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Sanagan’s grade A maple syrup is produced in Guelph, Ontario by Shady Grove, the same family who raise most of our holiday turkeys. Shady Grove has 30,000 taps installed in 15 local woodlots, feeding not picturesque buckets but networks of vacuum-powered sap extraction systems. Their sugar shack (a.k.a. production facility) has the ability to process 4000 gallons of syrup per hour. They are serious about syrup and the result is top grade stuff. In contrast to this high-tech scenario I’ve had the immense good fortune, having married into maple, of seeing the process at its most pioneer-like. My wife’s family, The Purvis’s obtained their original 400 acres of farmland and bush near Brockville, Ontario, in the form of an 1812 War land grant. At some point in the 1840’s they built a stone farmhouse. This is the house my wife grew up in, shaded by massive ancient sugar maples tapped for generations to produce the family’s annual batch of maple syrup. #13 Syrup Street If you’re looking for a holistic wellness program, I can’t recommend syrup making strongly enough. Endless lungfuls of bracing fresh air in a deeply natural setting, hiking through the bush carrying heavy buckets, mounting the pick-up truck, unloading the heavy antique milk cans and filling the boiler; it’s like CrossFit at Walden Pond. Graham’s bucket list After your workout you bask in the sap spa, the makeshift boiling tent where 40 units of sap is reduced into 1 unit of syrup and you steam yourself in the clouds of sweet mist coming out of the wood-fired evaporator. While you gently steam, it’s recommended you re-fortify with constant sampling. Boiling Up So, I count myself lucky to be included in this sweet tradition. For those of you who don’t have a tapping family, you can still enjoy this elemental distillation of Canada’s natural flavour. Just include a bottle of maple syrup on your next Sanagan’s shopping list. Ted and Laurel Purvis Ted (right) started early

How do you like to spend your days off in the winter? If you’re anything like me, you’re happy to enjoy the bit of snow we are getting this year, while taking advantage of the opportunity to savour warming, hearty dishes. A couple of weekends ago in Toronto, while St. John’s got hit with a massive snowstorm we received a comparatively small, but not inconsequential, amount of snow. Knowing this snow was on its way, I was happy to have loaded up on a couple of new sausages from our resident charcutier, Scott. Ingenuity and development are two of our core values at Sanagan’s, and few people embody those as Scott does. He isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel, but is constantly working on further developing his recipes and techniques in search of the best possible product. His recent improvements with emulsions and sausages has led to three new (for us) varieties: Montbeliard, Bockwurst, and Knackwurst (or saucisse d’Alsace). All three sausages may be included in the classic Alsatian dish choucroute garnie. Choucroute is a dish without a single specific recipe. Rather, it typically includes sauerkraut, sausages, and a wide variety of other meat/potato/vegetable components. For my version, I used all three of Scott’s sausages, a smoked ham hock, sauerkraut, and Cookstown Greens organic potatoes. It was as easy as it could be to make; essentially braising the ham hock in the sauerkraut with white wine and stock, adding the sausages and potatoes towards the end, shredding the meat from the hock, and serving with lots of mustard. This left me lots of time through the day to enjoy it with my boys and shovel the driveway twice.

There’s lots to love about pot-au-feu: it’s an unfiddly, flexible yet grand way to feed a group; it accommodates multiple, cheap cuts of meat; and, if made with care, provides its own first course of delectable broth. My recent rendition, shown below, features Sanagan’s boneless beef shank roast stuffed with herbed marrow. This is one of the our most affordable cuts. When slow-cooked the shank’s multiple muscles eventually break down, yielding up full, earthy, beefy flavour and satisfying texture. When I was discussing this recipe with Peter he emphasized the value of having some boney stuff in the pot to enrich the broth. To that end, I added a marrow bone cut into rounds. I wrapped these pieces in cheesecloth so as not to lose the yummy marrow in the depths of the pot. And to exploit pot-au-feu’s versatility, I threw in some duck legs. Here’s a basic Pot-au-Feu How-To, including the first course broth, that you can tailor to your meat and veggie preferences and number of mouths to feed. But don’t stint on the quantities. It makes for great leftovers, reheating easily, or resurrected as a sublime hash.

