[Closed] Is it possible to get a decent steak in Britain?

Blimey. Of course it is. Go to any decent restaurant.

Best steak I ever had was the fillet at the Aviator Hotel in Farnborough. I could hardly believe what was happening in my mouth.

yes.
the stuff we buy in english supermarkets is not ready to eat.
it needs leaving uncovered in a fridge for 4 to 6 days. it will then be good for cooking.

I've had great steaks in many places in the world, and many of those in the UK. In fact my experience of steaks in the UK is probably a bit better than those I've had elsewhere in Europe. The best steaks I've ever had were at The Champany Inn in Linlithgow, near Edinburgh.

There are also loads of good steaks available to buy and cook yourself.

Find a decent butcher, such as Robinson's in Stockbridge, or a good restaurant such as Boisdales or The Pope's Eye and you need never eat bad steak again.

British beef, sourced and butchered well and then cooked properly is as good as it gets.

Yes very easily from a good butcher.

I've had very few good steaks abroad and when I have it's been at a premium.

Took my wife to Goucho in London a while ago...the steak there was nice.

They even 'introduce' the meat to you and tell you what the different cuts are like before you order.

They even 'introduce' the meat to you and tell you what the different cuts are like before you order.

I went to a Goucho's in Amsterdam, that was good, made me realise what I'd been missing so far in the UK, but not as good as the horse meat steak I had in Mechelen, which is probably the nicest steak I've ever had.

Glad to hear that a good steak can be had in the UK, I shall keep looking.

http://thehawksmoor.com/

Yes, it's very possible.

Piccolinos in brum do a fantastic steak.

Wetherspoons also do steak but it's like a piece of microwaved carpet underlay.

Miller and Carter are supposed to be a steak restaurant but theirs was pretty poor when I went.

It was the waitress who used the term 'introduce', as in "I'd like to introduce our cuts of beef to you".

I asked for their names; the waitress ignored me and the wife giggled.

Another vote for the Hawksmore from me.

molgrips - Member
Blimey. Of course it is. Go to any decent restaurant.

Best steak I ever had was the fillet at the Aviator Hotel in Farnborough. I could hardly believe what was happening in my mouth.

Is the aviator any good ? ( other than the steak ) I've been told the cocktails are great, but that's not really my thing.

F X Buckley, Dublin.

My mate is also a farmer.

Both provide excellent steaks in my experience.

Of course you can get good steak in the UK, you just have to be a bit more selective than rocking up to your local pub and expecting to be blown away.

Santa Maria del Sur on queenstown rd on that Landon is a good place to start

The Italian* restaurant in our village often does a **** lovely fillet steak from a farm just over the hill (the restaurant is owned by a moderately posh gastropub place down the road, I think their spare steaks end up on the specials menu in the Italian).

* It's about as Italian as I am, they have the weirdest pizza selection ever: e.g. Hoisin Duck, WTF?

Some good suggestions that I'll check out next time in London, would be nice to find somewhere nearby (Shropshire), or maybe I just need to try a few different butchers and cook my own.

To be fair ALDI's 21 day aged steaks are bob on.

Steak bought from a good butchers, cooked well and it's beautiful. Two best butchers I know are in Blagdon, south of Bristol and Wincanton. Lovely!

Lidl also do a steak comparable with one from a good butcher, surprisingly.

http://www.theduncow.co.uk

You need a better butcher.

Try a bison steak. Excellent each time I've had one

Been a while since I was in the Dun Cow, probably to see England lose a World Cup game in 2006, seemed a bit of a dump, have they done it up?

See I can't believe that Aldi and Lidl steaks are any good, they might be as good as an ok butcher (which is what I think we have in Wem), but given that I've eaten a fair few steaks in the UK and in comparison with continental europe they have all fallen short I am, sceptical...

would be nice to find somewhere nearby (Shropshire)

Ludlow will have something nice - I'll ask my folks.

Well, for £4 even if you don't like it, it's not like yer gonna break the bank eh?

