Welcome to part two of our three-part series for Great British Beef Week. Yesterday, we talked about the nutritional benefits of Britain’s favourite red meat. Today, we’ll be giving some tips about buying beef, and of course we’ll be sharing a recipe.
When it comes to buying good quality meat, Ladies in Beef can offer one good place to start: look for the
tractor. You can find the Red Tractor logo on a number of different foods at your local supermarket. Established in 2000, Red Tractor is the biggest food and farm standards scheme in the country and covers everything from animal welfare to food safety. Buying food that carries the Red Tractor logo means you can be sure that the producer has passed regular, rigorous independent checks.
Ladies in Beef have also produced A Shopper’s Guide to Buying Beef. This handy guide contains just about everything you need to know, from what cut to choose to how to understand the labelling. A Shopper’s Guide to Buying Beef is a must-have for every conscientious beef shopper.
Pot Roasted Beef in Ale
Now on to today’s recipe. If you’ve been reading our National Parks Spotlight series, you’ll know that we recently highlighted Cairngorms National Park in Scotland. The region’s farmers market shares a number of recipes using local produce. And so today we are making a pot roast that includes ale and swede. This serves 4 to 6, depending on the sides you serve with it.
- 2.5 – 3 lb beef roast
- 1 bottle beer, preferably a darker ale
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 1/2 swede, diced
- 1 bouquet garni (tie together some sprigs of fresh thyme and parsley, along with a fresh bay leaf)
- oil for cooking
Heat a little oil and saute the onion for 5 minutes until it starts to soften. Add the carrots and swede and cook for another 5 minutes. Put the contents of the pan into a roasting tin.
Thinly slice the garlic cloves. Cut slits all over the beef roast. Put the garlic slices into the slits. Add a bit more oil to the pan. Heat, and brown the meat on all sides.
Place the browned roast on top of the vegetables. Pour 150ml of the beer over meat and vegetables, and add the bouquet garni.
Cover with foil and cook for 2 and a half hours at 170C or Gas Mark 3. Once cooked, allow the meat to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Serve with roast potatoes, green beans, gravy, or whatever sides you prefer.
Come back tomorrow for the final day of our Great British Beef Week celebration. We’ll have tips on cooking beef, and another recipe.