Twelve Win Through to Final of Scotch Steak Competition

Twelve Scottish beef producers will be competing to produce the best steaks at the Royal Highland Show later this month and win a top prize of £1000.

Rib-eye roasts from cattle reared by the 12 farmers won through to the finals of the annual McIntosh Donald/Tesco Scotch Steak Competition in the preliminary judging at McIntosh Donald’s Portlethen meat plant on Monday.

Steaks from the 12 roasts will be grilled by celebrity chef and restaurateur, Nick Nairn, at the show at Ingliston on Friday, June 25, and judged for eating quality by an expert panel.

The final 12 were selected from 71 carcases which met the specification on weight and grade from an initial entry of 131 cattle from members of McIntosh Donald Beef Producer Club from all over Scotland.

The overall entry was outstanding and it was very difficult to choose the final 12 from such an array of top-quality carcases, said butcher, Jim Mitchell, manager of A W Herd and Sons Ltd shop in Rosemount, Aberdeen, who made the final selection along with McIntosh Donald’s sales director, Alan McNaughton, and production manager, Graham Moir.

We were looking for roasts with a bit of marbling through the lean, which ensures succulence and flavour, without too much external fat.

All the cattle qualifying for the competition were required to fall into the E, U or R categories for conformation and either 3 or 4L for fat cover.

This competition is designed to recognise and reward farmers who produce the highest standard of Scotch beef to meet the Tesco specification for quality, said Mr McNaughton.

McIntosh Donald – part of the Grampian Country Food Group - handle 16.5% of Scottish beef production through their Portlethen plant and are sole suppliers of Scotch beef to Tesco for the supermarket’s exclusive Finest range.

Sales of Scotch beef under the Finest brand are increasing by 20% a year and now account for 12 – 15% of Tesco’s beef sales.

Under new rules to be introduced by Quality Meat Scotland later this year, all beef sold as Scotch must come from cattle born, as well as reared, in Scotland. At present, cattle bred south of the Border can qualify provided they have been reared in Scotland for at least 90 days before slaughter.

Demand for Scotch beef in Tesco stores is buoyant and we are looking to Scottish beef producers to increase production to meet this growing demand and make up the 8% shortfall which is at present filled with beef from cattle which will not qualify in future, said Mr McNaughton.

Producing Scotch beef for Britain’s largest and most successful supermarket group offers a real opportunity for Scottish farmers. It would be a tragedy if we are unable to meet this demand because of lack of supply.

Judging the finals of the steak competition at the Highland Show will be Scottish rugby international, Simon Taylor, Tesco senior buying manager, Alex Brown, and journalist, Ken Fletcher, deputy editor of the Scottish Farmer.

Also see: Specialty Steaks

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Kyle Huang is a successful author and regular contributor to http://www.1st-in-steaks.com. Great tips on buying top quality meats, steaks and seafood from the finest ranchers and butchers.

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Twelve Win Through to Final of Scotch Steak Competition