Have a look at Q guild butchers . All the butchers who are members will tell you everything you need to know about the Best Steaks.
Qguild.co.uk

Chatsworth Farm shop, or Croots a bit further south. Both do excellent beef (and pork) if you're in Derbyshire.

epicsteve - Member
I've had great steaks in many places in the world, and many of those in the UK. In fact my experience of steaks in the UK is probably a bit better than those I've had elsewhere in Europe. The best steaks I've ever had were at The Champany Inn in Linlithgow, near Edinburgh.

There are also loads of good steaks available to buy and cook yourself.

At their prices, no, I don't think so. I can't enjoy being overcharged for something.

If you're doing it at home, yes. At ton says, most supermarket meat is not ready for eating. I keep it in the garage rather than the fridge.

Regarding restaurants, I find that I am increasingly disappointed. Cooking a steak is easy, why can't the so called professionals get it right? Been a while since I [u]paid[/u] for a good steak.

Well, for £4 even if you don't like it, it's not like yer gonna break the bank eh?

I prefer paying that little extra for good food and very fussy about meat.

Well, for £4 even if you don't like it, it's not like yer gonna break the bank eh?
I prefer paying that little extra for good food and very fussy about meat.

I'm the same, but try one... You may be surprised?

I'll try one but given the butcher we have here it has some fierce competition.

The Bridge Inn at Grinton does a fine steak.

The Champany is great if you're on expenses! Chop house is more reasonable if it's your own money.

I had a lovely fillet in the Whiski Rooms in Edinburgh a few weeks ago.

Aviator eh Molly? I've heard good things about it, might have to give it a try next time we're feeling flush.

Yes it is, I too spent a while working in Belgium (Vilvoorde the horse eating capital of the world) and the steaks both beef and horse were some of the best I have tasted. I shared a cote du boeuf in a restaurant next to smithfield market last week and it was fantastic.
I think in the last few years post foot and mouth there were changes in the age of slaughter and how long the carcass could be hung for that had an impact on the flavour of beef. Well that's what my butcher told me anyway.

21 days is still allowed though?

Drac, don't know if the quality of Lidl meat varies around the country, but i have had a sirloin and a fillet from the clitheroe store and both were very passable. Far superior to the Tesco dogmeat my wife has bought in the past.

Yeah you're comparing it with Tesco there though supermarket meat tends to be a poorer quality, M&S with it's Scotchbeef is an exception.

And I've eaten passable and I've eaten fantastic, guess which I'd like again 🙂

Had a ribeye from Red's True BBQ in Manchester last night and very nice it was too. Saying that I know where the OP is coming from, steak i've had in europe is consistently better than your average UK place.

Had fantastic in Switzerland a few years ago but it cost nearly as much as the ski weekend. Just saying if you don't want to spend a small fortune, Lidl is worth a try.
I had to cook the bloody thing myself in Switzerland as well.

Problem is, a lot of people won't pay for decent steak cuts, they think they're being conned. Some people do buy decent stuff, then totally pheck it up by "boiling" it in a cold pan or overcooking it.
Take into account the initial quality of any given beast, the yeild, the drip loss, ageing/flavouring conditions, maturity process, labour...... there's a lot to consider when pricing beef.
www.campbellsmeat.com
Try Campbells Gold or Mey Select. 😉

Best steak I ever had was the fillet at the Aviator Hotel in Farnborough. I could hardly believe what was happening in my mouth.

About 1/2 mile walk east of the Aviator is Woods Butchers. The best steak I've ever had comes from there and I'd say there's a good chance the Aviator shop there too. There's also a really nice Italian restaurant called Dolce Italia if toy fancy a change. 🙂

Yep in my kitchen very soon griddle on max heat and has been for last 10mins steak oiled and seasoned and ready to rock and roll 😀

As others have said, no shortage of excellent steak in Britain. I lived in various places including Holland, France and Texas, and never had steak as good as from my mum's local butcher.

Had a fantastic steak in an Aberdonian restaurant once. Barring that, the best has been in Morocco and South Africa.

Jesus h effin Christ. No. Emigrate, today.

Alternatively GO TO A BUTCHERS

Genuinely mote depressing than the coffee in pubs thread

We have farmers who rear some exceptional beasts.

We have butchers who really know their way around a carcass.

Find where the two coincide. it's not hard.

