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Business News Wales
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Business News Wales
M&S Champions Welsh Farmers and Food at the Royal Welsh Show
Marks & Spencer will return to the Royal Welsh Show this year, unveiling a refreshed exhibition stand and a programme designed to showcase food production across Wales. M&S will sponsor several key livestock classes, including Aberdeen Angus and the Supreme Pig Championship. The M&S stand—revamped for 2025 with a brand-new look and feel—will once again host a wide range of interactive activities. Young visitors will be encouraged to explore the stand and complete a series of hands-on games themed around M&S's supply chains and Select Farm produce. After completing every stop and collecting all the required stamps in their M&S Royal Welsh Passport, children will be rewarded with a special Colin the Caterpillar backpack—a new addition for 2025 following the hugely popular Percy Pig version last year. The M&S Demo Kitchen will also return, with chef Adam Palmer taking centre stage to cook up a range of regional and seasonal dishes using M&S's Welsh ingredients. Each day, Adam will be joined by special guests from M&S's family of local suppliers, who will share the stories behind their produce and hand out samples. The Farmers' Lounge will once again play host to the annual M&S Select Farm Awards, recognising outstanding achievements in agricultural excellence, innovation, and sustainability. Steve McLean, Head of Agriculture & Fisheries at M&S, said: 'The Royal Welsh Show is a brilliant opportunity for M&S to celebrate the people, produce, and passion for quality food that make Wales unique. Each year, we work closely with more than 2,500 Welsh farms and suppliers, and this event allows us to showcase the outstanding lamb, beef, and fresh produce that are at the heart of so many M&S products. 'We're looking forward to welcoming visitors to our stand, where they can meet some of our Welsh suppliers, try their fantastic products, and see how we're supporting local farming, sustainability, and innovation across Wales.'
Time Out
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
A Michelin star London restaurant has created a burger for Shake Shack
Marylebone 's very tasty AngloThai is getting stuck into fast food. For one day only, the Michelin star restaurant is collab-ing with Shake Shack to release a special, limited edition burger. Its skilled head chef and co-founder John Chantarasak has created the special menu item by artfully bringing together an Aberdeen Angus beef burger fried in red curry paste, which is then topped with ox tongue glazed in scallop roe and smoked chilli jam, before some wild garlic and green olive purée is added, alongside som tam infused pickles. Gosh. The whole thing is served on a toasted potato bun brushed with spiced honey butter. It'll be available on July 11 at the Covent Garden branch of Shake Shack only, from 12pm until they sell out. You'll also be able to order some laab spiced fries; crinkle cut fries seasoned with a laab spice blend, and topped with fermented yellow soybean mayonnaise and wild garlic sweet chilli relish. AngloThai opened at the end of 2024, and won its first Michelin star within months of launching. The restaurant fuses Thai flavours with British, seasonal ingredients. Time Out gave it a glowing five star review, and praised its 'reimagining [of] some of Thailand's most celebrated dishes via the lens of fastidious fine dining'. 'As a long-time admirer of Shake Shack, I'm thrilled to be creating my very own burger and fries that showcase the bold flavours and ingredients we like to cook with on our menus at AngloThai,' says Chantarasak. 'I'm a big fan of the mustard-fried burger technique seen in America and wanted to take inspiration from this by frying beef fat red curry paste into the burger patty as it sizzles on the plancha, giving a rich and warming flavour to the meat. I'm also grilling slices of beef tongue and glazing them in a Thai-style chilli jam made from roasted chillies and smoked scallop roes, giving the burger deep umami and celebrating a lesser used, but very delicious cut of beef.' Net proceeds from the sales of the AngloThai burger and fries will go towards north London food charity and agroecological farm, Grow.
