Читать книгу The Savvy Shopper - Rose Prince - Страница 35

No – and the industry is very protective of this information. Cross breeding results in a high ratio of meat to bone, quickly – hence its appeal after the OTM rule was introduced, which saw slower-growing native breeds being slaughtered before reaching their full potential. Also, be aware that beef called ‘Scottish’ may be native-Continental cross. This is not so much a taste issue (the beef can be delicious if kindly reared, well fed and hung for the correct time) but it is a breed heritage and especially a welfare problem. The cross breeding of Continental cattle such as Limousin and Charentais with Aberdeen Angus is rife but the resulting meat can be called Aberdeen Angus. I have visited farms in Scotland where this practice takes place, where farmers have complained to me that mixing the breeds can cause the calves to be too big for the native-bred mothers and they can have trouble giving birth. Lastly, in my view, the larger-grained meat of fast-growing native–Continental crossbreeds is ill suited to British cooking, especially as roasting joints, and far better, I’m afraid to say, for the Continental veal market. Connoisseurs of beef prefer the small joints of tight-grained native beef. Given the choice, I would go for pure-bred native beef.