Hardiesmill & Tombuie - Update from the Farm - keynotes on Flat-Iron steaks & the impact of weather on beef

March; in like a lamb, out like a lion!  From Hardiesmill’s beef-farming perspective this is a nervous period as we wait and see if the wind has burnt off the early growth of grass, forcing us to keep the cattle in for another few weeks whilst we wait for the grass to come away again. Not good news for our costs, but at least it extends the transition period between the relatively low-protein-but-stronger-flavour end of silage and the higher-protein-but-light-on-flavour young grass. Since the feed the cattle enjoy comes straight through into the eating experience of the beef (flavour and texture), you want to keep the move as gentle as possible if you’re going to maintain consistency. The greater the change in the feed (e.g. bruised barley to grass), the greater the change in the beef between March and May.

That said, we’ll be interested to see how the seasons affect one of the newest steaks to hit these shores. Also known as a Butler’s steak, the Flat-iron steak comes from the shoulder and is both popular and fashionable in North America. The muscle is  rectangular with a slight point (hence it's name) and seems to eat best when cooked to medium/medium rare.  Off our Aberdeen Angus carcasses the flavour's gentle but enjoyable, rather like a silverside in taste but it tantalises the top of the tongue more than the sides of the mouth. The grain isn’t as tight as the silverside, but it’s a long way short of the loose grain of a Bavette. We found it went really, really well with old-fashioned creamed horseradish sauce (www.isabellapreserves.co.uk).

We have a feeling we'll be seeing more and more of this cut in the pubs and restaurants as it's quite cheap and goes well with chips and/or warm crisps.  We would, however, suggest "Thick Rib" would probably be a better choice for the same money if you like your beef with a rich sauce.

 ( http://hardiesmill.co.uk/online_shop ). 

On a more flippant note, having had a large chunk of beef just prior to settling down to write the above, I find my self reflecting on nature's (rather hard) lesson of the day:

“Cycling in a tractor-rut is bad for the libido!”

A (re-)introduction to Hardiesmill with an update form the farm

Such is the speed of e-progress here at Hardiesmill that we are just getting to grips with blogging, just as Wikipedia report that there are over 156 million blogs worldwide. Not exactly bleeding edge, but at least we've made a start and hopefully it'll be easier to follow than the (very) periodic "Updates From the Farm" that we used to post out by email.

For those who never seen one of our Updates From the Farm before, let us briefly explain who and what we are.  We are farmer/.producers, based in the Scottish Borders, 6 miles north of Kelso. We have a 480 (ish, depending on where the satellite is) acre farm which is dedicated to producing the most consistant high quality Scotch Aberdeen Angus beef that we can achieve, nature allowing. To this end we are slightly obsessive with the three things that we, over three generations, have found really affect the eating experience of beef: that is breeding, feeding and handling  - and that means right from conception through to the moment  the last morsel is consumed.  It might sound a little quirky, particularly as it means flying in the face of current farming measurables (did you know that beef farmers in UK/Europe are paid on turnover, weight and for the aesthetic appeal of their beef but not in any way for its flavour or eating experience?), but as we are wall-to-wall (field-to-field) foodies here, it saves a lot of disappointment and argueing if we pitch for the top! Fortunately for us, a number of other people agree; needless to say we are incredibly proud to be associated with supplying the Orient Express, Chez Roux and assorted Scottish delegations abroad.

Taking this forward, we've been musing over how we could make the blog useful, entertaining and interesting (a bit like the Archers on BBC Radio 4, though you'll forgive us if we skip the controversy of plunging off a wet roof). It's got to be focused on food, as that what's we love, along with farming (which we love - most of the time) and since we are fortunate enough to have one of Scotland's most innovative master butcher's working here, it'll pivot around that too.   Seasonal variations within farming impact the eating experience of beef, and as we are now doing 12 different steaks from 12 different muscles and the Borders are quite capable of doing four seasons in a week, it should keep us busy for a few blogs at least...

We hope you enjoy both the blog and the beef,  please let us know?