• Place your main cut(s) like, beef or game chuck roast, shank, short ribs, brisket, pork or boar shoulder, whole birds etc. in a big pot and cover in cold water.
• Very gradually bring to a bare simmer. For approximately the first hour of simmering regularly skim the cooking liquid. The scum should get whiter as you skim. Rigorous skimming’s not so essential if your foregoing the first course soup but it’s still a good practice to illuminate some of the scum. The more vigilant the skimming, even beyond this initial stage, the clearer the broth.
• Season to taste.
• Add roughly chopped vegetables like clove-studded onion, carrot, celery, a whole unpeeled garlic bulb and a big bouquet garni (a bunch of fresh herbs like parsley, thyme and bay leaf, held together with string or cheesecloth) Because I was using the herbed shank roast, I decreased the size of the bouquet garni. The Time/Life Good Cook series* suggests adding an apple to the pot so as to decrease fatty flavours. I’m unsure how necessary this is but it looks very chefy and picturesque.
• Continue to simmer until the meat is tender, 2 hours or more depending on the cuts. Add additional smaller items like sausage or poultry pieces as you go, aiming to have them all finish together.
• Towards the end of the meat poaching, prepare the finishing vegetables; things like pearl onions, carrots, turnips, parsnips and potatoes, all cut into bite-size pieces. These will be served with the meat.
• Once all the meat is tender, set it aside, keeping it warm and moist in a bath of stock and dispose of the exhausted vegetables left in the pot. Strain and degrease the broth. Here you will be glad of a gravy strainer jug. Reserve a portion of this broth for the first course.
• Return the remaining broth to a fresh pot. Add the finishing vegetables and, while you enjoy your soup, cook them until well done.
• Arrange all the meat on a big platter and strew the finishing vegetables around it. Douse with the broth, present the platter to the table and start carving. Oohs and aahs guaranteed. An extra jug of broth on the table will not go amiss.
• Traditional accompaniments include gherkins, horseradish and mustard.

* Keep an eye out for this series of hardcover, photo illustrated cookbooks in thrift shops, used book stores or on-line. They’re as authoritative as Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking and less sought-after.

This is a great recipe to use on St Valentine’s Day, as one tenderloin easily feeds two people. Reverse searing is a technique for achieving a perfectly cooked steak; it takes the stress of over-cooking out of the equation by cooking the meat at a very low temperature in your oven, then finishing the steak with a quick pan-sear at a super-high temperature. To do this recipe, you will need an internal probe thermometer (luckily, we sell awesome ones at the shop)! Serves 2 Ingredients: 16 oz beef tenderloin steak, center cut 3 tbsp olive oil to taste salt and pepper 4 oz ground beef 1 tbsp butter 1 shallot, minced 1 clove garlic, minced 1 tsp tomato paste 3 branches fresh thyme 2 bay leaves ½ cup red wine ½ cup brandy 1 cup beef stock ½ cup whipping cream, or our additive-free European-style 45% cream from Sheldon Creek to taste salt 2 tbsp black peppercorns, cracked and crushed with a rolling pin or the bottom of a clean pot Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 250°F.
2. Season the tenderloin with salt and pepper, then rub it with 2 tbsp of the olive oil. Place the steaks on a rack on a baking sheet, and place in the oven. Cook for an hour, or until an internal probe thermometer stuck in to the center of the steak reads your desired temperature:

Rare: 120°F Medium Rare: 130°F Medium: 140°F Medium Well: 150°F Well Done: 160°F

3. In the meantime, make the sauce. In a medium saucepan over a high heat, brown the ground beef in the butter. Once browned (about five minutes), lower the heat to medium and add the shallots and garlic, stirring well, and continue cooking for five minutes or until the shallots are translucent. Add the herbs and deglaze the pot with the red wine and brandy. Bring to a simmer and reduce by half. Add the beef stock, bring back to a simmer and reduce by half again. Add the cream, and bring to a simmer. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon. Season with the salt to taste, then strain the sauce into a clean pot. Add crushed peppercorns. Keep the sauce warm by placing the saucepan on a warm part of the stovetop.
4. Once the steaks have reached the desired internal temperature, remove it from the oven. Heat a large pan over a high heat on the stove top. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to the pan and heat until it’s almost smoking. Sear the steak on all sides (about 30-60 seconds per side), until golden brown all over. Remove from the pan and rest for five minutes before slicing into eight or so slices.
5. Serve the sliced steak on a platter with the peppercorn sauce on the side.

