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A good relationship with an experienced butcher is fundamental to sourcing the best quality meat for your kitchen and your customers.

The catering butcher has developed from the retail butcher to meet the changing needs of the industry. The catering butcher requires significant training over a number of years and across a number of competencies – cutting, packing, ageing, health and safety are key – before accreditation can be granted.

A recent innovation in butchery technique is becoming more popular in the UK – ‘seam’ butchery. This process involves breaking down the carcase using nature’s natural ‘seams’ between the muscles as the guides for cutting, rather than cutting across one or more muscles to produce a joint of meat. The cuts produced from seam butchery consist of single muscles and therefore prevent uneven cooking. More steaks for grilling or frying are made available and fewer cuts for stewing or pot roasting. Meat is put to better use with increased yields and less wastage all round.

First we explore in more detail the wonderful range of quality Scotch Beef and Scotch Lamb cuts which your butcher can supply.

The versatility of Scotch Beef is as infinite as your imagination

Due to the variety of cuts that Scotch Beef offers, the range of possibilities you can offer your customer is huge. However, because of this very flexibility, all beef is not the same: different cuts require different treatment. The information below is a comprehensive snapshot of the most commonly used and prepared cuts.

Making the most of your Scotch Beef cuts

No	Cut	Characteristics	Optimal Preparations	Classical Uses
1	Brisket, on the bone, rolled brisket, Thin Runner	Flavoursome, high collagen joint	Moist slow heat - stewing, braising, curing and pot-roasting	Braised brisket à l’anglaise, à la française, à la mode
2	Chuck, braising and stewing steak, Top Shoulder	Collagen rich, flavoursome	Moist cooking, slow roasting, responds well to marinating	Hungarian goulash, daube provençale, bourguignonne
3	Fillet	The most tender muscle meat	Pan-frying, griling, roasting	Grill garnish, pomme paille, gaufrette, tomatoes, mushrooms, watercress and flavoured butters. Andalouse (tomato half glaze). Steak tartare, fillet with morel mushrooms. Truffle oil
	Fillet mignon	Narrow end of the fillet	Slice thinly and chop finely for preparations Slice thinly and butterfly
	Tournedos	Steak even in thickness, extremely tender	Pan-frying, grilling
	Châteaubriand steaks	Two per animal, thick in cut	Pan-frying, grilling
4	Fore rib	Tender rib meat; also location of rib eye steak	Roasting, sautéing, pan-frying, grilling	Rib-eye steaks with beef glaze
5	Leg, nap	Flavoursome and collagen rich	All slow, moist cooking and slow roasting methods	Braised with tomato and garlic, beer, wine and root vegetables
6	Neck, clod, Neck/Lyre	Flavoursome and collagen rich	Stewing, casseroling, braising – slow cooking	Bitoks, Vienna steaks, meatballs, beef tea, consommé
7	Rib steak, thin rib	Seam cut, slices from between the bones provides the entrecôte	Roasting, grilling, frying	Grill garnish, pomme paille, gaufrette, tomatoes, mushrooms, watercress and flavoured butters
8	Rump steak, Pope's Eye	Rump end of the sirloin, cut across grain; flavoursome	Seam cutting removes top fat; grilling, pan-frying and barbecuing, roasting	Berrichonne potatoes, thickened with gravy
9	Shin, Neck or Lyre	From the front leg, cheaper cut	Ideal for slow cooking and slow roasting - stews, casseroles and stocks	Beef tea, stocks, meatballs, soups, consommé
10	Sirloin	From where the backbone connects to the hip bone; very tender	Sautéing, pan-frying, and grilling; responds well to marinating	Grill garnish, pomme paille, gaufrette, tomatoes, mushrooms, watercress and flavoured butters, bouquetière
	Entrecôte	Another name for sirlon (see above)	(see above)
	T-bone	The sirloin and fillet in one slice, divided by the bone; tender, textured and tasty	Grilling or pan-frying
	Porterhouse steaks	Cut from the rear end of the short loin	Grilling and barbecuing
11	Thick flank, thin flank	Lean and muscular, full of flavour	Use as steaks or rolled steaks; cook medium rare; braising, casseroling and stewing	Estouffade, carbonnade
12	Thick rib	Also known as the seamed leg of mutton cut (LMC); all fat and gristle need removing	Thinly cut, ideal for frying	Served with hollandaise, Lyonnaise potatoes
13	Topside and Silverside steak, Top Rump, Bottom Rump	Large joints, usually need to be seared for best results	Pan-frying or roasting	Horseradish, watercress, Yorkshire pudding, roast gravy or thickened gravy
14	Oxtail	Segmented at joints, very flavoursome	Great for moist cooking, casseroles and soups	Madeira sauce

Cut Chart: Scotch Beef

More common Scottish names for cuts are italicised

Lamb – the meat that foodservice forgot

Despite general foodservice appreciation of lamb, it has become one of the most infrequently used meats on menus across the whole foodservice market, with many customers perceiving lamb as ‘fatty’ and ‘greasy’, the ‘pricey’ choice on your menu. However, the solution is simple: deliver lamb in line with the customer’s expectations – succulent, moist and full of flavour. To do so you need to choose the best quality
available to you and there is none better than the lamb grown on Scotland’s hillside pastures.

Scotch Lamb is the source of a large number of cuts that in themselves offer a range of taste experiences. When combined with complementary ingredients and flavours, and cooked in the most respectful way, the experience is sublime.

Making the most of your Scotch Lamb cuts

No	Cut	Alternative Names	Optimal Preparations	Classical Uses
1	Best end of neck Cutlets	Crown, cutlets, rack	Dice for stewing, chops for braising. Rack of lamb-oven roasting, cutlets – pan-fry, marinating	Navarin printanière, boulangère, barbecue
2	Breast Flank	Flank	Long slow moist cooking	Post roast, stuffed breast of lamb
3	Chump Chump Chop	Chump chops, chump end, chump steaks, gigot chops, saddle	Marinating, rolled (stuffed), roasted, pan-fried	Bretonne, flamande
4	Leg Gigot	Fillet end, gigot, knuckle half end, leg (mini) joint, shank half end	Pot roasted, roasting, stir fry	Daube provençale
5	Loin	Barnsley chops, best loin chops, lamb chops, saddle, medallions, noisettes, valentine steaks	Roll and tie for roasting, responds well to marinating	Crown of lamb, rack of lamb
6	Scrag Neck	Neck, stewing lamb	Diced and mince	Scotch broth, slow moist cooking
7	Shoulder, middle neck Stewing Chops	Bladeside, knuckle end, mince, neck (fillet), shoulder (mini) joint, stewing lamb	Dice, mince, stuffed and rolled for roasting	Moussaka, patties, kebabs, casserole, Irish stew
8	Shank	Shoulder shank	Braising	Braise with tomatoes and garlic for a Mediterranean feel, Lamb Kleftico

For additional cooking information, see Kitchen section

Scotch Lamb - far more than just chops and roasts

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