Butchery Masterclass a Huge Hit with Top Chefs of the Future

A group of up-and-coming chefs from two top restaurants in Edinburgh had the opportunity to hone their skills recently during a Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) butchery demonstration.

Using Scotch Beef PGI and Scotch Lamb PGI, Master butcher Viv Harvey emphasised to the group, which was made up of chefs from The Pompadour by Galvin and The Honours, the importance of building a strong relationship between the chef and the butcher. This, he told the group, ensures the meat is prepared in the best possible way, the chef receives the most suitable cut for specific dishes and, ultimately, the client in the restaurant has a more memorable eating experience.

The young chefs were also shown techniques and skills to guarantee the consistency of the meat and also how to, in some circumstances, increase the potential of certain muscles traditionally perceived as lower value, slower cooking cuts.  

The important role of the farmer was also explained and the participants were encouraged to make use of the traceability and available information on how the animal has been reared.

“Learning from such an experienced and well-respected butcher such as Viv has been a fantastic experience,” said Alex Stewart from The Pompadour by Galvin.

“I have certainly come away with a raft of new information and skills which will help me make the most of the meat we use in the restaurant.”

The butchery masterclass follows on from a range of recipes and videos featuring prominent Scottish chefs preparing Scotch Beef PGI and Scotch Lamb PGI dishes which were launched earlier this year and have now had over 4,000 and 100,000 hits respectively.

To build on this response, QMS has commissioned more culinary videos in the coming months plus a series of butchery skills videos so that chefs can learn more about the raw material and how to make the most of the Scotch Beef PGI and Scotch Lamb PGI that they buy.

“Producing great tasting Scotch Beef PGI and Scotch Lamb PGI is a combined effort of farmer, abattoir, butcher and chef and the more they understand about each other’s role the better,” said Margaret Stewart, QMS Marketing Manager.

“Chefs can now choose from a variety of meats from around the world, but Scotland’s size, accessibility and traditional values are our unique advantages.  We have a powerful story, and we aim to help our young talented chefs to make the most of it.”

To view the recipes and videos, please visit www.thestaffcanteen.com.