Braised lamb shanks are excellent comfort foods. After slowly cooking for hours in an aromatic liquid, the meat falls from the bone in luscious strips. Sumac, a tart and lemony spice ground from the fruit of the sumac shrub, is a great foil to the rich lamb meat. You can find it in larger grocery stores with a good selection of Middle Eastern ingredients. Serve this dish with cous-cous, rice, or roasted root vegetables. Serves four Ingredients 4 lamb shanks, approximately ¾lb to 1lb each to taste salt and pepper 3 tbsp sumac, divided 2 large eggplants, cut in half lengthwise 1 red pepper 4 tbsp olive oil, divided 1 sweet onion, diced 3 garlic cloves, minced 2 carrots, diced 1 celery rib, diced 1 herb bundle (2 bay leaves, 4 thyme branches, 6 parsley branches) 1 lemon skin, peeled into strips 1 orange skin, peeled into strips 1 small (14.5 oz) can of diced tomatoes 1 cup chicken stock 2 tbsp fresh mint, roughly chopped 1 tbsp fresh Italian parsley, roughly chopped Method 1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. 2. Lightly salt the meat side of the halved eggplants, and allow to sit for 1 hour at room temperature. This step will help draw out any bitterness in the eggplant. 3. Season the lamb shanks with salt, pepper, and 2 tbsp of the sumac. Rub them with 1 tbsp of olive oil. Set the shanks on a rack in a roasting pan and place in the oven. Roast for 10 minutes, or until browned all over. Remove the browned shanks and set aside. (This step allows you to brown the meat without having to tend to them in your braising pot). 4. Rub the pepper with 1 tbsp olive oil, and wrap in tin foil. Pat the eggplant dry and rub with 1 tbsp of olive oil. Wrap the eggplant in tin foil as well. Place the pepper and eggplant in the oven (with the shanks), and roast, turning the vegetable packets once, for 30 minutes or until fully cooked (the vegatables should be roasted and softened). Remove the vegetables from the oven and cool. Turn the oven down to 325°F. 5. In a large covered Dutch oven (or heavy bottomed pot) over a medium heat, sweat the onions in 1 tbsp of olive oil. When slightly translucent (about 5 minutes), add the garlic, stir, and cover. Sweat for an additional 3 minutes before adding the carrot, celery, herb bundle, and lemon and orange peels. Stir well, cover, and cook for ten minutes, or until the carrots are soft. 6. Meanwhile, peel the roasted pepper and the eggplant; discard the seeds and skin. Chop roughly, and add to the pot. Add the canned tomatoes (with juice) and the chicken stock. Nestle the lamb shanks into the liquid, ensuring they are at least 80% submerged, and bring to a simmer. Place in the oven and braise for 2 hours, or until the meat is falling from the bone. 7. Arrange the lamb shanks on a deep platter, and spoon the vegetables and cooking juices around them. Scatter the mint and parsley leaves all over, then sprinkle the lamb with 1 tbsp of the sumac. Serve immediately.