The Sun
17-06-2025
- General
- The Sun
I tested supermarket burgers – the £2 winner scored 10/10 and it's perfect for a summer BBQ
THE sun is out and there's nothing quite like the sizzle of a burger over hot coals. Supermarkets have really upped their game with the burgers they offer - it's no longer about a skinny patty in a bun. 10 There are wagyu burgers or Aberdeen Angus quarter pounders. But with so many to choose from, how do you know which to pick? Lynsey Hope has worked her way through dozens of delicious patties. Here she shares her verdict on some supermarket best-sellers: Aldi Specially Selected Aberdeen Angus Beef Quarter Pounders (454g) £4.49 for 4 (£1.12 each) Beef content: 95% Nutrition per burger: 206 calories, 12.8g fat, 0.4g sugar, 0.85g salt Aldi's were a little lacking in meaty flavour, though I loved the bouncy texture and they had a good amount of fat, without being greasy. An impressive meat content and no nasty ingredients to bulk them out, so I felt this was a quality product for the price. Excellent value and a generous size. Taste: 3/5 Value: 4/5 Total score: 7/10 Morrisons The Best Quarter Pounder Burgers (454g) £5 for 4 (£1.25 each) Beef content: 48% beef, 30% beef chuck and 17% brisket Nutrition per burger: 277 calories, 18.9g fat, 0.2g sugar, 0.77g salt These burgers are made with a mix of chuck and brisket, and they looked chunky and meaty so my hopes were high. They browned nicely, but I thought they were a little chewy and didn't have loads of flavour. Some of the meat broke apart a bit after cooking. They are a cheaper option, costing just £1.25 each and they are a decent size, but there is nothing particularly special about them. They would be easily livened up with sauces and toppings, though. Good for serving en-masse. Taste: 3/5 Value: 3/5 Total score: 6/10 Tesco Finest Wagyu Beef Burgers (340g) £5.25 for 2 (£2.62 each) Beef content: 86% Nutrition per burger: 297 calories, 20.1g fat, 1.4g sugar, 1.05g salt 10 Wagyu beef is known for its buttery tenderness, but I found these a little grisly. The flavour was meaty and rich but the texture put me off. The meat is what I can only describe as stiff. I thought they were overrated for the price. Taste: 2/5 Value: 2/5 Total score: 4/10 M&S Food Our Best Ever Burger (340g) £5.25 for 2 (£2.62 each) Beef content: 93% Nutrition per burger: 432 calories, 35g fat, 0.3g sugar, 1.50g salt M&S' burgers were expensive, but worth it. They look appetising and smell and taste meaty. The beef is succulent. The seasoning is delicate and they crisped up perfectly. These could almost pass as homemade. Quite fatty and it oozed out on the barbecue, but they tasted lovely in a bun. Taste: 5/5 Value: 4/5 Total score: 9/10 Ocado Quarter Pounder Beef Burgers (454g) £3.75 (93.7p each) Beef content: 96% Nutrition: 236 calories, 14g fat, less than 0.5g sugar, 0.70g salt The cheapest burger in this test, they definitely offer a tasty and wallet-friendly option. The beef content was ok and they weren't too fatty when cooked. The texture of the meat was a little chewy compared to some pricier burgers but there was no gristle. Not bad for a budget option. Taste: 3/5 Value: 4/5 Total score: 7/10 Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Dry Aged Aberdeen Angus Beef Burgers (340g) £4.25 for 2 (£2.12 per burger) Beef content: 90% Nutrition per burger: 313 calories, 19.6g fat, 0.9g sugar, 1.10g salt Really tasty premium patties which are made with 14-day dry-aged Aberdeen Angus beef - a delicious mix of rib, rump, brisket and chuck steak. They are seasoned with rosemary and have a rich, mature flavour. Not the cheapest but they were reasonable value for a premium burger. If I could only buy one variety of burger all summer, it would be these. Great job, Sainsbury's. Taste: 5/5 Value: 5/5 Total score: 10/10 Waitrose Native Breed Beef Quarterpounders (454g) £6.55 for 4 (£1.63 each) Beef content: 95% Nutrition per burger: 223 calories, 15.10g fat, less than 0.5g sugar, 0.69g salt Lightly seasoned and a lovely meaty flavour. They didn't fall apart during cooking and I loved the subtle hint of sea salt and black pepper. They were less fatty than other options. What would put me off from buying these is the price. Whilst delicious. I'm not sure they are worth £1.63 each - that's quite a lot if you are throwing a barbecue for the masses. Taste: 4/5 Value: 4/5 Total score: 8/10 Exceptional by Asda British Quarter Pounder