There are many factors that come together to make your Peak Choice beef and lamb outstandingly good, but two of the key ingredients are the breeds of cattle/sheep and what they have been fed. The unique environment of the Peak District has been producing quality beef cattle and lambs for generations, selective breeding of native British breeds crossed with continentals and expert stockmanship result in some of the finest beef cattle and lambs in the country. Typical breeds of cattle are Limousin, Belgian Blue, Simmental, Charolais, Hereford and sheep include North of England Mule, Scotch Halfbred and Swaledael cross Beltex, Texel, Suffolk and Blue Faced Leister, also traditional regional breeds such as Derbyshire Gritstone.
Traditionally reared, grass fed beef and lamb
The unique environment and topography of the Peak District with its generous amounts of sunshine and rain in equal portions mean this is grass country, and with high quality grass you get high quality beef and lamb. Cattle and sheep graze on the mineral rich pastures in the summer months and are housed in the harsh winter weather where they continue to be fed on a natural diet of corn and silage (grass that has be cut in the spring and preserved as winter feed).
Selection
Only a very specific grade of cattle and lamb is selected by Peak Choice farmers, which is based on conformation and body fat content. Selected animals are slaughtered at our butcher’s abattoir based in the Peak District, a maximum of thirty minutes drive from the farm. This short journey and experienced handling reduces stress in the animals, which is not only good husbandry but also directly affects the flavour of your meat.
Maturing
All your Peak Choice beef is matured for up to 21 days (lamb up to 14 days) in specially controlled environment fridges that balance just the right temperature, humidity and air circulation that encourage natural enzymes in the meat to break down tough muscle tissue, naturally enhancing flavour and tenderness. Traditionally maturing beef on the bone in this way also draws flavour from the marrow inside, much the same as when roasting our traditional beef rib on the bone, you get that deeper rich beefy flavour.
Butchery
As you would expect with your Peak Choice beef and lamb, the skill and passion for quality in our beef and lamb farmers is equally matched by our master butcher, like all craftsmen; skill, attention to detail and pride combine to create the perfect cut or joint. Different parts of a carcase are selected for different cuts of meat based on the different types of muscle formation and how they were used by the live animal. These muscles or primal cuts are hand trimmed of unwanted tissue, skin, fat and bone before being portioned into select cuts for your table.
Marbling
Not all fat is bad, and some fat called marbling (see below) is a sign of high quality meat; it is the flecks of fat that can be seen in the meat that produce a rich succulent flavour when cooked. For roasting joints like topside just the right amount of basting fat (fat on the outside of a roasting joint) is left on and sometimes added to create the perfect succulent roasting joint.
After each cut of beef and lamb has been hand trimmed to perfection it is immediately vacuum packed to seal in all the juices and maintain its freshness, unlike the tray packed meat you see in the supermarket, no chemical gasses are added to the meat when packed. This vacuum packing process works by temporarily suspending the meat from breathing by excluding any contact with air thus halting its natural maturation process, each pack is labelled with the type of cut and the name of the farmer from where it originated.