Eat less meat, but make the quality count

We’ve always advocated exceptional quality Cornish food and drink of ethical origin, and choose only to stock the very best that the county has to offer. And nowhere is this ethos better reflected than on our fresh meat counter. We’re extremely proud to be the only supplier of Philip Warren & Son’s beef in Cornwall outside his own store in Launceston, and here’s the reason why…

“Did you see the cows grazing up on Bodmin Moor on your way to Launceston?” enquires Philip as I arrive on his farm. (I did.) “Our beef cattle graze on the moors year round,” he says. “Traditional Celtic breeds – mostly Welsh Black, Red Devon and Galloway; hardy livestock that thrive in the open, natural environment, and in all weathers.”

As well as grazing their own cattle on and around the moor, Philip and his son Ian, who now runs the business day-to-day, work with around 120 farmers in the locale yielding some 5,000 bullocks a year. “We only work with farmers whose animal husbandry reflects ours,” says Philip. “We’re very particular in terms of quality traditional breeds and exceptional standards of animal welfare but, in return, we guarantee them a viable and reliable route to market.”

Born and raised in Launceston, Philip, now 68, has been a grazier and master butcher all his life. “My father was an auctioneer and we lived next door to Mr Goodman who was one of the town’s local butchers and graziers. From the age of 14, he taught me everything there is to know about beef farming and butchery. I then got the opportunity to purchase WW Davey’s butcher’s shop at the other end of town in 1979 which became Philip Warren & Son.”

Very little has changed in terms of the traditional farming and butchering methods practised by Philip, Ian and their highly-skilled team of master butchers, from when Davey first established his business in 1880. Nowadays, though, the methods are actually embedded in scientific research. So grass feed, yes, but it has to be the right grass – longer stemmed and full of nutrients. Meat that’s dry-aged and hung for at least 50-60 days, with the fat on, and in 21^st Century humidity-controlled conditions.

“All our beef is reared and grazed on uplands that, because of underlying granite on the moors and the deep heavy clay soils in the valleys can only be used for the grazing of ruminants. You can’t plough the moors for arable farming due to their geology and chemistry, but the land still needs to be managed,” Philip affirms. “While a lot of supermarkets trade on the ‘grass fed’ mantra, it needs to be the right grass – grass that contains oleic acid. This improves the fatty acid composition and antioxidant content of beef and hence the flavours – a good clue is to look for marbling, alongside high fat content and a slightly more yellowy finish on the fat trim,” he explains. “Studies have shown that there’s a lot more natural goodness in longer stemmed grass. And that’s the reason we graze the moors. An added bonus is that moorland-fed cattle are considerably less carbon heavy to produce.”

And then there’s the presence of Calpain – an enzyme found in traditional breeds that’s responsible for keeping muscle fibres tender – as well as the way that the Warrens hang their beef. “Back in 2009, it was Ian’s idea to establish a hi-tech dry-aging system on Launceston’s Pennygillam Industrial Estate, and to open a new, larger butcher’s shop opposite,” says Philip. “It was the best thing we did, because the quality methods we employ really started to get noticed, and our new shop began to fill up with customers – these days up to 8,000 a week in peak times. The process of dry-aging the beef is pretty specific and not to be rushed – humidity levels need adjusting constantly as does the air purity; and it’s important to keep a lot of fat on the meat so it holds its flavours whilst it’s dried on the bone.”

It was also around this time that a few well-known chefs cottoned on to their principles. In search of excellent quality, flavoursome and high-welfare meat, word about Philip Warren & Son soon got out. “Of course, we also courted the top-end restaurant businesses, recognising that this market is prepared to pay premium prices for premium produce,” Philip acknowledges. “First, we supplied The Ledbury in London where Brett Graham is head chef and it mushroomed from there. Now, we supply the likes of Angela Hartnett at Murano, Blacklock and Ikoyi in London, one or two places in Bristol, and here in Cornwall, we supply Rick and Jack Stein, Nathan Outlaw and Paul Ainsworth. They all come and see what we do first hand. We’re pretty choosy about the restaurants we work with; we’ve never wanted to be biggest, as that comes with added pressures, but we’ve always wanted to be the best. A good reputation will always enable a business to thrive.”

Determined to keep retail solely to their own shop in Launceston, it begs the question why Philip also – and only – supplies the Great Cornish Food Store. “It’s because Ruth has so much integrity,” says Philip. “Her values synch with ours and it feels right. I’ve known Ruth a long time and when she asked me to come on board at the shop, I was only too pleased to have an outlet for my beef in Truro.

“We don’t differentiate between wholesale and retail prices,” he continues. “Restaurants pay the same for our meat as shop customers do. We don’t want to be elitist. We pitch ourselves alongside supermarket premium ranges because we want people to buy from us and support Cornwall’s small farmers. At the end of the day, if that means our customers eat less meat, but the meat that they do eat is top notch, so be it. That works for us. It’s critical that the industry survives alongside doing the right thing for the environment and animal husbandry.”

Come and visit our meat counter at the Great Cornish Food Store and enjoy a wide selection of Philip Warren’s beef. Or if you’re passing Launceston on the A30, drop into Philip Warren & Son’s butcher shop on the Pennygillam Industrial Estate.