Beef Burgers (454g) £4.48 for 4 (£1.12 each) Beef content: 94% beef Nutrition: 212 calories, 14g fat, less than 0.5g sugar, 0.67g salt A decent juicy burger that I thought was good quality for the price. I'd have liked a little more seasoning, but the texture was bouncy and nice. They did fall apart a bit on the barbecue which made them a little messy to eat, and a little more seasoning would have improved the taste. Taste: 4/5 Value: 4/5 Total score: 8/10 Lidl Deluxe Aberdeen Angus Beef Burgers (340g) £3.69 for 2 (£1.84 each) Beef content: 95% Nutrition per burger: 377 calories, 28.5g fat, 0.2g sugar, 0.75g salt Lidl's burgers had a juicy texture and were seasoned with sea salt and a crack of black pepper. At 95%, they had the highest meat content of all the burgers in this test and tasted like a quality product. The burger held its shape well whilst cooking and I loved the rich, mature depth of flavour. The meat is quality and that's the overriding flavour from these.
BBC News
11-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Up to 90 jobs lost at Aberdeenshire abattoir
Up to 90 jobs have been lost following the closure of an Aberdeenshire Scotbeef site in Inverurie closed its doors on Wednesday with all staff being made company said an operational review concluded the closure was necessary to protect the long-term future of the business amid industry challenges.A spokesperson said a redundancy process is now under way with staff, and that all affected employees will be supported throughout the period. A spokesperson for Scotbeef Inverurie said: "Despite our best efforts to address the sustained challenges within the UK meat and beef industry over the past 18 months, we have unfortunately taken the difficult decision to close our Inverurie site."Decisions such as these are never easy, and we understand that there will be a significant impact on our staff, many of whom have shown loyalty and commitment to the business over many years."Scotbeef has two other Scottish sites, one in East Kilbride and the other in Annan, as well as three sites in family-owned business was founded in 1920 and supplies Beef and Lamb to UK retailers. It claims to be the first company to bring the Aberdeen Angus brand to the retail market in 1993.
Agriland
08-06-2025
- General
- Agriland
Watch: Milking 66 cows with the help of young daughter in Wexford
Dairy farmer Sean Tracey, based in Paradise, Tomhaggard, Co. Wexford is milking 66 cows with great help from his 12-year-old daughter Amelia. Sean runs a simple enough system, where he milks 66 Holstein Friesian cows, keeps on all of the calves on the farm to fatten, and has about 60ac in tillage as well. He earned the Tirlan East Region Award for his history of consistent quality as he produces milk to the highest of standards while keeping hygiene to the fore. His farm consistently delivers top-quality milk with low somatic cell count, total bacteria count (TBC), and thermoduric, highlighting his commitment to high hygienic standards to compliment his solids production. Winning this type of an award is one thing for Sean, but farming in harmony with his daughter makes it all the more rewarding. Amelia, who is currently in sixth class and geared up for secondary school this September, expressed her love for farming and helping her father before and after school, and every chance she gets. Milking 66 cows, tillage and calves The spring calving herd usually start calving down around the middle of January and are usually wrapped up by the end of March. Sean is adamant to constantly ' trying to show her (Amelia) the ropes just as we were shown it when we were small'. Amelia insisted:'I just always had an interest in farming since I was little. 'When I was only a few months old, I was sitting in the wheelbarrow when my dad was working'. Amelia and Sean Tracey Sean is farming a 210ac farm with 60ac of that going towards tillage, 48ac for the milking platform and the rest going towards silage production and rearing heifers and bullocks. Sean keeps all the calves born on the farm, which usually accumulates to about 60-65 calves, of which 10 will be Friesian heifers as replacement milkers. Amelia will often get the job of looking after these and feeding these calves. Sean will use Friesian AI on selected stock for the first three weeks of the breeding season and then he will let out stock bulls to serve the rest. There are two Aberdeen Angus bulls running