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From Pasture to Plate: Making the Most of Your Home-Reared Beef
Raising your own house cow or steer for the table is a journey filled with pride, responsibility, and—sometimes—difficult decisions. When the time comes to send an animal to the abattoir, it can be emotional, but good preparation and a clear plan with your butcher can make the process smoother and more rewarding.
Preparing for the Abattoir
The final journey starts long before the abattoir. Check that both ear tags are in place, ensure withdrawal periods for medications are observed, and arrive on time for your appointment. Patience and politeness go a long way—abattoirs are busy places and small-scale farmers are often at the end of the list.
Tip:
- Build a good rapport with your butcher and abattoir. A positive relationship can make all the difference, from animal welfare to the quality of the cuts you receive.
Feeding for Quality
The quality of your beef starts with what your animals eat. Balanced nutrition throughout their lives helps produce healthy, well-finished cattle and tastier meat for your table. Explore our cattle feed and lick collection for a range of feeds and mineral licks to support your herd’s health and condition—whether you’re finishing a steer or keeping a family house cow.
The Butcher’s Cutting List
A clear, detailed cutting list is essential. Don’t be afraid to discuss your preferences—whether you want sirloin steaks, roasting joints, mince, or special cuts like Jacob’s ladder (short ribs). If you’re unsure, your butcher can advise on the best way to divide up the carcass for your needs and freezer space.
Common requests include:
- Steaks (sirloin, rump, fillet)
- Roasting joints (topside, silverside, forerib)
- Mince and braising steak
- Offal (liver, kidneys, heart, tongue, tail, cheeks, onglet/hanger steak)
Tip:
- For even slicing, ask your butcher to chill the meat well or pop it in the freezer for 30 minutes before cutting.
Making the Most of Every Cut
Every animal is different, but a typical 200kg beef carcass might yield:
- 8–12 packs of top rump, silverside, or topside
- 8–12 forerib packs
- 28 sirloin steaks, 8 fillet steaks, 8 rump steaks
- 51 packs of braising steak, 62 of mince
- Plenty of fat and bones for stocks or tallow
Don’t forget to ask for the offal—these cuts are full of flavour and nutrition, and a great way to honour the whole animal.
Rose Veal: What It Really Means
You might have heard concerns about veal, but it’s important to understand the difference between traditional veal and British “rose veal.” Traditional veal (often associated with continental Europe) is produced from calves kept indoors and sometimes fed restrictive diets. This practice has rightly fallen out of favour in the UK.
British rose veal is entirely different:
- Calves are raised to a higher welfare standard, usually kept with their mothers and allowed to suckle and graze.
- They are not force-fed or confined; instead, they enjoy a natural diet and freedom to move.
- The term “rose veal” comes from the pink colour of the meat, which results from a healthy, more natural lifestyle.
Smallholders may opt for rose veal if grazing space is limited or if keeping bull calves to full maturity isn’t practical. The resulting meat is tender and delicate, but produced with animal welfare in mind.
If you’re considering this route, talk to your butcher about the best way to process and use the cuts—rose veal can be prepared much like beef, but the joints and steaks will be smaller.
The Value of Feedback
Taking an animal to slaughter is also a valuable health check. The abattoir and butcher can provide feedback on the condition of the carcass and organs, helping you verify that your rearing and grazing practices—including your choice of cattle feed and licks—are producing healthy livestock.
Final Thoughts
Saying goodbye to a house cow or calf is never easy, but a well-managed abattoir experience brings peace of mind—and a freezer full of delicious, traceable meat you’ve raised with care. With clear communication, balanced nutrition, and a bit of planning, you’ll make the most of every cut and honour the animal’s life from pasture to plate.
For feeding advice and a full range of cattle feed and licks, Chestnut Mill is here to support your herd’s health and your smallholding goals.