Old fashioned butchery by design
Open for nearly a year, Homegrown Butchery, Deli and Pantry in Kuripuni epitomises a pasture to plate philosophy in a stylish setting.
By Sue McLeary. Photos by Lucia Zanmonti
“People ask where our meat comes from, and we’re proud to tell them ‘homegrown’ is literally true,” says Ali.
As well as the busy butchery, she and husband Dion Kilmister, run four farms in the Wairarapa and Hutt Valley, where they breed and raise all their own lamb and beef.
“The farms are all Assure Quality accredited, so we vouch personally for the highest animal welfare and environmental sustainability standards.
“People are interested to know all our meat is breed and gender specific. We only use female animals, because they really do taste different. Testosterone levels rise and fall in male animals and can affect the taste.
“Our pork comes from Longbush Free Range Pork in the hills outside Carterton, where Naya and Jeremy share our philosophy. Our bacon is cured on the premises and is nitrite free, for example.
“We’re a full carcass butchery, which means (because the meat is processed on the premises) we can be flexible about ensuring cuts in high demand are available, and offer a wide range of options.
“There are not many full-carcass butcheries left in New Zealand, and only a few are farmer-owned.
“Our production line is visible through big window, so customers can see what is happening out the back if they want to, and most people really like that,” Ali says.
Dry aged beef is a speciality, aged to 21 days to produce deliciously tender premium meat. It’s then vacuum-packed to retain the moisture. Everyone loves it.
Ali acknowledges Dion is the real cook in the family, and he loves suggesting uses for the different cuts with customers. His hot meat sandwiches are lunchtime favourites, and new products are in the pipeline.
The deli ham on the bone is always a winner, and black pudding lovers are delighted to find the homegrown version.
The pantry range at Homegrown is extensive, from premium Lewis Road butters and creamery milk to spice rubs, pickles and chutney from Wellington’s Pickle&Pie restaurant, sauces and glazes, speciality bread mixes, dukkah, local olive oils and condiments galore.
This section is all about complementing the meat, and especially for “plattery stuff” – so easy and popular for casual entertaining these days.
“On our farm we grow mountains of mint, and make our own mint pesto. It’s ideal with barbecued lamb and is so popular we’re thinking about planting more,” says Ali.
Like so many family businesses, the COVID19 lockdown was a game-changer. Although meat production could continue as an essential service (inspected twice by MPI), the retail store could not. So in super-fast time Homegrown transitioned to online sales…. “with a massive amount of help from my son Blair Rooney who owns Enable Digital,” says Ali.
“He got us thinking about how the business would look and run under COVID restrictions, how we’d re-purpose people’s jobs to packing and delivering online orders, and simply how to manage the whole thing. And we did, although it’s great to have customers in the store again!”
And what do Ali and Dion think makes Homegrown special – “it’s an old-fashioned traditional butchery in an elegant funky setting”.
