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Chefs, butchers and farm shops can track named venison lots through the cold chain with our free printable lot book template.

Kitchens and butcheries that buy named venison lots keep records for food safety, provenance and menu detail. This is especially important for traceability, as each named lot links back to a specific origin, abattoir session and cold chain handover.
Kitchens, counters and cold rooms that regularly receive whole carcasses or boxed portions use the lot book to keep every delivery on record. Lot numbers also help with stock rotation and date checks.
Enter a line whenever a named lot arrives, is portioned or leaves your premises. Inspectors and customers ask for these records when they query a lot.
The lot book template is a printable A4 sheet, with space to record the named lot, species, abattoir date, cold chain partner, arrival date, temperature checks, and sign-off by a responsible person. Each line has room for extra notes if something goes wrong, like delayed delivery or a temperature deviation.
Keep a printed copy close to your delivery area or cold room door, and fill it in as each lot is received or moved. Many kitchens and butchery teams find a hard copy quicker to update in the moment, and a digital record works too.
It is important to use a permanent pen and to write legibly, as these records may be checked by your food safety officer or a government inspector. Keep each completed sheet for at least the legally required time for your business type.
One of the most common mistakes is forgetting to enter a new lot as soon as it arrives, which can make backtracking difficult if there is a query. Another is not recording details of cold chain interruptions, such as a fridge failing or a late delivery, which matter for food safety.
Make sure to link each entry to the original paperwork or delivery docket, and always sign and date each completed line. If in doubt, add a note. Without a signed line, a whole delivery may have to be written off in a recall.
To request your free printable lot book template, simply send a message through our contact form. Please mention your business name and your role, so we can send the correct version for your needs.