Ashes wrapped up so Work begins with a tour of Prime Quality Meats!!

As I am writing this the Ashes has been firmly wrapped up and by now the boys are probably enjoying a few ales at Barmy HQ...so without any further delay it is probably time to get on and do some work. So here we go, to kick things off a day spent with the finest butchers chain in NSW...Craig Cooks Prime Quality Meats.

“Meat should be an unreserved pleasure.” This has been Craig Cook’s maxim since 1980. When you raise contented animals without hormone growth stimulants or antibiotics, they absorb more nutrients and minerals. Lovingly produced meat is the carnivore’s super food.

 The Prime Quality Meat story begins with the passion of Craig Cook. His determination is simple - to provide nothing less than the most naturally farm raised, hormone promotant free meats of the highest quality possible. This intent has led him to become Australian Meat Industry Council National Secretary and Meat & Livestock Ambassador for Red Meat retailing in Australia.

But that is only a small part of a very large undertaking. From a lush green paddock to your dining table, Craig ensures that the meat that bears his name is superb. “It’s all about that glow you get when the meat dish you serve is truly spectacular. It might just be a T-bone, but it’s a T-bone with wow factor.” 

The above is cut straight from Prime Quality Meat's website, and when I first read this I was firstly impressed with the enormous passion that it exudes but also how he shares the same passion that we have at my own business Medium Rare.

Prime Quality meats is the smartest butchers chain across NSW. With 15 stores across Sydney and the suburbs, they are pitching at the top end of the market with concessions also in the largest David Jones (Oz's John Lewis equivalent) food halls.

My first impressions of the counters were very smart presentation and a business that is eager to get their message across. Initial differences with the UK were the below signs, my fear with the UK is that with their Meat Free Monday's butchers may have to sell veg just to make a living. It is without doubt that Australians are definite meat lovers and passionate about their butchers.

It is fair to say that product wise OZ tends to favour beef. The big debate seems to be whether you eat grain fed, where the options are 100 day/ 250 day etc or grass fed beef. This is quite a bone of contention with the MSA (Meat Standards Australia) only supporting grain fed, as with their Meat Standards system, through H-bone hanging, PH testing and various other processes can guarantee eating quality. Craig on the other hand was adamant that the grass fed beef from his farms had far superior eating quality and he would not serve grain fed on his counter. A subject I am sure I will revisit on this trip as there are many arguments both for and against and environmental. The understanding I have is that although you would think that the grass fed would have a far lower carbon foot print the counter argument is that a grain fed animal takes a lot less time to grow to finishing and thus spends a lot less time excreting methane. I am seeing a lecturer from Melbourne Uni on Monday so will see what he has to say on this....

Wagyu beef is fast becoming big business in Oz, although in my humble opinion it does not look any great shakes on the counter it certainly blow's your mind away both in price and flavour. This is produced in Oz as embryo's were sent over from the Kobi region a while ago and there are now plenty Wagyu across the country. Could this be a successful product in the UK.....? That I am not sure about at the moment. I have a feeling it would be met with resistance from UK butchers due to its price and appearance and possibly the healthy eating British might have reservations about the fat content. Having said that it has to be viewed as a completely different product to beef and there are no arguments with tenderness and taste. Could that be my first possible new market for British Meat....not sure.

It is without doubt that Craig is at the forefront of the Australian Meat Industry and through his chain of shops is pushing forward with the idea of branded meat to the Australian consumers. One query was their free range pork, which when I rang the farm at Ottawandi Pork they informed me that they only produce barn range pork....please not another term to confuse consumers!!

My thanks has to go to Craig and his managers for making me so welcome and showing me how they do business. I left with a slightly empty feeling of why can't British butchers be as well supported as Australian butchers. When I asked him how he felt about his Northbridge shop being next to a major supermarket, his response was a firm repost that they could not compete with the quality. This is exactly the attitude UK butchers must take and continue to seek out the best producers (hopefully Medium Rare) to keep one step ahead of the multiples.

One new idea I will be going home with is the idea of stock as a new product. In all their shops they had pouches of stock (chicken/beef & lamb) available which were very good sellers. I have never seen this in a UK butchers so watch this space....

For those interested here is their website...impressive so worth a look!

http://www.primequalitymeat.com.au/

Next stop is an 800km drive to Seymour in Victoria to look at a Aberdeen Angus bull breeding company....