Eight top London food and lifestyle bloggers have travelled to Scotland to learn about Scotch Beef PGI and Scotch Lamb PGI and the quality assurance, traceability and animal welfare which underpin the iconic brands.
During their visit north of the border, which was hosted by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) as part of the “Love Scotch Lamb Weekend” (September 5 and 6), they met butchers, chefs and farmers and learned more about what makes Scotch Beef and Scotch Lamb some of the finest ingredients in Scotland’s larder.
Their trip included a visit to Edinburgh New Town Cookery School where butcher Stewart McClymont of Scottish Meat Training provided a butchery demonstration and hands-on workshop. Mr McClymont showed the bloggers how to butcher a lamb shoulder, extracting small mini joints – the perfect cuts for professionals and young families. Susie Hughes, chef at the Edinburgh New Town Cookery School, then cooked the Scotch Lamb for the bloggers to sample.
“I’m a huge Scotch Lamb fan and was great to give the bloggers a chance to get some hands-on experience of preparing different cuts of lamb which are perfect for quick, midweek meals,” said Mr McClymont.
“We’ve shown today that with the right cut of Scotch Lamb and a little preparation, food can be on the table in a matter of minutes.”
The bloggers then headed to Hardiesmill in the Borders where they saw first-hand the dedication, care and stockmanship skills behind the production of top quality Scotch Beef PGI and took part in a charcuterie and steak tasting.
Alison and Robin Tuke run the 482 acre farm in Gordon which is home to 250 pedigree Aberdeen Angus cattle. They also run Tombuie Charcuterie which specialises in cured and smoked meats.
Scotch Beef from the cattle from Hardiesmill is used by the business and the farm is a member of QMS’s quality assurance scheme. Animal welfare is a key aspect of the quality assurance schemes behind Scotch Beef and the bloggers also heard about QMS’s partnership with the Scottish SPCA and the QMS “Animal Welfare and Wellbeing Charter” during their visit.
Laurent Vernet, QMS Head of Marketing, said the aim of the bloggers visit was to give them an understanding of what makes Scotch Beef and Scotch Lamb a cut above the rest both in production and taste.
“Having a group of top food and lifestyle bloggers from London visit us here in Scotland is a fantastic opportunity for us to show them what makes Scotch Beef and Scotch Lamb – and those who work in our industry – special.
“The bloggers, who have a combined Twitter reach of nearly 450,000, can now communicate to their followers the fantastic quality and taste which goes hand-in-hand with Scotch Beef and Scotch Lamb.”
Main photo : The eight bloggers enjoyed a farm tour from Alison and Robin Tuke of Hardiesmill, Gordon, and were joined by Laurent Vernet, QMS Head of Marketing (bottom centre) during their trip to Scotland to learn about Scotch Beef PGI and Scotch Lamb PGI
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