[Butcher recommendations in Cleveland/Akron and anywhere in between.]

I'm looking for a good butcher shop or two in the Cleveland/Akron region.   I like organ meats, rabbit,venison.   Tongue is a particular family favorite,  and I'd like to be able to source fresh hams for home curing, and the occasional whole piglet or lamb for special occasions.   I'd really love to find a good kosher and/or halal butcher.

[Hello from Ohio]

  Sunday was a birthday, so I made a cake.    Three layers of sponge filled with lemon curd and raspberries, frosted with an Italian meringue buttercream flavored with vanilla and lemon curd.   Decorated the top with a little pool of lemon curd surrounded by fresh raspberries, and some piping work on the sides and bottom edge.

 

It was a frustrating bake.  We are in the middle of moving, so my copy of the Cake Bible is packed, and the birthday person had found a specific cake recipe they wanted.   From the Wilton website.   I made it work, and the cake was loved by all.  My piping work is really bad right now - I haven't practiced in years, and all I had to work with was an awkward plastic bag and tip that was lurking in the cookie decor box left over from the gingerbread kit we do in December.

 

I am excited about the move though,  because we will have two kitchens!  I will no longer have to share, and will have room to build to my needs.  And I get the ground floor kitchen with door to the back porch so I'll have direct access to the garden and room for a brick oven, and and and...  And I'll be closer to Cleveland, and some decent shops for more specialty  shopping.  And a proper butcher - the last one in my community went out of business a few years ago and it's been really frustrating.  And hopefully a fishmonger, and cheese monger, and and and.