A Rare Menu

Ask people to name a truly British dish and you might get half a dozen answers. Many will say fish and chips; others might plump for bacon and eggs. Modernists might even choose that multicultural mixture, chicken tikka.

But one food stands above all others as the true taste of our land. Roast beef. For centuries it has not only been a staple of our diet but also defined our national character: robust, distinctive, steadfast. Bullish, in a word.

And this isn't some mass self-delusion. Outsiders see us the same way. The French even refer to us as 'les rosbifs'. It may be meant as an insult but few Britons would take offence.

So it is unnerving to learn that our national dish often isn't really British at all. Most of the roast beef served up for Sunday lunch doesn't come from indigenous cattle but from their continental cousins, like the Charolais and the Limousin.

These have taken over British beef farms because they grow quickly and so offer higher yields. At the same time, native breeds have declined, some close to the point of extinction.

The Rare Breeds Survival Trust does sterling work to save threatened species of British livestock - sheep, pigs and goats as well as cattle. But the charity makes one thing clear: to sustain the animals long-term, there must be a demand for whatever they produce, be it wool, milk or meat. lt is a paradox, but to protect rare breeds we need to eat them.

Thankfully, this is not a sacrifice but a pleasure, as a new venture is intent on proving. Monty's Grill has opened as Yorkshire's first restaurant dedicated to serving rare breeds meat. lts menu includes Longhorn beef and ale pudding, saddleback pork chop with black pudding and apple compote and, of course roast galloway beef for Sunday lunch.

'This is the food of old England,' says Monty's owner David Hattersley, who could pass for a stout 18th century yeoman farmer of yesteryear. 'The Romans used to eat Longhorn beef. Gloucester Old Spot pigs would rummage for food in our orchards'.

'lt almost disappeared. But now people are rediscovering the real taste of home.' The restaurant, part of Marmadukes Hotel just along from Bootham Bar in York, sources all its meat from Scott's Butchers in the city, one of TV cook Rick Stein's food heroes. Owner William Anderson is evangelical about the rare breeds experience.

'Some people don't like our beef when they first put it in their mouth because it's so different. They're used to dry flavourless meat, and this is moist and has lots of flavour' he said.

'They presume it's wrong - and then they start to like it. They suddenly realise what they've missed for a long time. It's like they've never tasted proper meat before'.

The pork is just as special, he says. 'The Saddleback has a nice level of fat which produces quite a nutty flavour. The Gloucester Old Spot has a sweet flavour and the Berkshire has a very intensive porcine flavour - the meat tastes like crackling.'

Scott's pork comes from specialist pig farmers in Yorkshire, whereas its beef and lamb is reared on its own farm in Northumberland. Tim Oliver looks after a herd of around 2OO longhorn beef cattle at East Farm, Great Whittington - each weighing around a ton - as well as other native livestock.

'They're old traditional breeds. They taste the best, that's why we got into it,' Tim said.

'We are saving the nation's history and people are getting the best quality meat that they can get. Longhorns and Belted Galloways are better than any continental breed.'

There are other advantages apart from the taste. Welfare of the rare breeds is excellent. Because they are native to Britain, they are hardier than their European counterparts, says Tim. 'They live outdoors on grass rather than cereals. They were designed not to need vets very often.' There's no attempt to fatten them up artificially.

'Slow maturing beef and pork - that's where you get the flavour, rather than being force-fed.'

This was important to David Hattersley when creating Monty's Grill. 'lt's like we've turned back the clock, with time-honoured farming methods, happy, healthy animals, no additives and few food miles.'

The vegetables are seasonal and sourced locally too, and the fish is landed at Whitby. That means diners can find out exactly where their food has come from. All Scott's meat is audited by the Traditional Breeds Meat Marketing scheme, so William says that for any cut he knows 'its ear-tag number, its herd, its mother's ear-tag number, when it was born, what it was fed and at what time of day.

It's a greener way to work, he argues. 'The way these animals are farmed, there's a lot less environmental impact than any modern type of farming.'

To emphasise its traditional roots Monty's Grill is fashioned as a Vlctorian chop house, cosy and informal. And chef Steve Chandler is keen to ensure his high quality ingredients speak for themselves.

At Monty's we hope to appeal to everyone. The emphasis is on good quality ingredients cooked simply - the food is the star of the show,' says the man who once ran his own restaurant in Goa, India.

'lt's not rocket science, what we're doing. lt's sourcing the best of everything and not messing it around too much.

William at Scott's is delighted that Yorkshire has got its own rare breeds restaurant. 'lt's what we have been wanting someone to do for a long time. lt's a completely different experience eating rare breed meat. I think Monty's is fantastic. 'People are going to come from far and wide I'm sure.


February 2, 2008
Yorkshire Life