The Scotch livestock industry continues to raise its game in driving global cuisines and delivering unsurpassed quality in its many restaurants. A key to maintaining its presence on this pedestal is the quality of products and an uncompromising approach to quality and sourcing only the finest ingredients.

Only the finest ingredients such as this Scotch Beef fillet, make it into Chris Staines’ Kitchen at award-winning London restaurant, Foliage. Here Chris shows a fillet and its fabulous marbling and promise of succulence

To find the best ingredients requires a significant investment of time and good relations often, with small suppliers. This may mean that one week a product is excellent and the next week stocks are low or exhausted. Quality Meat Scotland’s initiatives of traceability and farm assurance facilitate this process and have been widely regarded by key industry figures as some of the best.

Chefs understand that quality is vital and that means starting with the basics – cooking great food simply, with wonderful flavours and an excellent marriage of ingredients. It also requires a passion to deliver to the consumer something that will be a triumph. If the chef himself is not excited about what he is serving, it goes without saying that the customer will equally be indifferent.

Quality Meat Scotland has opened all the doors into red meat procurement and the integrity and quality that has resulted are heavily supported and encouraged by top chefs and businesses alike. The consistency of Scotch Beef and Scotch Lamb gives peace of mind to those preparing it and are also widely agreed to be faultless in delivering only great eating experiences to diners. It comes as no surprise then to see more menus proudly and actively demonstrating this ‘Scotch’ choice.

Beef and lamb are of course the foundation of many top menus and it is understandable that many markets are anxious to have their product featured. Buoyed by Quality Meat Scotland’s powerful message and supply chain assurances, more and more chefs are preferring to choose Scotch Beef and Scotch Lamb over Welsh, Irish, English and French.

Restaurants are also becoming more experimental with their choice of cuts. Fillet and sirloin dishes will always be popular but oxtail, osso bucco, rump and shoulder of lamb, as well as mutton, are finding their way onto the pass and delighting diners.

The communication message from Quality Meat Scotland has been well received – chefs are very well informed about the Scottish environment and climate, the great natural grazing habitat and the care and understanding demonstrated by its farmers, hauliers and lairage managers.

With thanks to David Nicholls (Director of Food and Beverage and Executive Chef) and Chris Staines (Head Chef) of Foliage at London’s Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park

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