The Grower bends down and picks up a handful of chicory – the leafy herb that covers this field as far as the eye can see. Right now, these lambs are busy feeding on the herb that will infuse them with Lumina’s signature mild taste, intramuscular fat, marbling and rich Omega-3 polyunsaturated fats.
The place where perfection takes root.
You can feel the Grower’s sense of satisfaction as he talks. Not only with the way in which he and his team nurture the precious chicory all around, but also its contribution to the vision that all the Lumina team share. “You are what you eat,” The Grower remarks without a hint of irony. Indeed, the agronomic artistry that goes into creating the perfect soil environment and diet infuses the Lumina meat with many of its key attributes. This all contributes to the exquisite taste experience.
The lambs spend 35 days grazing on pastures that are made up of mainly chicory.
Close-up on chicory.
Chicory (Cichorium intybus) is a member of the dandelion family. Known for its large juicy green leaves, it also has deeper roots than many other pasture plants. This makes chicory an expert at sucking up moisture from the ground. A great source of vitamins A, B, C and K, chicory thrives in temperate and relatively dry climates – an average of 23°C to 25°C in summer is ideal. Chicory leaves are also used in salads and its roots make a delicious tea.
You are what you eat and Lumina Lamb cooks and tastes the way it does in no small part thanks to the chicory and clover.
Chicory has deeper roots than many other pasture plants. This makes chicory an expert at sucking up moisture from the ground.
Challenging and rewarding in equal measure.
Chicory, it turns out, is tricky to grow. Challenging to establish, sensitive to weather events and labour-intensive to manage, it’s a herb that keeps the Grower on his toes all year round. In fact, unlike so many pastures, chicory only lasts two seasons. After those two years, the field is transitioned to a permanent pasture – such as rye grass and clover. It often stays this way for three to five years as part of a longer rotation.
“And it’s not just the chicory itself that needs to be carefully monitored”, the Grower warns us. The soil needs to be kept at a pH of approximately 6.2. It’s not that the lambs won’t feed on it if the ground’s acidity is off. But even the slightest variation will affect the taste of the cut when it eventually makes it to your plate and palette.
For the Grower – as for all members of the Lumina family – perfection is everything. Because the chicory reveals and expresses the genetics of Lumina lambs. “Everything”, the Grower muses, “is about balance”. Which is why the lambs spend exactly 35 days grazing on pastures that are made up of mainly chicory and also clover. This inclusion of clover fills two important requirements, it’s a great source of protein for the lambs, but it also gives the paddock’s soil the nitrogen it needs for the chicory to thrive. Yes, ‘growing’ is as much science as it is art. Precision is everything when you’re aiming for Lumina’s unrivalled standards in consistency.
The soil needs to be kept at a pH of approximately 6.2, even the slightest variation will affect the taste of the cut when it eventually makes it to your plate and palette.
The Grower lets the chicory leaves fall to the ground again and with a wry smile tells us “It’s all worth it. One mouthful of our lamb is all it takes to remind me of that…”
The Butcher
AKA The Curator of Cuts
