We are always being asked to source various products, some more unusual than others, but the one thing we are consistently asked for is top quality British Beef.

We are therefore absolutely thrilled to let you know about our newest beef, which is taken from pasture-fed Red Ruby cattle.

Red Ruby are a traditional British breed, originating from Devon, and they have distinctive red coats which grow long and quite curly in the colder months, then shed down to a sleeker covering in the Summer.
They are very hardy and are happy to live outside almost all year round, only being brought inside when the weather is particularly extreme.

Red Ruby are smaller and more docile than most other breeds, which means that they aren’t the animal of choice for farmers looking to turn a fast profit by producing huge carcasses. Instead they are more suited to producers who are passionate about a quality product, reared traditionally and using all natural methods.

Our Red Ruby are from the Chapman Herd, a herd of 150 cattle who are farmed close to Sarratt in Hertfordshire, right on the edge of the beautiful Chiltern Hills, and just 26 miles from us here at Smithfield.

They are reared in mixed-age groups which is how they would live in a natural herd, and this helps to maintain their levels of contentment, and lower stress levels.

They feed only on what they forage, which is a mixture of wild grasses, clover, and herbs, and they're never given cereals or soya to supplement them. Even in Winter when the pastures are less bountiful, the haylage that the Chapman Herd feed on will have been made from those same fields earlier in the year.

They are Animal Welfare Approved, and certified members of the Pasture Fed Livestock Association which means they have been independently verified as 100% pasture fed.

Pasture-fed beef has been proven to be lower in saturated fat and higher in Omega 3 fatty acids, CLA and vitamins B and E than grain and soya fed beef - plus it tastes better, too.
Pasture-fed and grass-fed are very similar, however pasture has much more of a variety of plants, rather than just grass, so is a more nourishing and natural diet.
Allowing the pastures to develop fully has a knock-on effect to the other wildlife. The insect and bird populations living alongside the Chapman Herd are also flourishing because of the diversity in the plant life.

After slaughter, our Red Ruby is left to dry-age for 28 days before being cut into portions, and this allows the meat to tenderise, and the flavour to mature and develop.

On each pack of steaks you’ll find a QR code, just scan it with a smartphone (or enter the label code here) and it will tell you all the information about where your steak came from, including the details of the exact animal and farmer that produced it.

We truly believe our Red Ruby beef is the best available, and we guarantee you will enjoy it – or your money back.

For more information please see:
Red Ruby Beef

7^th July 2017