Chapmans of Hertfordshire

17/09/2023

We are what we eat.
We are what our food eats!
Part 2

In part 1, I explained how the genetics of an animal, its diet and the health of the soil all influenced the taste of the beef. I would now like to move on to the thorny subject of slaughter and the treatment of the beef animal before, during and after it has been slaughtered.

It is never easy sending an animal to slaughter, especially when they have been with you for several years and I often question the rights and wrongs of it. As with many things in life, it is never black and white, and I’d like to take a few moments, if I may, to discuss some of those grey areas.

I look at my animals, grazing a diverse mix of herbs, grasses and legumes, bees buzzing round their heads, grasshoppers chirruping from deep in the sward, swifts swooping and darting around us with glee and I think about the alternative ways of producing food for the masses.

Sadly, without animals, the land becomes a monocultural desert, drilled with single-variety wheat, barley or potatoes, fertilised and sprayed so frequently that virtually all life – except, ironically, for the pest insects – no longer exists in the fields. Soils become hardened and don’t absorb rainfall. Weeds are killed as soon as they poke their tiny cotyledons out of the dirt. Even animal-free organicfarms are often lifeless deserts, with fossil fuels and cultivation replacing the spray and agrochemical.

My cattle bring life to the land. Their manure plops in satisfying heaps onto the field, drawing in dung beetles and dung flies. Nutrients from the droppings and urine seep into the soil, feeding the soil dwellers and allowing them, in turn, to feed the plants. It’s a beautiful cycle of life and death, and millions of creatures, from the smallest bacteria to the apex predator all continue to live and thrive on my grasslands, because of the existence of herbivores. All this means that the taking of one life – the beef steer – allows myriad other life forms to exist. It’s not a perfect solution but it’s a darn sight more attractive to me than the other ways of producing food.

I have said it’s hard taking an animal to slaughter, and it really is. I always take them to the abattoir myself, as they know me and know the trailer, they’ve likely travelled in it a dozen times between fields. I do this for two reasons: Welfare being one, as I want the animal to be as happy as possible for its whole life, not scared or stressed. But the other reason is eating quality. Stress and adrenaline in an animal really affects the eating quality of the meat and I don’t like to see it for this reason too – we want our animal to produce the highest quality beef its wholesome life deserves.

Once the deed is done, the carcass needs to be treated with care. I mentioned in part 1 that the streaks of fat – known as marbling - within the meat gives it tremendous flavour and the most delicious succulence. During the ageing process – and we dry-age the carcass for 28 days – the layer of subcutaneous fat on the outside is also important, as it protects the meat itself from decomposing and drying out too much. This ageing process is, in our opinion, vital to the flavour of the finished product. As moisture is slowly lost, delicious, beefy flavours are concentrated. Naturally occurring enzymes and other substances start to break down the meat fibres, tenderising the beef. It’s aged in a chiller and the change in the carcass is carefully controlled for the full four weeks.

Of course, the majority of beef available for sale in the UK isn’t aged at all. Supermarkets want to sell you water and ageing goes against this: Drying out the carcass, even by a small percentage, means less money for their greedy coffers (in fact the reverse is true: Supermarkets can legally add up to 5% of water by weight to meat sold in the UK. Ever wondered why the mince you bought recently boiled for ten minutes before it began to fry?)

After the beef carcass has aged, our butcher collects it and starts the skilful process of cutting and jointing. We pack everything in clearly-labelled vacuum packs. If I’m honest, the use of plastic is the one area I wish I could find an alternative for, as I think we waste far too much of the world’s resources. However, it does mean it’s freezer ready; it also avoids leakage into your car on the way home something (and I speak from experience!) we want to avoid at all costs.

