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Grass Fed Beef - What's the fuss?
Sarah Shufflebotham • March 6, 2020
We explain what grass fed really means, from farm to fork
There's been so much talk recently in the media about buying grass fed beef, the message can be confusing! What are we buying? Is it better for us? What does that mean for the animal?
With Cheerbrook's roots firmly in Andrew's original Angus Aberdeen herd, we thought we'd explain, clear & simple, what grass fed beef really means.
First a little geography...
Grass fed beef is far more of an issue in the USA, where cattle are reared more intensively & can be fed on grains & manufactured feed year round. Finding beef that has been reared on natural pastures is much harder in America, hence the need for clear 'grass fed' labeling.
On the farm...
Here in the UK there is much less of an issue surrounding grass fed beef. With more traditional farming methods & smaller scale farms, most beef cattle in the UK will be grass fed for some proportion of the year - most likely during the summer months when herds go out to graze on pasture - with top ups of silage (dried grass) during the winter months.
Here at Cheebrook our Angus beef is reared by the Bourne family, in the most natural way possible. At the foot of Bickerton hill, Rob's herd go out to graze on natural vegetation, herbs & grasses in the warmer months & are fed a mixture of silage & grain over the colder, winter months.
In our butchery...
We butcher all of our beef right here, dry ageing for around 25 days, cutting & preparing by hand.
As well as filling our butchery with beautiful beef, our butchers prepare meat for our ready to cook range, deli pies & cafe dishes.
On your plate...
Down to the important part - the taste! Grass fed beef has a fuller flavour, imparted by the natural minerals from its grazing, with marbling from muscle development adding succulence & a tender, melt in the mouth texture.
The verdict...
Here in the UK most beef is partly grass fed, making for full flavoured meat. At Cheerbrook we're proud to offer local Angus beef, reared with care, skillfully butchered & beautifully flavoured.
Taste it for your self with a simply seared steak, fresh from the griddle!
Did you hear, dining in is the new going out! On a cold Autumn evening, enjoy delicious food & a tipple with friends & family. Be inspired, with dishes from our charity recipe book (click to open recipes): American night - Sticky ribs , buttery corn & our deli's creamy coleslaw. Topped off with an indulgent cheesecake, handmade in our bakery. Friday night fake-away - whip up our butter chicken recipe, using your slow cooker. Serve with steamed rice, Cottage Delight Poppadom Mango Chutney & Previns giant naan breads! Hearty Sunday roast - Roast leg of Staffordshire free range pork & crisp mustard roasties ; serve with our ready to cook leeks with greens. For dessert, a warming apple & cinnamon crumble from our bakery, with Clotton Hall Custard. You can pick up a copy of our charity recipe book (For the Love of Food) in our farm shop, with all profits donated to Nantwich District Nurses.
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Great Taste, Great Value
Whether your Mum is a gin lover, chocolate fiend or coffee connoisseur, our farm shop is packed with Mother's Day gift ideas; here are our top picks: Three Wrens Raspberry Gin Three Wrens distillery, have stocked our shelves with stunning Cheshire gin for almost 3 years. We love a glass of their Raspberry Edition gin, distilled in Balsamic Barrels of Modena, with Fentimans tonic & a handful of frozen raspberries. Ask our team to make up a gin gift hamper - with Three Wrens bottle, matching glass & a cheeky chocolate treat too! Therapy & Scent Wax Melts Made locally, in Nantwich, Therapy & Scent's delicately scented wax melts make a gorgeous gift, paired with a burner. Millionaire Flapjack Slab Does your Mum have a sweet tooth? Treat her to a slab of our indulgent millionaire flapjack, with a golden layer of oats, topped with sweet caramel & rich chocolate topping. Available to order for collection, please email: info@cheerbrook.co.uk. Afternoon Tea Gift Voucher What better gift than time spent together, over tea & cake! Our Afternoon Tea is packed with treats from our deli & bakery, with freshly made sandwiches & scones. Vouchers are available from our farm shop tills or to order online.
Great Taste, Great Value
Across our farm shop, butchery, deli & café we work with over 40 local suppliers, to bring you the best local food the region has to offer. With locally made fudge, hand pressed cider & freshly baked bread; fill your basket with delicious local food & drink, here at Cheerbrook. Bidlea Dairy of Holmes Chapel, supply fresh milk to our farm shop & café. The Brown family have been raising the Bidlea girls for three generations on their farm in Holmes Chapel; the herd’s bloodline can be traced back 100 years! With over 900 Holstein-Friesian cows, current farmers Adam & Becky have created the Bidlea brand, taking milk & cream into local farm shops, delis & cafés. Most recently Bidlea have ventured into ice cream production, in their farm based dairy. Grazing on luscious Cheshire grass, the herd spend the majority of the year outside, producing milk rich in protein & butter fat. Happy cows make the best milk! Taking pride in their husbandry, the Brown family's happy herd produce full flavoured, nutritious milk. A relatively new addition to Cheerbrook, Bidlea now supply all of our farm shop & café milk, as well as their rich double cream, used by our bakers in our fresh cream cakes, egg custard tarts & quiches. We’re proud to support local farmers, just like Bidlea, in their diversification!
Make it your resolution for 2022 to eat well & support local