GIRL ON THE BLOCK

There are only 20 female butchers in the United Kingdom. 26-year-old Jessica Wragg is one of them. When she first started, at age 16, she was the only girl behind an all-men butcher counter in Derbyshire. A decade later, Jess has become, against all odds, a rising star in a problematically, predominantly male, middle-aged and old-world industry.

By top female butcher at London's acclaimed Ginger Pig, GIRL ON THE BLOCK is a memoir of coming of age as an ultimate outsider in an ultra-insider's industry, and an incisive but loving look into the meat industry in this cosmopolitan generation. Jess has had to fight to establish herself in the trade, learning the craft inside out while battling sexism and ageism. But Jess brings a refreshingly inspiring perspective to what would've been a deeply uncool job for a millennial and what it means to find a path to perfecting a craft from a young age.

A gifted writer and story-teller in her own right (Jess has a MA in Creative Writing from University of Westminister), Jess blends her personal journey with a rich history of butchery and a lyrical and intelligent exploration of the sanctity of her craft. From trimming her first carcass to navigating the minefield of ideologies around ethical meat consumption, Jess will take us deep into the raw, at times comical, and even philosophical underbelly of her decade from apprentice to butchery expert.

When she is not writing and taking apart rib bones (she is still butcher and Operations Manager at the Ginger Pig), Jess has worked on short films with the BBC and Jamie Oliver, taken part in a nationwide campaign for Tabasco Sauce, and sharing her expertise at food festivals around the country.