Yes you’ll need to call in advance and get them to save you some bones. Try Godfrey’s in Highbury, or Marky Market. J

Ah it’s probably just that he wants to have pretty white flesh knowing him. Neither of us are squeemish in the least. We’re both (former or now part-time) chefs.

Or if you’re doing something else with the marrow – like serving it with a steak – and you want perfect white flesh, then soaking is a good idea.

Hi Naomi,

Soaking the bones just removes the blood, so if you’re a bit squeamish it’s recommended, but by no means a necessity.

J

My boyfriend treats me to marrow, parlsey salad and toast ( I’m always too guilty to make it for myself: the fat issue) but he always soaks them for a day before hand to draw the impurities in the bone.

I also that a nice bit of flaky sea salt is crucial after you spread the marrow onto the bread… yum.

So, knowing how we loved the marrow, she’d occasionally ask the butcher for some larger marrow bone pieces, for her girls. At that time, the only people who ever requested marrow bones did so for their dogs. So the butcher jumped to the conclusion that my mum was struggling for money, feeding her poor daughters this marrow bone meant for dogs… bless him!

Anyway, I still love bone marrow, whether it’s simply grilled and served, salted, on toast or whether it’s cooked in a rich curry. I got some huge marrow bones from Paganum last year and did them in a curry sauce, very yum indeed! Here’s the pic of them curried: http://www.kaveyeats.com/2009/11/curried-beef-marrow-bone-trip-down.html