If you would like to place an order for a 10kg box of delicious 28-day aged beef, or if you have any questions, please contact me on 07717 505287 – WhatsApp is probably my favoured route though I’ll respond to anything! A box costs £160 and I can deliver locally (orders from further afield may incur a delivery charge though I will always discuss this with you beforehand). Thank you

16/09/2023

We are what we eat.
We are what our food eats!
Part 1

You may think that all beef is the same. It is not. There are many factors that go into producing great beef and it starts with the animal and how it is reared.

Genetics play a big part in this. Fat in the meat provides much of the flavour and yet, for 50 years, farmers have been encouraged to breed leaner and leaner animals. The end result is tough, dry meat. You may have encountered it, the steak that is hard to chew and tastes bland, the beef sandwich that dries your mouth out.

Fortunately, for us, breeds native to the UK fell out of fashion in the 70’s and 80’s and the ‘improvements’(!) were largely carried out on so called continental breeds – Limousin, Charolais, Belgian Blue etc. Consequently, if we choose carefully, many of our native breed animals still retain a healthy level of fat, both under their skin and, more importantly, as marbling (thin seams of fat that run through the meat itself). This marbling makes our beef really succulent and gives it a wholesome flavour.

Next up is what the animal eats. Ruminants – cattle, sheep etc – evolved by eating forage. Grasses, herbs, legumes and leaves all formed part of their diet for millennia and they roamed across the countryside hunting out tasty morsels for a rich and varied diet. Then humans came along and decided that a natural diet didn’t make the animals grow as quickly as they would like: Quicker growth means they’re ready to be sold a lot sooner which means more money, more often. Humans liked this idea and so they started feeding grain and soya and all manner of other high protein and high energy foods. Anything to get them growing more quickly.

Unfortunately this has a really negative effect on the quality of the beef, both from a taste perspective and from a nutrient perspective. Many studies have shown that slow-grown cattle fed a forage-only diet have higher levels of lots of beneficial nutrients (omega-3 and conjugated linoleic acids are two that spring to mind – great for both the animals’ and our own health). In contrast, the meat from grain-fed animals lacks flavour, it can be dry in the mouth and has high levels of the
unwanted omega-6 and other chemicals.

Soil health is another surprisingly important factor. You may not be aware, but soil is – or can be - a living, breathing multitude of beneficial bacteria, fungi, arthropods, insects and other microscopic creatures. These living beings cycle and recycle organic matter and minerals repeatedly, turning them into all manner of nutrients that plants love. Forages grown in a healthy soil are really, really healthy and the animals are too.

You might think, upon reading the above, that every farmer would strive for a healthy soil. The problem is that, for 80 or 100 years, scientists have been telling us that, to grow great crops (of grass, of wheat, of barley, of vegetables) we need to be applying NPK – nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in liberal amounts. We also need to be controlling weeds, which compete with our crops, and killing off pests and diseases which threaten the survival of our crops. This multitude of chemicals washing around the countryside is detrimental to soil life; actually, it’s detrimental to all life, but it has taken decades for the true impact of these things to start to become apparent. Even now, many scientists are still in denial and are still developing new agrochemicals, as quickly as old ones are added to the ‘banned’ list.

We care about all the above. We like to think we produce old fashioned beef – beef that your grandparents and great-grandparents would recognise and enjoy. We only rear native breed animals that have the right levels of fat cover and which are suited to a forage-only diet. We don’t use any chemicals on the land, nor do we inject or feed any chemicals (including antibiotics) to our animals.

We encourage and allow a diversity of plant species to grow in our fields, which gives the animals a truly varied diet – this variety adds layers of flavour to the meat. We don’t feed any grain and our animals are allowed to grow and mature at a leisurely rate (typically taking three of four years to reach slaughter weights, compared to 12-18 months for many mainstream animals). We take pride in the beef we produce and want it to be the best beef you have ever tasted. Please contact me on 07717 505287 for more information or to place an order for a 10kg box (£160 and I can deliver locally; orders from further afield may incur a delivery charge).

In part 2, I will discuss how the correct treatment of the animal before, during and after slaughter will have a positive influence on the taste and eating quality of the meat and is an essential part of how we raise animals and produce beef.