The term “prime” rib traditionally refers to a seven-bone roast cut from the 12th bone to the 6th bone of the rib section of beef. A whole seven bone roast weighs around 8 kg (18 lbs) – enough beef for at least twenty-five people. You can order a roast by the pound, though, considering each bone accounts for about two and a quarter pounds of weight. Account for 1 kg (2.2 lbs) feeding three people. Pro Tip: Ask for the Shoulder End, also known as the second cut. This end of the rib is close to the shoulder. There is more fat in this end, as well as the rib cap muscle, which is one of the most flavorful muscles on a steer. The loin end, or “first cut”, is also delicious, and leaner, but lacks that cap muscle. Ask your butcher to remove the rib bones and give you enough twine to tie them back on after you’ve applied the rub. If they won’t give you twine, offer to buy some then never go back to that jerk. serves 8-10 Ingredients For the roast: 7-8 lbs prime rib, 3 bones For 1 cup of seasoning salt: ½ cup kosher salt ¼ cup freshly ground black pepper 1 bunch fresh rosemary, leaves picked and chopped 1 bunch fresh thyme, leaves picked and chopped 1 bunch fresh sage, leaves picked and chopped 10 pc fresh bay leaves, leaves sliced 8 pc garlic cloves, peeled For the sauce: 3 tbsp beef scraps (ask your butcher for this, otherwise use ground beef) 3 pc shallots, peeled and chopped 1 pc garlic clove, minced 3 tbsp. butter (keep one of which in the fridge to “finish” the sauce 1 tbsp. flour 3 pc bay leaves 6 branches fresh thyme 1 cup red wine, plus 2 oz for finishing the sauce 4 cups beef stock to taste salt and freshly ground black pepper Method: To make the salt: In a food processor, blitz the fresh herbs with 2 tbsp. of salt. Add the garlic and pulse to chop. Add the rest of the salt and the pepper and pulse until all combined. The salt should have a greenish hue. To make the beef: Ask your butcher to “french” the bones, and then cut the rib bones away from the muscle. You will be tying this bone “plate” back on to the muscle before roasting, so make sure you get it with your roast. Bring the roast out of the refrigerator. Rub the rib eye meat all over with the seasoning salt, then rub olive oil all over it. Use the seasoning salt on the rib bones as well. You’re going to bring the roast to room temperature before cooking– it will cook more evenly this way. A 6-7 lb roast will probably take about an hour to come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 500°F and adjust the rack so the whole roast can fit. Place the rib eye back on to the rib bones, to recreate what the roast originally looked like. Using strong butcher’s twine (ask your butcher for this – the thin-gauge type you can find at grocery stores will not do), tie the rib bones to the meat with knots in between each bone. Place the beef in a roasting pan with a rack. If you don’t have a rack, prop the roast off the bottom of the pan with halved onions. When the oven is hot, put the roasting pan on the lower rack. Close the door and immediately turn the heat down to 300°F. Cook for about 18 minutes per pound for medium rare. I like to use an internal thermometer to judge doneness; take the roast out when it reaches 120°F. Remove the roast from the pan, place on a platter, cover with tin foil then a kitchen towel to keep warm as it rests for about thirty minutes while you make the sauce. To make the sauce: In a saucepot over a medium heat, brown the beef trim in a tablespoon of butter. Add the shallots and caramelize, stirring constantly. Add the garlic and stir. Add another tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of flour and stir until the flour is nut-brown. Add the herbs, and deglaze with the red wine. Reduce the wine by half, then add the stock. Simmer and reduce by half again. Meanwhile, spoon off any excess fat that was left in the roasting pan, and place the roasting pan on a medium heat. Pour the contents of the saucepot into the roasting pan, and using a wooden spoon scrape up the roasting “fond” that had accumulated on the bottom of the pan while roasting. Taste and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Simmer the sauce until it coats the back of a spoon. Strain the sauce back into the saucepot and whisk in a tablespoon of cold butter and a half glass (2 oz.) of red wine. Pour into a gravy boat and serve with the roast beef. To carve the roast: Cut the twine and discard. Take the rib bones, cut them into individual pieces, and present them on a platter. Using a long slicing knife, slice the beef and present it on the side of the bones, with the gravy on the side of the platter.

Sanagan’s Meat Locker’s “Newsletter Subscriber’s Appreciation” contest (the “Contest”)

RULES & REGULATIONS (the “Contest Rules”)

CONTEST PERIOD

The Contest runs from 10 a.m. Eastern Time (“ET”) December 2, 2019 to 7 p.m. ET December 15, 2019 (the “Contest Period’”).

