The catering butcher is a vital link between the abattoir and the kitchen; a good butcher is an invaluable support to the chef.

Good catering butchers are highly trained and highly skilled: chefs can make good use of their knowledge. A minimum training requirement needs to be reached by law before qualification can be given

The best catering butchers are used to exacting and sometimes unique demands from their customers. Their range of services includes, of course, boning and trimming to Meat Buyers Guide specifications as well as a comprehensive range of fresh meat products prepared to larder chef requirements, but they should also be looked upon as a great source of advice and knowledge, a partner in the chef’s drive for the best possible quality for his customers.

All meat is of course thoroughly endorsed by farm to table assurance schemes. Scotch Beef and Scotch Lamb are sourced from farmers with complete traceability, for example Ballindalloch Castle Farm, the original home of the pure Aberdeen Angus herd, and Scotch Lamb from Premier Lamb, raised in the Highlands around Dornoch.

Meat is hung to individual client specifications – beef can be for a minimum of 21 days but frequently up to 35 days and lamb is hung for 5 to 10 days depending on season.

Meat processing by the larger butchers may be carried out by teams and take place over shifts almost 24/7 to ensure that there is a delivery of fresh meat every day, yet with the best butchers this is never at the expense of quality. On arrival, the meat is weighed and sent to a holding fridge where it will subsequently be retrieved and broken down. The abattoir’s tag will allow staff to trace each animal back to the farm, ascertain date of birth, breed and ownership in a matter of minutes should this information be required.

The specification is the key to good understanding between butcher and customer: many butchers record their clients’ specification information – preferred packaging, cuts, quantities – so that the information can be readily retrieved for each new order. This saves time for the clients as well – telesales can understand buying patterns and do not need to re-key information. The client’s file is updated as and when menu cycles change and new specifications are required. Once prepared to client specifications, the meat is dispatched, either in refrigerated vehicles to nearby customers, or for customers further afield, sent overnight to arrive first thing the following morning in carefully packed iced boxes.

A good catering butcher demands an excellent quality team and is committed to training its staff. The best butchers are also happy to impart their knowledge to their chef customers, so they can better understand meat eating quality and ultimately buy more wisely for their clientele. Above all, butcher staff should understand and respect the supreme quality of products such as Scotch Beef and Scotch Lamb.

With thanks to Alan Healey of Aubrey Allen Ltd, Coventry

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