28/08/2023

Superb marbling of the beef gives it tremendous flavour! Place your order now for a 10kg box of 28-day dry-aged beef, ready mid-September, £160
[email protected]

28/08/2023

My cattle grazing some super tasty, diverse flower-rich herbal leys. They add tremendous flavour to the meat

24/04/2023

Today marks the first day of the 🐄🌱

This years Great British Beef Week runs from the 24th - 28th of April, encouraging the nation to enjoy British beef at its finest, whether that’s a juicy steak or a Sunday beef roast!

We are proud to rear and sell free-range, 100% grass-fed beef direct to consumers. Our native cattle are slow grown, only eating natural feedstuff, therefore providing the best quality beef🥩

If you want to learn more and have a chat with me about my sustainably farmed beef or pre-order a beef box contact me on - 07717 505287 or email at [email protected]

17/02/2023

Happy Friday everyone! 🐄

Our cattle are busy enjoying the good life. Soaking up the winter morning sun, while munching on fresh hay 🌱😋

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16/02/2023

What happens during the dry aging process for 28 days?🥩

Once the cow is slaughtered lactic acid builds up, which causes the muscles to tighten up. This process is called rigor mortis.

Dry aging the meat then allows the lactic acid to break down and the muscle fibers to release the lactic acid and gradually relax. This creates a perfectly tender meat texture full of extra flavour!

The difference between dry aged beef and non dry aged is definitely worth the difference in flavour! Try it for yourself! 😋

Tel: 07717 505287 or email [email protected]

13/02/2023

Have you ever wondered how many different plant species are growing within your surrounding fields? 🌱

We engaged with a professional ecologist to carry out a detailed survey to find out exactly what plant species our cattle are munching on in the field! Showing to be a tremendous amount of different species packed full of beneficial nutrients! ☘️

The cattle are fed no unnatural feedstuff, including no corn, no waste products. Nothing but organic fresh or dried pasture 🌱

Tel: 07717 505287 or email [email protected]

08/02/2023

Our cattle are fed 100% organic grass ☘️ No fertilisers or artificial chemicals are applied, letting the grass grow naturally with a host of abundant new species of plants growing amongst the grasses.

The cattle are also fed no unnatural feedstuff, including no corn, no waste products. Nothing but organic fresh or dried pasture 🌱

Tel: 07717 505287 or email [email protected]

07/02/2023

Our beef is aged for 28 days🥩 This helps tenderise the meat, enhancing the melt in the mouth beef texture and strengthens the natural flavour.

Our cattle are slow grown, meaning they are left to grow organically in their own time, which improves the overall quality of the beef.

If you want to learn more about my sustainably slow grown beef or purchase a beef box, do not hesitate to contact me.

Tel: 07717 505287 or email [email protected]

04/02/2023

Our native cattle are ‘mob-grazed’☘️ which ultimately means imitating what happens in nature where closely bunched herds of ruminant animals migrate across the landscape.

The land is then left to rest for a long period of time between grazing, which helps the land to fully recover and restore natural fertility.

03/02/2023

Our 100% grass-fed native cattle are helping to combat climate change 🐄 🌍

The inclusion of cattle into an arable rotation can help to significantly reduce or even eliminate the use of nitrogen. I graze my cattle on arable land that has been resown with a mixture of grasses and herbs – so called ‘herbal leys’ – to restore natural fertility to the land. In a few years’ time, the cattle will be moved to a different area of the farm and crops will once again be grown, this time needing much less artificial fertiliser.

The methane my cattle are emitting now came from the methane they emitted just over a decade ago. It breaks down in the atmosphere, gets reabsorbed by the grass plants, which are then eaten by the animals who digest the food and emit part as methane.

If you want to learn more about my sustainably farmed beef or purchase a beef box, do not hesitate to contact me.

Tel: 07717 505287 or email [email protected]