CONTEST SPONSOR

The Contest is sponsored by Sanagan’s Meat Locker Ltd. (“Sanagan’s Meat Locker” or the “Contest Sponsor”)

HOW TO ENTER

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.

To enter the Contest, give your name, email address, as well as your consent to receive newsletter and additional promotional material to a cashier or counter service employee at a Sanagan’s Meat Locker location (176 Baldwin St, Toronto, ON or 1513 Gerrard St East, Toronto, ON). Enter by filling out the ballot with your full name, signature, e-mail address, and check box. A completed entry form will constitute 1 entry into the Contest.

Although an email account is required in order to participate, no purchase is required in order to enter the Contest. Many public libraries, retail businesses and others offer free access to computers and a number of internet service providers and other companies offer free email accounts.

All eligible Contest entries will be entered for a chance to win the Grand Prize of a $500.00 gift card to Sanagan’s Meat Locker.

ELIGIBILITY

The Contest is open to permanent lawful residents of Canada who are subscribers to the Sanagan’s Meat Locker e-mail newsletter, excluding: i) residents of Quebec, and ii) employees, officers, directors, representatives, and agents (and their immediate family members or persons with whom they are domiciled, whether related or not) of Sanagan’s Meat Locker.

This Contest is subject to all federal, provincial, and municipal laws and regulations. Void where prohibited by law. Contest Sponsor reserves the right to cancel or suspend this Contest in the event of any accident, or administrative or other error of any kind. Contest Sponsor reserves the right to cancel or suspend this Contest in the event of any accident, or administrative or other error of any kind.

An entrant under the age of majority in his/her province of residence (a “Minor”) must have a parent or legal guardian consent to his/her participation. The parent/legal guardian must provide his/her consent and his/her email address on the entry form, or the entry form will be disqualified. Contest Sponsor may contact the parent/legal guardian to confirm proof of identification and parental consent. If a parent or legal guardian does not provide consent, or if satisfactory proof of identification to confirm the winner’s (or the Minor winner’s parent, or legal guardian’s) identity and personal information provided in connection with the Contest, including but not limited to, the winner’s (or the Minor winner’s parent, or legal guardian’s) name and email address, cannot be obtained, the entry will be disqualified.

All entries must be received no later than 7 p.m. ET on December 15, 2019. Contest Sponsor takes no responsibility for entries that are lost, misdirected, delayed, garbled, incorrect, illegible or received after the Contest deadline. Limit 1 entry per person. Only one e-mail address and account may be used by any person to enter the Contest. In the event that Contest Sponsor receives more than the permitted number of entries, Contest Sponsor reserves the right to void and destroy any entries from that entrant and/or household, and that entrant/household may, at the discretion of the Contest Sponsor, be disqualified from the Contest. Should it be discovered that an entrant is using the aid of computer programs to auto-fill entries, that entrant will be immediately disqualified from the Contest. Contest Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify all such contestant from future contests conducted by the Contest Sponsor without further notice.

Contest Sponsor reserves the right to ask for proof of identification, which must be provided upon request. If proof of age and identification cannot be obtained then the entry will be disqualified. In the event of a dispute as to the identity of a winner based on an e-mail address, the winning entry will be deemed to be made by the authorized account holder of the e-mail address at the time of entry. The authorized account holder is the natural person who is assigned an e-mail address by an Internet service provider or other organization responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the e-mail address in question.

PRIZES

There is 1 prize available to be won (the “Prize”). The Prize consists of:

$500.00 Gift Card to Sanagan’s Meat Locker

The approximate retail value of the Prize is $500.00 CDN.

CONTEST DRAW

A random draw will be held at or around 11 a.m on December 16, 2019 at Sanagan’s Meat Locker’s office located at 176 Baldwin St. in Toronto. There will be 1 Grand Prize draw to fulfill this Contest. The chances of being selected to win a Prize in this Contest depend on the total number of eligible entries received.

