|
The trip was arranged as a result of Adrian winning the Farmers Weekly Farmer of the Year award back in November last year. “Having the chance to host a celebrity status chef on your farm is a chance in a lifetime,” said Adrian, who is now planning a return leg of the visit to Mat’s restaurant in Devon.
Sharing detailed conversations on business management, cost analysis and profit and loss accounts, Mat commented as to how impressed he was with Adrian’s business skills. “To operate any business profitably your cost management has to be perfect - that much is clearly evident with Adrian’s enterprise.”
Mat was however surprised to learn from Adrian the amount of farmers that don’t get to grips with their costs and in fact don’t know their costs of production.” I have a job to understand the “lifestyle” choice from farmers rather than a desire to run a profitable business without subsidies. You see it sometimes in the restaurant trade, but those businesses not managing their costs don’t last long.”
After a detailed farm tour round Strathisla, Mat aided Adrian in his quest to prove that bull beef tastes just as good if not better than steer beef by cooking a sample of steaks from his own cattle. A tasting panel made up of friends, family, workforce and Mat were all unanimous in that 21 day matured bull beef from one of Adrian’s young Continental x bulls had far greater taste and tenderness than 21 day steer beef.
“It’s an area that I believe strongly in and have challenged processors and supermarkets over in the past. For my system, finishing young bulls at 13 months old is far more profitable - £200 a head in fact according to the recent batch of animals slaughtered through ABP Perth – than finishing steers at an older age. The fact this came out in a taste test with a chef has pleased me greatly,” added Adrian.
Describing the beef, Mat explained than on visual appearance both the 21 day matured beef had a far greater look, colour and texture, but it was the eating quality that excelled with the bull beef. Cooked simply on a barbeque with salt and pepper, the 21-day matured bull beef tasted far better, was tender and had a nicer texture with a good level of marbling than the other meats. Overall in the taste test, which included a number of Adrian’s friends, family and workforce, beef from a 5-day matured steer scored the lowest.
“I’ve never had an issue with not choosing bull beef over steer or even heifer beef, but I understood there were preconceptions with the quality of bull beef. However, on the day, the 21-day bull beef was a clear winner for me.”
The tables then turned and Mat received a master class from the Strathisla stockmen Colin Fordyce and Alistair Borthwick on how to train pedigree show cattle for the show ring, an image Mr Follas hopes to have up in his new restaurant The Wild Garlic, which opens in the middle of June in Beaminster, Dorset.
Plans are well underway for Adrian to visit Mat and his new restaurant in June during opening week, where it will be Adrian under pressure as he helps prepare a service. He will also be visiting some of mat’s suppliers including a Water Buffalo producer.
Click here to view Adrian’s visit to Mat’s restaurant in June 2009 >>>
|
