rare and native livestock breeds
“In an industry where there are many opportunities to cut corners or reduce costs, this is something we will never compromise on.”
Huw Gott, Co-founder, Hawksmoor
Working With Rare Breed Society Trust
We’ve teamed up with the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST), a national conservation charity which promotes and conserves the UK’s rare native breeds of livestock to launch a UK-first programme bringing beef from rare and native cattle to every Hawksmoor restaurant across UK & IE every weekend.
For those of you who are as passionate about beef and provenance as we are, each steak helps support the farmers and countryside that keep these remarkable animals thriving.
“We are delighted to launch this partnership, which will give Hawksmoor customers the chance to experience the excellent tastes, textures and quality of rare and native breed steaks and will champion rare and native breed farmers.”
Christopher Price, Rare Breeds Survival Trust Chief Executive
Saving Britain’s Finest Cattle
By investing in these breeds, we’re helping to protect them. Supporting the farmers, the countryside, and a way of farming we’re deeply proud to stand behind. Think gloriously scruffy shaggy-coated Highlands, dappled Longhorns with their long, curved horns, black-nosed White Parks, which are almost as rare as Giant Pandas, and splotchy red-and-white Irish Moiled cattle, which came close to extinction.
It seems counter-intuitive, but to ensure the survival of these beautiful beasts, which have roamed the British and Irish countrysides for hundreds of years, we need to eat their beef.
Doing Things The Right Way, Not The Easy Way
We are incredibly proud of this partnership, and for a business of our scale to deliver an initiative of this kind. In an industry where there are so many opportunities to cut corners or reduce costs, this is something we will never compromise on.
When every part of that chain is working at its best, the beef speaks for itself. You can genuinely taste the difference.
“We want to see all our rare and native breeds thriving again. I thank Hawksmoor for recognising the fantastic quality of this produce, and for their support for farming with native livestock.”
Christopher Price, Rare Breeds Survival Trust Chief Executive
Care You Can Taste
Rearing these breeds is a slower and more expensive process than more conventional cattle, which tend to grow bigger and faster. As a result, their numbers declined dramatically as farmers faced increasing pressure.
Having visited dozens of farms, we’ve seen first-hand how the hero farmers who have persevered have seen beef with more depth of flavour that reflects both the breed and the areas in which they’ve roamed.
They also keenly feel their responsibility to local nature and wildlife. We’ve seen a huge number nature-enhancing projects, from planting shrubs, trees and hedgerows to digging new ponds and waterways and rewilding vast areas.
Supporting this approach to farming is one of the things of which we are most proud.
Buying The Best
By buying the best beef out there, we are enabling our passionate farmers to do what they do so well, as well as encouraging more to follow suit, and helping ensure that old-fashioned native breeds have a positive and profitable future.
A world without these beauties would be a sad thing indeed.
A Promise We’ve Kept Since Day One
When we first opened our doors at Spitalfields in 2006, we made a commitment to serve only the very best beef that this country has to offer. Animal welfare and quality have been our focus and are things that we won’t compromise on.
Find out more about how we source the best steaks we can.
