From Farm to Plate - Part 3 The Restaurant

Our new series of three films, titled ‘From Farm to Plate’, was created to tell the story of Greendale beef. The first film focuses on the Greendale beef herd as it grazes above the Jurassic coast; the second film pays a visit to the double award-winning butchers at Greendale Farm Shop; and the final film ends at The Salutation Inn in Topsham, where Chef Tom Williams-Hawkes prepares a special beef dish.

These films are part of our campaign to promote the very best of local food and drink; we want our customers to understand the benefits of buying local, particularly traceability, high quality and low food-mileage. The films are intended as a sort of ‘window’ into the Greendale supply chain, showing customers exactly where their fresh fish and meat have come from.

From Farm to Plate

Part 3: The Restaurant

For the third and final film in our series, we travel the short distance from the butchers at Greendale Farm Shop to The Salutation Inn in nearby Topsham. Here, we meet Chef Tom Williams-Hawkes just after taking delivery of his Greendale beef order, and watch as he prepares two delicious dishes to serve in the Salutation’s award-winning restaurant.

Tom is a big fan of buying local. Having paid a visit to Greendale Farm Shop’s specially designed facility, he knows our beef has been treated with respect; from Sam’s care of the cattle herd through to the proper hanging and preparation of each carcase by our skilled butchers, he can rely on Greendale to provide consistently high quality, great-tasting beef. As Tom says, Greendale beef is ‘on the doorstep’, which means he can be sure of its provenance and also keep food-miles to a minimum.

The first dish Tom shows us makes the very best of the Jacobs Ladder (or Short Rib) freshly delivered by Greendale. The meat is braised until it falls off the bone, then used to make a rich filling for vibrant parsley ravioli. Served with a Madeira cream sauce, savoy cabbage and celeriac, the finished dish looks wonderful and (trust us!) tastes every bit as good as it looks.

Next, Tom moves on to talk us through his second dish, which uses the Greendale beef Sirloin. Cutting a steak from the Sirloin, Tom explains that when beef is this good, he prefers not to do too much to it. To this end, the steak is simply pan-cooked, then left to rest for a good 20 minutes. When Tom’s ready to serve, the steak is plated with heritage carrot puree, carrot crumb, onion confit and baby onions, and a rich red wine sauce. Perfectly balanced and downright delicious, this beautiful dish is prepared with huge care and attention to detail, but it’s also simple enough to allow the natural flavour to shine through. We can’t think of a more fitting end for the journey of Greendale beef.

RELATED VIDEOS: