. I guess that is how you change the world, by working so damned hard.

The high street butcher is making a comeback thanks to the education of consumers and the hard work of farmers and quality independent butchers. Thank you to all those butchers who gave me advice during the writing of this book, especially Dave Lyall, who helped butcher my stag at such short notice.

I was invited shooting by some incredibly kind and generous people. Thanks in particular to Tosca Tindall, Dan Tindall, Mhairi Morris, the ladies of Glad Rags and Cartridge Bags and The Shotgun and Chelsea Bun Club. Also gamekeepers and experts Richard Thomson, Sam Thompson, Kevin Ramshaw, William and Abigail Alldis, Chris Wheatley-Hubbard and Selena Barr. And ace roadkill recycler Alison Brierley.

Im also very grateful to my vegetarian and vegan friends. Everyone at Hendersons, and Hilary and Alberto of Sgaia Foods. Angus Buchanan-Smith and family for letting me share an extraordinary day and the whole team at Enroot Collective.

Understanding halal took the help of Ruby and Lutfi Radwan, Nadeem Adam, Said Toliss and family, Sean Wensley, Sameer Rahim and Nabeelah Jaffer.

The Virtues of the Table by Julian Baggini taught me to know how to eat is to know how to live. Jonathan Safran-Foers Eating Animals has also been a source of inspiration.

Thanks to the Kurt Vonnegut Trust for letting me use a quote from the great man and to Seamus MacNally, the National Trust Scotland warden in Torridon, for letting me use an extract from his fathers poem featured in Highland Deer Forest .