Hot and Chilli

A Visit to Donald Russell in Scotland

 I was very pleased to be invited  by Donald Russell,  to go to their HQ in Inverurie near Aberdeen, Scotland.  Donald Russell, the Scottish butchers, was set up about
forty years ago when it only supplied the trading industry. As a butcher
they don’t just supply beef, but any meat you can think of including
poultry, fish, game, ready dishes, pasta, meal planner boxes and
speciality breads and quiches. Nowadays, their products are available to
buy online. You have a choice whether you have your order sent chilled
or frozen. They hold the Royal Warrant, supplying the Royal household. They supply many high-end luxury hotel and restaurants around the world as well.
 I was very happy to discover that  my companion in this adventure was the charming Ernest.  It was a long day, we took an early flight which was about 1h30mins from Heathrow to Aberdeen.  We were collected by the lovely Liz Webb, marketing executive and whom I have met before in London. She drove us for another 20 minutes to Donald Russell HQ.  When we arrived we met Hans Baumann, the managing director and Stefan Kolsch, the head of NPD and Outsourced products. Stefan is responsible for all the photography  and development of all recipes for the brand too.  We heard about Donald Russell story including the ups and downs of animal health scares  and diseases that plagued the 90’s. We had a good tour of the butchery: sourcing of beef, maturation and merits of freezing. We were shown the route from Intake to maturation, cutting line  and portion which are done by hand by skillful butchers and the packaging area.
I was impressed by the amount of people working behind the scenes. On the tour we were told that all their animals are
of UK origin with 80% coming from Scotland farms using the highest 
quality control,  maturity. We slightly tapped on the current topic of provenance. Nowadays the consumer wants to know where the food comes from. We were told that they source their meat based on quality and not on breed.  We were told that provenance of Donald Russell’s meat can traced to a farmer and a batch number but not a particular animal.

The Tour starts

             

wet maturation – vacuum packed
air-dry maturation area

Lunch time at Donald Russel can be quite an event with lots of products to be developed and photo shoots the kitchen is quite often buzzing. We sampled some of Donald Russell’s non-meat products too. Our chef was Stefan Kolsch

 
lunch! 
tender chicken korma
tasting  Donald Russell’s soups,  above their bestseller Scottish soup cullen skink

 

tasting meat and learning how to cook meat properly by Ronald Russell:

1. Before cooking, remove the defrosted meat from its vacuum
packaging and pat dry with kitchen paper. Allow the meat to ‘bloom’ and
come to room temperature for up to 30 minutes before cooking.

Preheat the oven and a small roasting tray (with the fan turned off) to 80ºC.

Heat a griddle or frying pan on high; add a little olive oil to the
pan or brush the oil directly on the meat to avoid using too much. Sear
the meat on all sides for 4-5 minutes in total to brown it all over. This will vastly improve both the flavour and appearance of your meat.

2. Season the meat with salt and pepper (do not season before searing
as salt can draw the moisture out of the meat). Place the meat on the
preheated roasting tray and set the meat thermometer to the 60-65ºC.
Insert the probe horizontally into the centre of the meat and place the
meat in the preheated oven with the thermometer cord through the door –
the main unit remains outside.

3. Keep the oven door closed during cooking. Opening the door lets
heat escape and increases the cooking time. When the thermometer beeps
(after 60 – 90 minutes), your meat is ready to serve straight away.
There is no need to rest your meat as it has rested during the cooking
process – the lower temperature allows the meat juices to circulate
continually during cooking so the meat stays incredibly soft and the
joint is cooked more evenly.
Hints and Tips for Low Temperature Cooking

– Always preheat your roasting tray as a cold one increases the
cooking time. Do not be tempted to transfer the meat to the oven in the
same pan used for searing as this will make the meat cook too quickly.

– If your guests are late you can keep the meat warm at 60ºC for
around 30 minutes. If your oven doesn’t have a setting as low as 60ºC,
simply switch off the oven.

– It is possible to use a gas oven on its lowest setting for Low
Temperature Cooking, but the cooking times given will be reduced – using
a meat thermometer becomes imperative!

on the way to the butchery masterclass

 above making meatballs in the premises – we’ve been told : no horse meat added! they also make their own sausages

packing  the orders

Butchery Masterclass

butchering 
butchering, trimming and weighing the fine cuts

Butchering lamb – valentine’s hand cut heart shaped
I have tried this tender and juicy cut of lamb before – read about it here: Valentine Lamb

It was a great day even if a bit cold the temperature is set quite low at the butchery to preserve the meat. I particularly enjoyed learning to cook at low temperature.  Thanks to Wild Card and Donald Russell for organising the trip and for the nice hospitality.

You may also enjoy:

Share: