Highland Cattle have developed into an efficient and versatile beef breed. They are natural foragers in a variety of terrains and years of breeding have adapted them to out-wintering in the severest of climates. Being largely self-sufficient, they require minimal maintenance.
Highlanders are fertile and usually calve outside unaided and unattended. Capable of surviving in the harshest weather conditions, Highland cattle thrive where other breeds would fail. The Highland cow is long-lived and matures on low input natural feed. The breed's outstanding hardiness minimises costs and many farmers are now recognising the inherent qualities of Highland cattle as a beef breed because of its ability to efficiently convert rough fodder into low-fat, high-quality beef. Because of the excellent way Highland cattle pass on their many virtues to their progeny, they have become the basis of many breeding programs for beef with that sought-after quality.
Naturally Reared, Naturally Tasty
The considerable attributes of Highland Cattle make them the first choice to produce specialist beef. Their non-selective grazing and foraging habits enhance the flavour of the beef. This is because the composition of diet influences the products of digestion and hence the flavour and fat characteristics of the beef, both of which have profound effect on eating quality.
Highland Cattle do well roaming freely and enjoy a diet of natural grass and fodder. The wonderful taste of the Highland beef produced is reflected in this diet of natural goodness because beef from grass and grass-fodder fed animals, as opposed to grain-fed animals, generally produces a better quality meat. Feed can alter the fatty acid composition, flavour and oxidative stability of meat, and forage-based feeds tend to give lower saturated concentrations of fatty acids. Grass-fed animals therefore produce ultimate flavour beef.
Full Flavour Beef
Pure Highland beef is slow-maturing, lean, firm and very low in fat, while at the same time rich in protein and iron. It is unsurpassed for flavour, tenderness and juiciness that comes from having just the right amount of marbling through the meat to give that succulent flavour so typical of old-fashioned traditional beef. It lends itself magnificently to a range of cooking methods and different recipes.
See how Highland beef cuts compare with other beef cuts for fat, cholesterol, protein and iron in the table below:
