What is Veal?
Did you know that the southwest of England including the Cotswolds is renowned for its veal meats?
Veal refers to meat from calves under a year old, genrally these are male calves from dairy herds, as they cannot be used for milk production.
We believe the very best veal comes from the Southwest of England from Brookfield Farm who are a British veal producer known for their high-welfare practices. Brookfield Farm Veal carries the Quality Standard Mark, a quality assurance scheme operated by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) who are working to create a world-class food and farming industry and promoting product integrity.
Brookfield Farm has also received the Great Taste Award for its veal and they were awarded a gold star in the world’s largest and most rigorous food awards scheme, involving over 400 judges and thousands of hours of blind tasting.
All of their veal comes fresh from farms in the West Country, which have all been RSPCA Assured (formerly Freedom Foods) ensuring the veal calves are reared to the highest welfare standards, backed by regular audits.
What is the difference between Veal and Beef?
Veal and beef both come from cattle, but veal is meat from young calves, typically under 12 months old, while beef comes from cattle over one year old. It is this difference in age that gives beef and veal their different characteristics.
Veal is known for its tenderness and a softer, almost buttery texture while beef has a firmer texture because the cattle have more time to develop their muscle structure.
Veal has a mild, delicate flavour that can be described as both sweet and slightly gamey at the same time. Beef has a richer, stronger flavour. Veal won’t have the ‘marbling’ which is found in beef. Marbling is basically layers of fat interspersed within the muscle which give good quality beef it’s distinctive flavour profile.
Veal is typically a lighter coloured meat ranging from pink to greyish-white, dependent on the calf’s age and diet. Whereas beef is a darker, redder colour due to the better developed muscle structure of the older animal.
Veal or Beef, Beef or Veal – or both!
Whatever it is you require we can supply it for you, and you can assured it will be top quality and locally reared.
Don’t forget we offer FREE DELIVERY if you’re within 20 miles of our base at Melksham. If you have a specific request or any questions about our products please contact us ‐ we’d love to hear from you.
