Great British Beef Week

It’s Great British Beef Week – so a good time to ask why this king of meats has come to be the dish that to many, defines our culinary nation, gave its name to the guards at the Tower of London, known as Beefeaters and how it has reached such an iconic place in our national identity.

Our love affair with beef goes back at least as far as Medieval England, where it was seen as a signifier of class and wealth. Beef was a key part of the diet for the upper classes. While peasants mostly ate grains and vegetables, the nobility and landed gentry had access to meat—especially beef from the large herds kept on estates.

In medieval kitchens, a huge piece of beef would be roasted on a spit in front of a sizeable fire in order to feed a large household not only as a roast but as cold cuts, stews and pies throughout the week.

In fact, beef, not turkey, was the traditional Christmas main course. The diarist Samuel Pepys in the 17^th Century wrote about his Christmas lunch, that he enjoyed: “shoulder of mutton, some good ribs of beef roasted and mince pies…”

So popular was the meat that Beefsteak clubs started springing up.  The most famous was the wonderfully named Sublime Society of Beefsteaks, founded in 1735, whose motto was ‘Beef and Liberty’.

By the 18th century, roast beef had firmly become the national dish. It was seen as hearty, straightforward, and sustaining, traits that came to be associated with the English character.

The figure John Bull, a personification of England, was often depicted as a stout man, eating roast beef.

During times of tension with France, especially in the 18th and 19th centuries, British soldiers were even nicknamed “les Rosbifs” by the French—mocking but also underscoring the association.

At Lidgates we pride ourselves on celebrating the great British beef every day. Our Scotch Fillet steak is renowned for its deep, rich flavour and tender, juicy texture with a delicate, melt-in-your-mouth quality.

Our Chateaubriande is cut from the thickest part of the fillet and is the steak for that very special dinner party.

And our Rib Roast provides a taste of old world roast beef trimmed in the continental style for easy carving. Self-basting and cooked on the bone to sustain that very special succulence and flavour for which this grass-fed, naturally reared beef is so renowned. The bone adds a sweetness to the meat.

For a tour of all our beef cuts click HERE.