At Cubitt House, across all our pubs we are obsessive in ensuring we use the very very best suppliers. Companies with the highest regard for sustainability and animal welfare engaging in non intensive and traditional techniques to create some of the best tasting and highest quality produce around.
One of these is Taste Tradition; farmers and butchers based in Yorkshire specialising in rare breeds. Taste tradition use traditional methods of breeding, rearing and finishing livestock and the breeds chosen are well suited to outdoor rearing and quite simply, taste incredible. They connect the farmer and the master butcher in a unique partnership to supply from field to plate across the full range of the highest quality meat products. We are delighted that Taste Tradition supplies our pubs across Cubitt House with a range of meats including some of their fantastic Longhorn steaks.
We caught up with Charles Ashbridge, managing director of Taste Tradition to ask him a few questions.
Can you tell us about the history of Taste Tradition?
“The Ashbridge family have been farming within the North Yorkshire Moors for the last 3 generations. In 2004 myself and my mother Joyce had an idea to sell our traditionally raised, high welfare meat to the hospitality sector. Rare breeds were our main focus as they produced the best tasting meat.”
Cubitt House is proud to support companies with a focus on quality, sustainability, traditional methods and the best animal welfare practices. What does this focus mean to you?
“Traditional methods and high welfare are paramount at Taste Tradition. We still have farming systems in place now that were evident in my Grandfathers day. Often these farming methods are passed from generation to generation without knowing.
Over the past 5 years Taste Tradition has actively looked to improving our sustainability, we have put our farm into an Environmental Stewardship scheme, we have rewilded some of our land and we are reducing the amount of soya fed in any of our diets. Our long term plan is to have soya free diets.”
What makes Taste Tradition meats so special?
“The breed, feed, and management are all critical to ensuring we produce good quality meat, the dry ageing and butchery is equally important to ensure we provide the desired eating experience.”
What is your favourite cut of meat and how would you cook it?
“This is a difficult question for me, I love slow cooked meats like a brisket or a shoulder of lamb, I can think of nothing better than a fat pork belly with great crackling on a winter’s day but currently I would put a beef rump cap at the top of my list. It must have a good covering of fat and be dry aged. I take the meat out of the fridge and let it stand until its room temp then generously season it. I seal the meat in a pan on the hot ring and then place the rump cap in the slow oven of our AGA, that allows me to forget it without it over cooking. There is no fine art to how I cook it but generally the rich beefy smell reminds me to take it out of the oven when I go back in the house. The hardest part it letting it rest before eating.”
