Whole cows, not beef on sale
Top restaurant chefs are making their diners feel less guilty about eating meat. Euro, Jervois Steak House and The Crab Shack are among 10 Nourish Group restaurants that have committed to clamping down on climate change with a sustainable beef supplier.
Grandad’s Beef farm in the Waikato, only kills one of its 200 cows if all 14 of its edible parts are ordered.
Nourish Group’s executive chef Gareth Stewart, said using the sustainable meat was a contribution to the environment.
‘‘Mindful cookery’’ was one way chefs could ‘‘try to save the world’’ with food, Stewart said.
He said the environmentally friendly meat cost more than industrially farmed meat, but the more restaurants that used it, the cheaper it would become.
Stewart said there was a growing trend of conscious diners who wanted to know where their food came from. And it was up to New Zealand’s top restaurants to lead the movement, he said.
Owner of the farm Tracey Bayliss, said ordering an entire cow, instead of individual cuts, was a radical change for chefs.
Stewart said it forced chefs to be more inventive with their meat.
After once becoming disheartened by the Government’s lack of support for environmentally-friendly farming, Bayliss said restaurants’ commitment proved it was possible.
‘‘People want to feel good about eating meat.’’
It is not just the feel-good aspect that chefs and diners like, according to Bayliss and Stewart , Grandad’s Beef tastes better too.
Bayliss’ father started the naturally fertilised farm 30 years ago. She said the farm’s soil had more nutrients, making her cows healthier and the meat tastier.
Nourish Group chefs visited her farm to see it for themselves.