Or just go to to your local £15.99 restaurant or Sainsburys for your steak then complain about it 🙂

you'll get a good steak here -

http://twofatladiesrestaurant.com/buttery

Bought a couple of rib-eye steaks from Lidl - was amazed at the quality, and the price was about two-thirds what my local Sainsbury's was charging for much smaller, thinner and 'redder' rib-eyes. Unfortunately the nearest Lidl to me is a few miles away.

Ive had a lot of great steaks on my travels over the years & done the dutch / gauchos experience on several occasions 😀

One of the best steak experiences I have in recent times in the UK was in Bristol in a place called the 'Cowshed'! WOW the fillet in there was what its all about! id recommend 8)

Blimey who really gives a toss . Obviously there are good and bad steaks throughout the world , good and bad butchers , chefs etc but who really goes into a restaurant for a steak . I like to go for something that is a little more involved than a slab of grilled meat and if I'm at home I would never choose to eat steak .

so basically you never eat steak! cool story bro 🙄

So Neil either doesn't like steak or has never had a really good one.

Looks like I need to go to Glasgow, Edinburgh or London.

Might was well go back to Amsterdam then!

Or just go to to your local £15.99 restaurant or Sainsburys for your steak then complain about it

We'll I've paid a lot more than 15.99 and still got pretty ordinary steak, and I've paid only a little more than that and had fantastic steak. One was on an island, the other was on a continent 🙂

But, I will try a Lidl steak, I will try a few different butchers, I will talk to them and ask where the meat comes from and how long it has been hung, and I might even seek out restaurants that have a good rep and give them a try, I think there is enough anecdotal evidence shared here that the UK isn't a completely lost cause in one man's search for a steak to be excited about!

I will talk to them and ask where the meat comes from and how long it has been hung,

And where should it have come from and how long does it have to be hung for to pass your quality control test ?

so basically you never eat steak! cool story bro

I have eaten plenty of steaks and I will have ordered and cooked more than nearly everybody on this forum , I just wouldn't choose to eat steak if I was paying or buying with my own money , I think there are far nicer things to eat .

Dunno, thought you were supposed to ask these things, 21+ days is supposed to be good no? Fed on grass rather than corn?

I might learn something that will help me find that elusive UK based steak nirvana I've been looking for.

I will have ordered and cooked more than nearly everybody on this forum

Cool, so what is I should be looking out for?

Dunno, thought you were supposed to ask these things, 21+ days is supposed to be good no? Fed on grass rather than corn?

Corn fed cows wow . So if it was hung for 28 days would you assume that it was superior to 21 day hung meat , at what age would you prefer it to be slaughtered ?

I don't know, that is why I am asking the person who has eaten more steak than anyone else on here.

I don't know, that is why I am asking the person who has eaten more steak than anyone else on here.

If you read my post I didn't say that .

I'm sure all the information is available on line and my experience is of buying whole sirloins etc not just a couple of steaks . A rough guide 21 days was always considered to be how long beef should be hung to achieve best texture and flavour . 18 months IIRC is about the best age to slaughter cows , other than that you are looking for a firm texture , marbling of the fat in the meat , colour , not too bright . But as I say it will all be available on line . I'm off to bed now goodnight .

1) Read this
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2) buy proper steak

Some of the best Steak's/meat in the world that I have eaten has been british. We have some exceptional farmers doing great stuff. The best was probably one that we got killed ourselves from the farm.

I had an fabulous steak last night over here in the US. It should have been too considering how expensive it was. I've never had that sort of quality anywhere in Europe yet.

Lucky to have 2 butchers in my small village sourcing local meat. One is also a restaurant (Crinnions in Lanchester) and the steaks are excellent. As an added bonus, my dogs are often supplied with proper bones to keep them happy when I'm there. Gammon steaks are the best I've had anywhere.

Worst steak I've had for years has to be the effort from The Marcliffe in Anerdeen last December. 6ox fillet which was cremated and tough as old boots. I wasn't happy!

I will have ordered and cooked more than nearly everybody on this forum

Oh dear.

