How to choose the best beef for Great British Beef Week

Great British Beef Week is just around the corner (23 April – 1 May) and as we are known far and wide for our fantastic Sunday roasts, we’ve taken the opportunity to sit down with our head chef Michael Lloyd to find out how to make your Sunday roast sing with the finest British beef.

 

How do you choose the best joint of meat for your Sunday roast?

First of all, it is so important to choose a reputable butcher. They will not only be able to provide the best quality meat, often locally sourced, but can advise based on your requirements to make sure you get the best cut of beef possible. I would recommend always buying dry-aged beef and avoiding wet-aged because, typically, the dry-aged is hung and wet-aged is vacuum-packed and left to age in the bag, which can sometimes have a negative effect on the flavour. 

I always think it’s important to experiment too. Don’t just stick with what you know: try several different brands and suppliers until you find your favourite. 

Once you have decided on the type of beef it is time to choose the cut you most prefer. For this, I recommend speaking to the butcher but also doing your research on what you want. Different cuts of beef have different flavours and textures; for example, fore-rib is typically fattier and a fillet is leaner, but can often be less flavoursome. 

At Tylney Hall we use dry-aged Buccleuch striploin, which is typically aged between 35-50 days and has a fantastic flavour.

 

What are the advantages of buying British beef?

One of the main advantages of buying British when it comes to beef is that you know you are buying from a tightly regulated market, meaning quality and standards are always above a certain level. 

British cows are also often bred in the countryside on lush green pastures with lots of nutrients for the animal, resulting in a more flavoursome, better quality meat.

 

What should you look for when selecting a joint of beef?

When selecting a joint of beef there are a few key things you can look for to make sure you have the best quality meat. Firstly, look for crumbly fat, not tight and compacted. Also, try and avoid bright red meat – the darker the meat the longer it has been aged, and longer ageing will result in a more tender and flavoursome cut of beef. 

Another thing to look out for is the marbling of fat; if there is a good amount of marbling running through the meat this indicates a slower-grown animal, which will give a better-quality flavour.

 

What is your preferred cut of beef and what is your favourite way to cook it?

I like to keep my beef nice and simple. I would always go for a double bone-in rib-eye of beef, done over a coal fire and served with béarnaise!

 

So there we have it, our chef’s expert opinion on finding, choosing and cooking the best beef for your Sunday roasts.  If you want to see how we do it at Tylney Hall, why not come down and sample Michael’s famous Sunday roasts for yourself. 

CLICK HERE to book or find out more. 

Lorna Mann - Marketing & PR Coordinator