Top Macau Chefs Enjoy Ultimate Scottish Surf and Turf

Macau, one of the richest regions in the world, has this week been playing host to the finest Scottish fayre, made possible by a pioneering partnership between Quality Meat Scotland and Seafood Scotland. 

Scotland’s best fresh and smoked salmon, smoked haddock, langoustine, scallops and oysters has been presented to a selection of restaurant industry representatives at an exclusive dinner, along with Scotch Beef PGI which benefits from the coveted European Protected Geographic Indication (PGI status) and is renowned for its quality and taste both at home and overseas.

The exclusive dinner, at Macau’s ‘City of Dreams’ resort, was attended by influential guests, including members of the Macau Chefs Association and other industry influencers, importers and buyers, and is aimed at establishing trade relationships and securing orders for Scottish suppliers.  

Laurent Vernet, Head of Marketing at Quality Meat Scotland spoke at the dinner and said there was a great opportunity to further develop the Scotch Beef PGI brand in Hong Kong and Macau.  “This market is important as it allows Scotland to diversify its trade portfolio outside the Eurozone and towards countries which offer encouraging growth potential.  Consumers in these markets have a genuine appetite for quality Scotch Beef and its world-leading levels of traceability, assurance and welfare standards,” said Mr Vernet.

Natalie Bell, Trade Marketing Manager for EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Asia) at Seafood Scotland, said “As a thriving centre of industry and tourism, Macau has a high concentration of discerning foodies – making it an ideal location to showcase the best of Scotland.  For the first time, Scottish seafood and beef are being staged together, a natural step in achieving our common goal – to increase Scotland’s export potential. 

The Seafood Scotland / Quality Meat Scotland event is part of a wider marketing push to secure export trade for Scottish business.  James Withers, Chief Executive of Scotland Food & Drink concludes: "Scotland's food exports have risen by 50% since 2007 and our reputation is growing around the world. Demand for premium products with a strong provenance story is rapidly growing, particularly in the Far East markets.  By taking two of Scotland’s brightest export stars to Macau, and letting industry leaders taste the quality for themselves, Scottish companies stand to benefit hugely.”

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For further information, please contact: Carol McLaren, Head of Communications, Quality Meat Scotland tel: 0131 472 4112 or 07739 900653 email cmclaren@qmscotland.co.uk

Quality Meat Scotland:

QMS promotes the PGI labelled Scotch Beef and Scotch Lamb brands in the UK and abroad and promotes Scottish pork products under the Specially Selected Pork logo.

Please note that the use of the word Scotch in the Scotch Beef PGI and Scotch Lamb PGI brands is correct and should not be substituted for an alternative such as Scots or Scottish. The history of the use of the word Scotch in this way, traces back to the 18th century.

The world-leading quality assurance schemes run by QMS underpin the Scotch Beef PGI, Scotch Lamb PGI and Specially Selected Pork brands offering consumers the guarantee the meat they buy has come from animals that have spent their whole lives in Scotland and have been raised to high standards, including animal welfare.

QMS runs the Scotch Beef Club www.scotchbeefclub.co.uk of around 300 restaurants which take particular pride in sourcing and serving the Scotch Beef PGI, Scotch Lamb PGI and Specially Selected Pork brands. QMS also runs the www.scotchbutchersclub.co.uk of around 300 butcher businesses, proud to source and serve the Scotch Beef PGI, Scotch Lamb PGI and Specially Selected Pork brands.

For more information on the Scotch Beef or Scotch Lamb brands, including recipes, videos and tips, visit www.scotchkitchen.com or follow Scotch Kitchen on Facebook or Twitter. For the Specially Selected Pork brand visit www.speciallyselectedpork.co.uk or Enjoy Quality Pork on Facebook.