We’re proud to have won Great Taste Awards (nine awards in 2018 alone) for our products, and that all of our meat carries the guaranteed pedigree of traceability – in other words, you can rest assured that it’s come from lush green Manx fields just down the road.
It’s increasingly recognised that happy animals mean better meat. All of our meat carries the guaranteed pedigree of traceability and is produced to the highest welfare standards – and it’s all exceptionally low on food miles.
We’ve pulled together the following guides to help you understand more about the different cuts of beef, lamb and pork available.
The fillet is a long muscle running along either side of the cattle’s backbone. It’s ideal for cutting into tender fillet steaks. Beef fillet is extremely tender and versatile because it can be cooked in a number of ways, and it’s also perfect for popular dishes such as Beef Wellington. The ‘tail’ of the fillet is perfect for Beef Stroganoff.
Ribs can be either kept together for a roasting joint or cut into individual ribs. The centre of the rib is called the ‘rib-eye’ and can be filleted off the bone then cut into ‘rib-eye’ steaks which have an even marble of fat that delivers fantastic flavour and succulence. Delicious when either pan-fried or barbecued.
Although not as tender as other steaks, it’s very juicy and tasty. A great choice for those that enjoy a large steak, or as an alternative to a topside joint.
Taken off the bone, this can be roasted whole or cut into sirloin steaks for pan-frying or barbecuing.
The traditional roasting joint. Always tender, lean and easy to carve. The light cover of fat helps to keep the meat moist when roasting and adds to the flavour of the meat and gravy.
The meat fibres in Silverside are coarser than topside but deliver a full flavour and are beautifully tender when the joint is gently roasted. Very easy to carve without meat breaking apart.
This is excellent for braising steaks, joints and stewing steak. It’s full of flavour, excellent for lean mince and gourmet burgers. The Chuck can also be cut by your butcher so that all fat and membranes are removed ready for dicing. The Chuck can also be cut to produce the popular ‘flat iron’ steak.
Boned and rolled, pot roasted or slow roasted on the bone, this cut delivers a strong beefy flavour and can also be cured to make Pastrami. Brisket also has a unique flavour when cured and smoked.
The round, also known as the rump, is a lean cut of meat with very little fat. It is located at the back near the rear leg. Like the Shank, the round is a tough. Round cuts are best braised or roasted with low levels of moisture.
The flank is a long flat cut and predominantly a tougher cut. It’s usually cut into flap steaks or flank steaks and is typically used in Asian and Mexican cuisine as stir-fry or fajita beef dishes.
The plate comes from the front area, contains a lot of cartilage and can be quite fatty and tough. It contains a few different cuts including the short ribs, hangar steak, and the skirt steak. In terms of cooking, it is best braised, due to its toughness.
A great choice for stewing and slow-roasting. It takes a while to become tender, but patience is a virtue and the flavour and texture is worth waiting for.
Pound for pound, lamb chops (or cutlets as they’re also known) tend to be among the most expensive cuts of lamb but for taste and a tender texture they are hard to beat. These cuts are taken from the ribs – when several are left intact and cooked together it’s called a rack of lamb.
A great choice for a Sunday roast. This joint has a rich, full flavour – but it can be easy to overcook it so needs care to prevent the meat becoming dry and tough. A leg of lamb can be roasted whole on the bone, or boned, or barbecued.
This is a real champ when it comes to choosing a lean, tender cut with lots of flavour. It can be cut into chops for pan frying or grilling – but care is needed not to overcook it.
A great choice for slow-cooking to produce an extremely tender texture. It’s a joint that is great value because it’s a cheaper cut that goes a long way either when cooked as a joint or in stews.
The 'saddle' is taken from around the backbone of the lamb and you can either buy it with the bone in, or with the bone removed and rolled up into a joint that’s easy to carve.
This is one of the cuts that are often overlooked, but its great value and ideal for families looking for a mid-week meal at the right price. Lamb breast has a fair amount of fat which has lots of flavour and helps to make the meat tender.
This portion provides ‘Loin Chops’ for grilling or frying, similarly a ‘Barnsley Chop’ – which is double the size being both sides of the animal. Off the bone this section provides ‘Noisettes’ or in one piece, a Cannon. These are all very tender and will cook quickly. The whole loin (both sides of the Lamb roasted as a piece) is a joint known as a ‘Saddle of Lamb’.
The lamb sirloin is sometimes considered part of the leg primal cut, but it can also be prepared separately. In this case, it is frequently cut into chops or steaks.
A great choice for dicing to be cooked slowly in stews, or kept on the bone and slow-roasted until tender when the meat will just fall apart.
The pork loin is where we get what is considered the best roasting joint, delicious as part of a traditional Sunday roast with apple sauce. The loin can either be cooked in one piece with the bone, or deboned, stuffed and rolled up.
A rich and incredibly tender cut. The rib bones in the belly are known as ‘spare ribs’ and are great for barbecues.
A leg is usually roasted whole, but it can also be boned and cut into smaller roasting joints, or thinly sliced to make steaks (called escalopes).
Ribs are often flatter than the curved back ribs and whilst they don’t come with as much meat as some other cuts, they do have additional fat which result in this being a tender and tastier option, depending on your preference.