Last weekend, I headed to Hill Street Market, to see Julian, the owner of Rannoch Meats.
Julian is a regular stall holder at the market, selling delicious beef from his herd of red Devon Cattle bred on his farm in the Wairarapa.
The beef Julian sells is what I would call 'real meat'. The animal is a traditional breed, and because Julian really cares about what he does, the herd is well looked after, leading stress-free lives and eating their natural diet. When they are old enough, Julian uses a local slaughter house, and the meat is hung for around three weeks, making it a very tasty meal!
Having so far enjoyed a couple of steaks, a cottage pie and some sausages from the quarter beast we bought, I can honestly say that it is amongst some of the best beef we have tasted. The flavour of the cottage pie especially, was both richer and deeper, and needed no other flavour added.
If you have the freezer space, I would recommend buying beef by the quarter or half beast. Buying this way, you are not only supporting local farmers, but getting fantastic quality meat at less than you would pay in your local butchers.