In my experience it is incredibly hard to find good steak in uk restaurants. There are the odd good one who have some sense of how to age and cook the meat correctly but on a whole most wouldn't know a good steak if they saw one. This includes Gaucho to which I have been to two different ones in London and the meat they "presented" was pink, un-aged and completely tasteless as well as well over-priced.

Want good steak, head to North America.

Want good steak, head to North America.

I see a lot of people say this but in my experience it just ain't the case.

I will have ordered and cooked more than nearly everybody on this forum

Oh dear.

I believe he used to be a chef, so the statement probably stands. Of course, it's easy to read it in another way without knowing that.

Stuffed out on steak last week. I sampled a couple of local butchers after much hype and collected a few cuts from Sainsbury's, too. Results : local butch 1 was bland. Butch 2 - okay but nothing to [s]post on a forum[/s] write home about. Sainsury's TTD sirloin - not bad. TTD ultimate - full flavour. Not always the case, though, as I've eaten it before.

Don't know what that tells you - probably that I should ease up on the red meat for a few months...

The two steaks I remember eating, out of all the meals I've had, were in Durban and, believe it or not, Banja Luka. It's all down to the age and marbling of the meat and the way it is seared. I don't think UK supermarkets buy the best and their obsession with low fat means their steak is bland and tough.

Good British Beef is some of the best in the World.

The fact that the OP seems to think that there is better beef on the Continent shows he know **** all.

Due to the obsession with low fat, bright red meat the vast majority of beef comes from charolais cattle. A French breed that was originally used for pulling stuff and is very muscular and lean. Crap for eating.

The best beef comes from Hereford or Aberdeen Angus,or a cross between the two. Should be heavily marbled and fed on grass.

Also, don't waste your time with fillet, overpriced and pretty bland.

Had dinner at a colleague's house in Amsterdam a couple of weeks ago and he served up a piece of beef and carved it at the table, it was incredible, just so tender and tasty, beautifully pink but not running with red liquid.

Well that doesn't sound like steak to me, more like roast beef?
Get yourself to a butchers and buy yourself a roasting rib on the bone. However, you sound like the sort who "won't pay for fat and bone"! 🙄

I believe he used to be a chef, so the statement probably stands. Of course, it's easy to read it in another way without knowing that.

I believe you're right but as a chef it would have been nice to offer where to look, what to choose if buying your own and how to cook them. But not he had to mention how on a thread about where to get good steak to not order any and how he's had more meat than Desperate Dan.

Serve a lovely steak [url= http://thecowshedbristol.com/ ]here[/url].

he's had more meat than Desperate Dan.

🙂

^^ that's what I said hopster, great place!

The matured steak in lidl is very good quality. I was a butcher for 6 years before being a manager and when working for asda was selected out of a handful of their butchers in the uk to do the craft butcher courses on top of the academy so I know my meats.
Tips, just because it says British beef doesn't mean it's good. It's usually Irish and Irish beef is no where near as good as Welsh or Angus steaks, secondly If you traced the plant number on say tesco british beef you'll more than likely find its halal meat reared in Ireland.
How the beast is killed does affect the Meat. If beef is stressed badly you will see blood splatters like chicken pox through the Meat when you cut it and it will be tough as hell.
Don't select really lean meat, cuts like sirloin should have at least a little marbling. Flank or frying steak is super lean but is much tougher where as ribeye is fatty and marbled but tastes much better.
If I'm not buying the matured steaks from work then I go to the local butcher for locally sourced beef.
Happy eating.

I had a great steak last time I was in London, it's actually from a little boutique specialist steak restaurant, it's a little tucked away, but you can probably google it: think it was called the Aberdeen Angus Steak House.

I've heard of them Konabunny I think I spotted one the last time I was there, I must have been walking around in circles as seen it a few times.

Drac have you tried [url= http://www.greenbutcher.co.uk/ ]R.Green & Son butchers in Longframlington[/url]?

As a Northumberland suggestion, we use North Acomb Farm Shop for most of our meat, it's ace. Their steaks easily rival the best I've had anywhere.

Not for awhile no but they're very good. I use the 2 in Alnwick as also very good but I can walk to them so easier. Might have to pop over to Fram sometime soon though.