Beef
Silverside
From the outside of the hind leg, leaner and a touch coarser in grain than topside, with a smooth domed shape. It is the classic joint for salt beef and for a pot roast, because it takes moist, slow cooking better than it takes a dry oven. Roast it if you like, but keep it pink and slice it thin — or braise it and let it go properly soft.
- Delivered across Essex from our Braintree base. Free delivery on orders over £40 within 20 miles — check your area.
- Cut to order and packed fresh on the morning of your delivery — never pre-packed to sit on a shelf.
- Prepared in our EC-approved premises. See allergen information.
More from Beef
Beef Fillet (Whole Untrimmed)
The entire tenderloin, untrimmed, with the chain and silverskin still on — which is why it costs less per kilo than cut medallions and why you get the trimmings to use for stroganoff or a stock. Butcher it yourself into a chateaubriand from the centre, steaks from the middle and tail meat for stir-frying. The whole thing also roasts as one piece for a table of eight.
Mince
Everyday beef mince for the dishes that carry a household through the week: bolognese, cottage pie, chilli, lasagne, meatballs. Brown it properly in batches rather than crowding the pan — grey mince stewing in its own liquid is the most common reason a ragu tastes flat. Freezes well in meal-sized portions laid flat so they thaw quickly.
Brisket
A flat cut from the front of the animal, well marbled and laced with connective tissue that breaks down into gelatine over a long cook. This is a low-and-slow joint, not a quick roast: barbecue it, braise it in stock, or salt-beef it. Take it as it comes to trim the fat cap and season the whole surface yourself, or choose rolled and tied for an even joint that holds its shape through a braise and carves into neat round slices.
Beef Short Ribs (Oven Busters)
Thick, bone-in sections cut from the rib plate, with a deep layer of marbled meat sitting on top of each bone. Three or four hours in a covered dish with wine or stock and they go from tough to spoon-tender, with a sauce that thickens itself from the bone. Cook them the day before if you can — they reheat better than almost anything else.