Good beef is the sum of its parts, its breed and genetics, rearing, what it ate when, what climate it lived in, how healthy it was, whether it was male/female, how old it was, how it was handled, how it was slaughtered, aged, butchered and cooked.

Our approach is to principally serve beef grown in extensive or regenerative systems, typically raised on small family run farms in the UK and Ireland.

We favour traditional breeds and longer, slower rearing that yields marbling in the meat and juiciness and flavour in the steak.

We primarily judge beef from an eating perspective on flavour, juiciness and tenderness. There are lots of different styles of amazing beef, as there are with wine. We are wary of those who say wine can’t be good if it’s not matured in oak / of a certain age / made with a particular grape. We love lots of different styles of beef; tender and juicy with a subtle flavour, rich and buttery or intense and almost overpowering.

THE FLAT IRON HERD

We have always been passionate not just about serving great beef, but also about learning how to breed and raise the best possible cattle. In the same year Flat Iron was set up we travelled to Thirsk, Yorkshire, to meet third-generation beef farmer Charles Ashbridge. Talking about what breed, feed and husbandry could make the best beef anyone had ever tried, sparked the thought that if we had our own herd of cattle, together with Charles’ experience, we could experiment and learn everything about how to breed and raise the best cattle.

Today the Flat Iron herd numbers about 40 head, give or take. Using rare and traditional breeds leading a longer stress-free life, we strive to produce the best beef we possibly can. Over the past couple of years, we have focused on rearing Wagyu, one of our favourite breeds, and are proud to be able to now share with our guests beef from our suckler herd.