Irish Beef Kiev

Stafford’s Butchers is family run and owned.  We hand-rear our own Angus cattle on our farm in Killanne.  Killanne for those people who don’t know, is a slice of heaven situated in the foothills of the Blackstairs Mountains in the County of Wexford.

It is a place where community is important and neighbours are good friends, it has stunning scenery and top quality grass.  We may be biased but we have been told that you can taste the difference in our tender beef and steak.  Our beef is literally delivered from our gate to your plate.

Our cows are fed on grass and clover for 9 to 10 months of the year, roaming free in the beautiful lush meadow fields in the foothills of the Blackstairs Mountains. In the cold wet winters we bring our cows into sheds for their welfare and fed on silage, fresh cut spring grass. https://www.bordbia.ie/globalassets/bordbia2020/farmers–growers/grass-fed-standard/grass-fed-beef-standard-revision-02-draft1.pdf

All our beef and steaks are dry aged and matured for 6 months, unlike supermarket beef and steaks that are wet aged matured so it does not loss any weight in moisture loss.

Beef Kiev, also known as Chicken Kiev, is a classic dish of Russian origin that has become popular worldwide. While the origin of the dish is debated, it is widely believed to have originated in the early 20th century in Ukraine or Russia.

When cut open, Beef Kiev reveals a delicious, savory butter filling that oozes out, adding moisture and flavor to the meat. It is often served with a side of vegetables, mashed potatoes, or a fresh salad.

As with many traditional dishes, variations of Beef Kiev exist, and different countries and regions have put their own twist on the recipe. Some versions may use different cuts of meat, such as chicken or pork, while others may incorporate additional spices or ingredients.

Beef Kiev continues to be a popular and indulgent dish, loved for its combination of flavorful meat and rich, buttery filling. It has become a favorite in many restaurants and is also commonly made at home for special occasions or gatherings.

The new Bord Bia Grass-Fed Standard for Irish Beef is the world’s first independently verified standard that provides verifiable proof of the grass-fed status of each and every qualified animal. Therefore, it provides assurance for what we have long known to be true: grass is intrinsic to the quality of Irish beef.

The Standard sets out the Bord Bia specification to enable classification of beef products as ‘Grass Fed’. The term “Grass Fed” for beef means that the diet of the animal is composed of minimum 90% grass or grass forage and graze in open pastures for an average of 220 days a year during their lifetime. It uses data collected during farm audits as part of the Bord Bia national Sustainable Beef and Lamb Assurance Scheme , a voluntary scheme operating under Origin Green, Ireland’s national food sustainability programme. Through the Standard, Irish processors will now be able to provide proof to support the claim that their beef products come from qualifying grass-fed cattle.

The Bord Bia Grass-Fed Standard for Irish Beef has been developed in consultation with relevant stakeholders from the beef sectors including the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine, Teagasc, Farmers, and Beef Processors. For further details and read the Bord Bia Grass-Fed Standard for Irish Beef

Grass fed Standard for Irish Beef

The development of the grass fed standard for Irish beef has involved ongoing, active consultation between Bord Bia and key stakeholders including producer organisations and industry.

Qualifying animals must be from farms that are members of the Sustainable Beef and Lamb Assurance Scheme (SBLAS). However, the first 9 months of an animal’s life may be spent on non-QA farms.

The grass fed standard is built on two key criteria, namely:

• A minimum of 90% of an animal’s diet during their lifetime on a fresh weight basis must be grass or grass  based forages
• The annual average days of grass stands at 220 days with an allowance of up to 40 days where soil type or weather may prevent longer grazing seasons.

Bord Bia’s overriding principle in the development of the standard was not to seek any additonal information from farmers over and above what is currently collected as part of SBLAS audits.

Bord Bia’s rationale to create a grass fed standard to market Irish beef is based upon evidence from extensive research conducted with approximately 13,000 customers and consumers across Europe and in key international markets. The research highlighted a significant market demand for grass fed products. Grass fed is a term that consumers are familiar with that holds positive associations as premium, natural and healthy. Consumers also believe that grass fed cattle lead more ‘natural’ lives outdoors and are more likely to be treated ethically. Furthermore, Ireland is already strongly associated with grass fed production and the grass fed standard allow us to robustly verify claims we wish to make around our production systems.

This evidence points to a real opportunity to use our existing grass fed strengths to create a nationally verified standard and deliver upon a clearly identified consumer desire for ethical, premium, natural and healthy beef.

The grass fed label will be incorporated into Bord Bia’s promotional activities for Irish beef from the autumn onwards with the aim of differentiating Irish beef from our competitors and in doing so help maximise the returns from the marketplace to the benefit of Irish beef farmers. Given the current market difficulties arising from COVID and the continued uncertainty in relation to Brexit, it is more important than ever that the sector utilises every advantage it has to position Irish beef positively in the marketplace.