ACCEPTANCE OF PRIZE

A representative of Sanagan’s Meat Locker will notify each selected entrant by e-mail within 2 days of the draw. Each selected entrant will then have 7 days following receipt thereof to contact Sanagan’s Meat Locker and provide requested documentation to claim his/her Prize. Notification shall be deemed to have occurred on the date the email is sent to the selected entrant’s email address by Sanagan’s Meat Locker. It is the responsibility of the selected entrant to check his or her email account in a timely manner.

Prior to being awarded a Prize, each entrant selected as a winner must correctly complete a mathematical skill testing question and must sign a declaration and release form (“Declaration and Release”) confirming compliance with these Contest Rules, his/her acceptance of the Prize as awarded; and acknowledging the non-responsibility of the Contest Sponsor,, its affiliates, associates, their respective promotional and advertising agencies, and each of their respective employees, officers, directors, agents, successors and assigns (the “Releasees”), with regard to any injury, accident, damage, claim, liability, loss or misfortune related to any aspects of the Contest, any Prize awarded, the acceptance, use, misuse, possession and delivery of a Prize, printing errors or claims based upon publicity rights, defamation or invasion of privacy, by December 24, 2019 at 4 p.m. ET. If a winner is a Minor, his/her parent or legal guardian must sign the Declaration and Release on winner’s behalf in order for the winner to claim his/her Prize.

In the event the selected entrant does not correctly answer the mathematical skill testing question, or sign and return the Declaration and Release, by December 24, 2019 at 4 p.m. ET, he/she will be deemed to have forfeited any rights to the prize and the Contest Sponsor will randomly draw an alternate eligible entry in the same manner from the eligible entries received, and that selected entrant must follow the same process outlined above. This process, as described herein, may be repeated until the Prize has been awarded to an eligible entrant. All decisions of the Contest Sponsor are final and binding.

The Contest Sponsor will not be held responsible for the loss of prizes due to changes in email addresses, mailing addresses or personal information provided by an entrant in connection with this Contest, errors in completed entry forms, or any other circumstances leading to an invalid, erroneous or incomplete mailing address or e-mail address.

Sanagan’s Meat Locker or its appointed designee shall deliver Prizes to winners.

GENERAL CONDITIONS

By submitting an Entry, each entrant (or Minor Entrant’s parent or legal guardian on his/her behalf) agrees to be bound by these Contest Rules. All entries become the property of Sanagan’s Meat Locker and will not be returned.

Prizes must be accepted “as is” and may not be exactly as shown. All Prizes are subject to availability. The Contest Sponsor, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to substitute the Prize or any portion thereof with a prize of equivalent or greater retail value. Some restrictions may apply. Prizes are non-transferable, non-refundable and have no cash value, that is, there is no cash alternative available. All Prize taxes, if any, are the responsibility of the winner.

Except where prohibited by law, the Contest Sponsor does not make any representation or offer any warranty, express or implied, as to the quality or fitness of any Prize awarded in connection with this Contest. The Prize winner understands and acknowledges that he/she may not seek reimbursement or pursue any legal or equitable remedy from the Contest Sponsor should the Prize fail to be fit for its purpose or is in any way unsatisfactory to the Prize winner. The Releasees shall not be responsible in any way for the use of, or bear any liability whatsoever attributable to the Prize awarded in this Contest.

Each entrant agrees to waive all rights with respect to print and broadcast publicity. By entering the Contest and accepting the Prize, winner hereby consents to the reasonable use by the Contest Sponsor of the winner's photograph, voice, likeness and/or image, contents of the entry form, and the name and age of the winner without any further compensation, in all media nor known or hereafter devised, worldwide in perpetuity, in connection with this Contest and for any future promotional activity.

By entering the Contest, entrants agree that the Releasees shall bear no responsibility whatsoever with regard to any claims, liability, damage, injury, accident, loss and/or misfortune related to any aspects of the Contest, the Prize, the acceptance, use, misuse, possession and delivery of the Prize, participation in any Prize related activities, printing errors, claims based upon publicity rights, defamation or invasion of privacy. By consenting to a Minor entrant’s entry into the Contest, the parent/legal guardian of the Minor entrant agrees to the foregoing on the entrant’s behalf.

