NO PESTICIDES. NO ANTIBIOTICS. NO GENETICALLY MODIFIED FEED
Just pure, tender, delicious meat that has been grass-fed for its entire life and finished slowly with care on natural green grass, sunshine, and fresh water.
What makes the difference?
Here at Everes’s farm we believe in authentic, flavourful meat. To achieve this, we start at the beginning with the right stock, for example Gloucester cattle.
Over many centuries different breeds of cattle developed in different parts of the country gaining different traits depending on climate, vegetation and needs of the area. For Instance, in the highlands of Scotland the Highland cattle thrive with their thick coats and hardy disposition, whereas Jersey cattle originating in a mild climate with lush grassland, would not survive, suffering hyperthermia, malnutrition or both. Everes’s farm is in Gloucestershire, so we keep local breeds of cattle and sheep.
All our cattle are grass fed
Cattle were meant to graze the land; but somewhere along the way, cattle raisers figured out that they could fatten more cattle for less money – and in less time – if they took them off the pasture and fed them grain and other fillers. Not only does this add unnecessary fats, but it mutes the authentic flavour of the beef, leaving the bland taste of grains and fillers – great news if you are the manufacturer of cook in sauces!
We make sure our cattle have plenty of space to graze with ample grass to grow. Turned out to grass during the summer months, our stock grazes permanent pasture and old lay fields with a variety of naturally occurring herbs. Cattle are housed by November; adlib grass silage or hay is then used to promote a natural course of feeding. Once the cattle are housed pasture can rest, preventing it from becoming poached during the wet winter months to ensure that it is productive through the next spring, summer, and autumn. So every cut of our meat has the natural taste of real beef – a taste that many people may have never experienced.
Beef and lamb extensively fed on grass (and pigs with linseed in their diet) carry significant levels of Omega-3 fatty acids in their meat and fat meaning that oily fish, which itself is endangered around our coasts, is not the only natural product with these health-boosting benefits built in.
All our cattle are matured slowly
All our beef comes from steers raised to around 36 months fed on good quality grass and silage/hay. This slow maturing process gives a distinct flavour and marbling, also meaning the carcase has better connective tissue and fat coverage, allowing us to “hang” the meat on the bone for up to 40 days, giving us tender, great tasting meat. The animals grow at a natural pace. For these reasons and more, grass-fed animals live low-stress lives and produce meat with less total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and calories. It also has more vitamin E, beta-carotene, vitamin C, and a number of health-promoting fats, including omega-3 fatty acids.
All our cattle are reared as stress free as possible
Most of our cattle are now born on the farm. Remaining in their own family group reduces stress and makes the cattle easier to handle. When we do buy any new stock in, it is only from farmers that are known to us, so we can guarantee health and welfare has not been compromised. We have built up a strong understanding of our cattle and knowing family traits has helped us better keep them and prevent bullying from more dominant animals.
Slaughter and traceability
Local abattoirs ensure no journey time is longer than 40 minutes, dramatically reducing stress on the animal which in turn improves the eating quality of the meat. The carcase is delivered whole to our own on-farm cutting facility which ensures that the meat is fully traceable.
Butchering
In 2019 we took delivery of a purpose-built butchery. This state-of-the-art facility enables us to treat every piece of meat with the respect it deserves, with a team of traditional butchers using their knowledge and skill to ensure customers never fail to be delighted with its flavour and tenderness.
Dry ageing
The old method of aging meat is known as dry aging. Dry aging results from hanging meat in a controlled, closely watched, refrigerated environment. The temperature needs to stay between 4 degrees C and freezing. Too warm and the meat will spoil, too cold and it will freeze, stopping the aging process. A humidity of about 85% reduces moisture loss, with a constant flow of air all around the meat, prevents the growth of mould.
To age to properly and to improve the quality of a cut of meat, it should contain substantial marbling. This means that there is fat evenly distributed throughout the meat. Only the highest grades have this kind of marbling and make aging worthwhile.
According to Phil Fallows, chef at St Mary’s Hall Hotel, the quality of the meat from Everes’s farm has inspired a new menu!
“When you are working with ingredients that are this good you really don’t want to be too complicated or mask their natural flavour – you want to let the quality really speak for itself – so the menu by nature doesn’t involve complicated dishes, but ones that are built on the quality of the raw materials.”
“The flavours and textures of the meat we get from Everes’s are absolutely stunning, the lamb for example is slightly fattier but the flavour it delivers is wonderful and undoubtedly a reflection of the way it was reared.”
Dishes on the new menu include roasted shoulder of Ryland Lamb, served with braised savoy cabbage, bacon and a redcurrant jus; slow roasted belly of Gloucester Old Spot pork, stuffed with sage and apple, served with braised red cabbage and new potatoes; Gloucester fillet steak; and roasted fore rib of Gloucestershire beef.
The rare breed meat also makes its mark on the hotel’s bar menu with Ryeland lamb burgers with Cornish wild garlic, served with crispy battered onion rings and a yoghurt and paprika oil dip and a classic cottage pie.
“From day one, food provenance has been vitally important to us at St Mary’s Hall Hotel and the fact that the lamb, beef and pork come from Everes’s herds is something we are extremely pleased about.”