Glen Fyne Meats
The same principals that inform our attitude to fish and seafood are applied to the selection of ingredients and product for all the companies trading under the Loch Fyne name. Our cheeses are bought from small, independent producers using traditional methods, our dry goods mainly from family businesses in the UK, and our wines from family vintners throughout the UK and Europe. We make every effort to get to know them all and to share the stories that enrich their superb products.
Many of them have their own traditions, the complexities of which are essential in the high quality of the product. Beef is just one example. The current problems with beef date back to the intervention of the Supermarkets about 20 years ago, when they insisted on bigger cuts. Within 10 years, more than 90% of the UK’s traditional bull stock had been replaced by huge cattle from Europe. Britain’s native breeds, selected over centuries for their ability to survive on grass in their particular local conditions, were marginalised and all but destroyed.
European breeds cannot survive adequately on grass, hay and silage alone. But the problem with the concentrated foods they need is that they produce bulk without taste, as well as leading to some grotesque distortions of nature. The cow of the massively muscled and supermarket-friendly Belgian Blue breed, for example, has become so deformed by breeding that it is often impossible for her to bear a calf naturally.
Unlike the bland, excessively lean meat of bulls produced under industrial farming conditions, grass-fed animals lay down fats that are rich in Omega 3; nutritious and sweet, and exactly what we are looking for. Our beef is sourced from the Highland region, the Black Isle and Aberdeenshire. We work in partnership with Miller’s of Speyside, a small privately-owned business that represents the more thoughtful end of the meat industry.
They have done a lot of work on animal welfare and how to reduce stress levels in transport. Miller’s handle small numbers of animals and have a close relationship with all their small local farm suppliers.
Our interest in the production of the meat we use even extends to looking at soil and grass type, breeds and husbandry, the slaughterhouse, humane killing, speed and methods of handling, maturation methods and duration, cutting, packing and distribution. Just as with our holistic approach to fish supply, we believe that we all have an obligation to look after animals with kindness, sustain the livelihoods of small, skilful producers and nurture and encourage traditional knowledge and practices.