Morrisons is set to launch a new premium range of beef from traditional British breeds in the wake of research conducted at the farm it runs in partnership with the Prince of Wales.
The retailer has recruited 200 British farmers to produce the 'traditional beef' range, which will use the same feeding formula, outdoor rearing techniques and breeds of cattle trialled by Morrisons at Dumfries House.
The range will go on sale in about 80% of Morrisons stores from Monday and will be sold over the retailer's butcher counters rather than as a pre-packed product. It will include prime steaks that have been dry-aged on the bone, such as sirloin, rump, ribeye and fillet steaks, as well as a range of new steak cuts such as the Denver steak, the Flat Iron and the Bullet. There will also be traditional roasting joints, burgers and meatballs.
"We have worked long and hard to produce this exceptional beef," said Morrisons farm operations manager Andrew Loftus. "Producing it requires close relationships with farmers, a method for rearing the best cattle and a maturing process that tenderises the meat and brings out the flavour."
Of the 200 farms involved, 100 are in England, 70 in Scotland and 30 in Wales. All farmers involved have agreed to raise the cattle outdoors, and feed them mainly on grass and their mothers' milk. Then for the last three months of their lives, the cattle will be fattened using Morrisons' specially developed diet, which contains cereals to help add extra fat to the meat and produce marbling.
Most of the beef sold in UK supermarkets is from French breeds, such as Limousin, but Morrisons' 'traditional beef' comes from 19 British breeds, including Shorthorn, Hereford and Aberdeen Angus. The retailer will use new PoS material in-store to promote the range and has given its butchers training on how to communicate its attributes. A spokesman said the mark-up from its standard beef would "not be that much".
The retailer has recruited 200 British farmers to produce the 'traditional beef' range, which will use the same feeding formula, outdoor rearing techniques and breeds of cattle trialled by Morrisons at Dumfries House.
The range will go on sale in about 80% of Morrisons stores from Monday and will be sold over the retailer's butcher counters rather than as a pre-packed product. It will include prime steaks that have been dry-aged on the bone, such as sirloin, rump, ribeye and fillet steaks, as well as a range of new steak cuts such as the Denver steak, the Flat Iron and the Bullet. There will also be traditional roasting joints, burgers and meatballs.
"We have worked long and hard to produce this exceptional beef," said Morrisons farm operations manager Andrew Loftus. "Producing it requires close relationships with farmers, a method for rearing the best cattle and a maturing process that tenderises the meat and brings out the flavour."
Of the 200 farms involved, 100 are in England, 70 in Scotland and 30 in Wales. All farmers involved have agreed to raise the cattle outdoors, and feed them mainly on grass and their mothers' milk. Then for the last three months of their lives, the cattle will be fattened using Morrisons' specially developed diet, which contains cereals to help add extra fat to the meat and produce marbling.
Most of the beef sold in UK supermarkets is from French breeds, such as Limousin, but Morrisons' 'traditional beef' comes from 19 British breeds, including Shorthorn, Hereford and Aberdeen Angus. The retailer will use new PoS material in-store to promote the range and has given its butchers training on how to communicate its attributes. A spokesman said the mark-up from its standard beef would "not be that much".
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