with the herd at the minute. This usually leaves Sean with 50-55 Angus bull and heifer calves with a few Friesian bulls. He will usually fatten and sell the heifers to about 19 months-of-age and the bullocks to about 26 months-of-age. The Tracey's cows out grazing On the cows side of things, Sean takes pride in producing top quality milk through a primarily grass-fed diet and makes top quality silage. He produced one of the best quality silage in the region this year, with a dry matter digestibility of 77%. Sean fed about 1.5t/cow last year, which is above 500kg/cow more than usual due to the bad grass growing year and the difficult wet spring. Cows produced on average in 2024, 15.71 L/cow with 4.32% fat and 3.57% protein, which accumulates to 443kg of milk solids. The British Friesian type cow that Sean is constantly trying to breed Somatic cell count (SCC) for the year was 88,000 cells/ml, which is hugely impressive and said that this is achieved through 'doing the basics right'. He said that he does a boiling hot wash every day, keeps up to date with changing liners, and uses his milk recording data to pick out the problem cows, which will be culled. He also said that himself and Amelia spend a good bit of time keeping the parlour, the grazing infrastructure, roadways, and sheds hygienic and clean, all of which aids in producing quality milk. The farmer also keeps on top of lameness through hoof trimming every two or three months and foot bathing every three weeks. Sean is also very thankful for having great neighbours around him. He said: 'if you're moving cattle, the neighbours would come down and give a hand. We always try to help one another out, which is great'. Generation renewal One of the key concerns in the dairy and agricultural industry as a whole at the minute is the topic of generation renewal and actually providing an industry that is attractive for young people to pursue. The perception can often be that the likes of dairy farming is pure hardship for little reward, but Sean is showing Amelia every step of the way that there is a future and a career to be had from farming. However, there has to be an interest in the industry in order to enjoy and pursue it and Amelia said: 'I've always had interest in farming and I want to do it when I'm older.' 'I want to keep doing the dairy and the beef and a bit of tillage and a bit of everything,' Amelia added, before Sean interrupted about going to college first. Amelia walking through the herd of cows Like all industries, there are good years and there are bad years. The frustrating thing in agriculture in recent years has been the drastic fluctuation in the cost of production and milk price in recent years. The hope is that major price fluctuations have settled and that there has to be a profit motive on the farm now, otherwise it is not going to attract younger people who already love farming, like Amelia. Realistically what a young person wants is a good work life balance, structured free time, and a good level of income. Through being out on the farm from a very young age, Amelia has been 'shown the ropes' and how to manage multiple jobs. There needs to be a better labour structure on farms with scheduled time off, and a defined end of the working day in order to keep the likes of Amelia involved. Though there are incentives and schemes available for young farmers, an industry cannot be reliant and built on incentives alone, but needs to be structured around a sustainable family income. Sean is showing Amelia this through producing efficient and quality milk. Amelia and Sean getting jobs done around the yard Family transfers, partnerships, and long-term leasing opportunities need to brought forward so people have a better understanding of what the opportunities are and to get the conversation going about how we can structure these agreements. But none of this can happen without slowly showing the young people the lifestyle and the work involved in farming, as in order to stay at something and build a career towards it, you have to enjoy it and have a passion for it, which is evident with Amelia. Sean said: 'She's been out with me since day one.' Amelia added that her favourite jobs include moving cattle and calves, washing down the yard, and silage harvesting, highlighting her enthusiasm for farming. Amelia's plan for the summer holidays is to help her dad on the farm and to do any jobs that need to be done.