By entering the Contest and voluntarily providing personal information, each entrant (or the parent or legal guardian of a Minor entrant) consents and agrees to Contest Sponsor’s collection and use of the information provided by the entrant for the purpose of administering this Contest, and, if consent is given at the time of entry, to provide the entrant with marketing information relating to new and existing products and upcoming promotions of Sanagan’s Meat Locker by e-mail.

Your personal information will not be disclosed to any third party nor will you receive communications from the Contest Sponsor unless your explicit opt-in consent is received, in compliance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Actand its associated regulations, Canada’s Anti-Spam Law and its associated regulations, and other applicable data protection and personal information protection laws. Each entrant (or the parent or legal guardian of a Minor entrant) agrees to be bound by these Contest Rules. No purchase, payment or financial information of any kind is needed to enter or win the Contest.

Entrants agree that the Releasees shall not be liable or responsible for incorrect or inaccurate entry of registration or entry information which may affect an entrants’ ability to participate in the Contest, including but not limited due to any failure of Twitter or Facebook services, the Contest Sponsor’s websites or any failure of the entrant’s email account, or the entrant's cell-phone carrier during the Contest or any human error, technical malfunctions, lost/delayed/corrupted data transmission, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, line failures of any network or telephone line, computer on-line systems, servers, access providers, computer equipment, software, cell-phone networks or any failure thereof or Internet traffic congestion or virus or any combination thereof, or any injury or damage to an entrant's or third party's computer or cell phone occasioned by participating in the Contest.

Sanagan’s Meat Locker reserves the right, in its sole and absolute discretion, to cancel, modify or suspend a contest for any reason, including without limitation in the event of any printing, administrative error, virus, bug, unauthorized human intervention or other causes beyond its control which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness or proper conduct of the contest. Any attempt to deliberately damage any website or to undermine the legitimate operation of this Contest is a violation of criminal and civil laws, and should such an attempt be made, Contest Sponsor reserves the right to seek remedies and damages to the fullest extent permitted by law, including criminal prosecution. Entries are subject to verification and will be declared invalid if they are forged, falsified, altered or tampered with in any way.

Would you like to help support our friends at The Stop Community Food Hub this holiday season? It’s easy if you’re a member of the Sanagan’s 5 Star Rewards Points Program. For every 500 rewards points you chose to donate, Sanagans will donate $25 to The Stop. You give the points, we give the money. That's a lot of good will going around! !

You can make your points donation at either store, just ask a meat hawker. Or email info@sanangansmeatlocker.com The email should include the phone number of your rewards account and the number of points (500 = $25, 1000 = $50, etc.) you wish to donate. Or give us a call at 416-593-9747 and talk to Customer Service. We will be accepting Rewards Points Donations all the way until December 31st.

To see what the Stop Community Food Hub does, go here https://www.thestop.org/

Hunting season in Ontario generally lasts from mid-September to mid-December. As we roll into December at Sanagan’s, you won’t have to hunt for delicious offerings to fill any of your holiday needs.

One offering that may have eluded you in the past is our Hunter’s Pie. Chef Anne and her team in the kitchen have refined this recipe over the past few years to it’s near perfect current iteration. Rich venison, elk and wild boar are slowly simmered with red wine and paired with hearty lentils and aromatics inside a buttery, flaky crust, topped with a true trophy in the form of a piece of bone marrow.

Our Hunter’s Pie is the very definition of a special occasion dish. It is rich, and delicious, and one should likely fight the desire to enjoy it every day, reserving it for gatherings with friends and family. My suggestion would be to keep things simple, and serve this with a crisp green salad using a mix with bitter greens and a mustard vinaigrette.

We have a quiet Christmas planned this year, but our centrepiece on Christmas Eve will be one of Chef Anne’s delicious Hunter Pies. Happy hunting, and happy holidays!