The Great British Menu

acrossthesea · Post by **acrossthesea** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 5:13 pm

The Great British Menu starts today Monday 30th January on BBC 2 at 6-30 pm. Dexter beef will be on the menu again prepared by Chef Danny Millar from Baloo House, Co Down. This will be worth watching. Exact dates are not yet known. The dates will be posted on this discussion board when known.
Hillhead Dexters N.Ireland.

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 5:43 pm

It really does seem now to be THE beef for chefs and it deserves to be. Fantastic. There's a banquet for 100 guests at the end. That's a lot of beef. Do you know what the cuts are?

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acrossthesea · Post by **acrossthesea** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 6:01 pm

Hi Clive,
At the minute we have not been advised of the cuts but we will try to find out.
Howard Hilton ,Hillhead Dexters.

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Inger · Post by **Inger** » Thu Apr 02, 2009 12:04 pm

I wish we could see it here in NZ.

wagra dexters · Post by **wagra dexters** » Fri Apr 03, 2009 3:01 am

Inger, we do get it over here, several months later, pay TV, Lifestyle Food channel.
It was almost midnight, so you would see it a couple of hours earlier.
I saw Caroline 's dexter pie recently, twice, on Best British Dish I think, but we have seen all the Great British Menu shows as well.
Margaret.

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Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Fri Apr 03, 2009 9:48 am

Inger

The two programs are:

Britain's Best Dish (2007) which was shown on ITV.

If you can get it, you need to see the Midlands or Central section and Midlands / Central regional final.

Great British Menu (2008) which was shown on BB2.

There is a banquet at the end, after the competition has ended, in the Gherkin building in London hosted by Heston Blumenthal. After the beef has been served, the top Japanese chef goes into the kitchen to congratulate the chefs but he didn't mention the cooking, he just raved about the beef (but very quietly and it's easy to miss). That little clip, coming from one of the top chefs in the world and Japanese at that, is a gem.

acrossthesea · Post by **acrossthesea** » Mon Apr 06, 2009 5:18 pm

Dexter beef will be on week begining 20th April. The main course will be Wednesday and will be Rib Roast.

Howard Hilton (Hillhead Dexters) N.Ireland.

Inger · Post by **Inger** » Tue Apr 07, 2009 2:58 am

We have Sky TV. Is the Food Channel on that, the same as your Lifestyle Food channel Wagra?

Is BB2 on the internet?

wagra dexters · Post by **wagra dexters** » Tue Apr 07, 2009 11:19 am

Inger, I think Austar & Foxtel might be much the same but not sure about Sky.
As for the computer, when I have tried to see such UK programs on the internet it says "available to UK viewers only".
Margaret.

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Tue Apr 07, 2009 4:34 pm

Looking at the program write-up for Wed 23rd April at 6.30 p.m., it's looking great. The chef is brimming with confidence because he visits a suppliers and finds this wonderful 21-day aged beef.

davidw · Post by **davidw** » Tue Apr 07, 2009 5:48 pm

I'm both pleased and concerned about this publicity. I'm pleased that the hard work of the real Dexter devotees looks as though it is starting to pay off. Good luck to them because they have worked hard over many years and they deserve it.
I'm also just a bit concerned that every man and his dog may get the idea that there is a fortune to be made from keeping Dexter's and that lower grade meat may be passed off as the real thing. In my opinion, there are too many unscrupulous people out there waiting to cash in.
Is there any prospect of setting up a registered brand name to help maintain the quality?
Sorry to be so cynical
David Williams

acrossthesea · Post by **acrossthesea** » Tue Apr 07, 2009 6:11 pm

Hi David,
You are right to be cynical but we have taken steps to prevent non Dexter beef getting into the chain. The producers here in N.Ireland have signed a contract with Crossgar Meats that states that all animals presented have to be birth registered with the Society, members of the Society and members of the N.Ireland Support Group. There is a clause in the contract that states that producers can be inspected at any reasonable time with reference to husbandary and welfare rules. All animals presented must be grass based fed ie no straits. The company are also bound by certain conditions the main one being that we get paid 45p above the R3 Grade of the week. We also get £20.00 per animal delivery money to a nominated abatoir. The system is as fiddle proof as we can make it but we will continue to monitor the situation.
Howard Hilton (Hillhead Dexters) N.Ireland

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Pennielea · Post by **Pennielea** » Tue Apr 07, 2009 9:22 pm

Clive Wednesday 23rd??????

Surely you mean Wednesday 22nd. I make the point only to advertise again that the programme should be well worth watching.

Ian

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Wed Apr 08, 2009 9:52 am

Just making sure you're on the ball Ian :D. Yes, Wed 22nd...can't wait...got the recorder programmed.

Sounds like a great scheme. Pedigree obviously doesn't make it taste better and we produce 100% pure dexter beef non-registered, pure dexter beef registered (coming to an end), and Angus/Dexter cross beef in the future. The relatively small size with pure Dexter is THE main factor in the flavour I am certain, so without proper controls over size, pedigree means nothing. In fact, uncontrolled pedigree is dexter beefs worst enemy.

Also, off the subject, but you shouldn't assume that crossing reduces quality. My wife prefers dexter cross to pure and so do some pure dexter beef producers!

Pennielea · Post by **Pennielea** » Wed Apr 08, 2009 10:45 pm

Clive
I agree with you about the quality of Dexter cross beef. In my own case it is with Irish Moiled and the result is excellent.
The reason we insist on animals being from pedigree parents and birth notified (they do not have to pay a registration fee!) is to protect the product and the brand. Without this proviso we would be in the same situation as the Aberdeen Angus scheme when anything sired by an AA bull qualifies for their scheme even Holstein X. They have seriously downgraded the consistency of their product if not its overall quality.
Insisting that suppliers are members of the Dexter Society and our Support Group is sheer protectionism and an attempt to keep out the unscrupulous that David referred to in his post above. We created the scheme, we run the scheme and we benefit from the scheme. Join us and you too can benefit. If you do not wish to play by our rules then go create your own scheme.

We already have had one restaurant with Dexter beef on the menu which we was not true. Trading standards dealt with it.

It is a great credit to the breed that restaurants are willing to cheat to advertise our product even though they cannot get a supply. Ten years ago it was difficult to give away Dexter steers.

Ian