Controversial food number two – Ossobuco

Following on from foie gras, our Christmas Day lunch continued in a similar vein of controversial yet tasty dishes. Although ossobuco is a Milanese dish, it seems to have been heartily adopted by the French. Unfortunately, the main ingredient is the shank of a veal.

The treatment of calves on the continent is quite barbaric – removed from their mothers within days, kept in cramp conditions or even crates, fed an iron-free diet to keep the meat white, and then slaughtered within months. A very unhappy existence.

However, I was glad to hear that the veal had been sourced from a free-range farm – it made the dish a lot more palatable, I can tell you.

According to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall in this article in the Guardian, British farmers are taking animal welfare into consideration in a bid to get “rose” veal back on the menu.