For some Irish chefs, simply having good old grass-fed beef on the menu isn’t cutting it any more.
Even as soaring prices leave many beef cuts out of the reach of the average consumer, these experts are seeking something more special than ever, something with a genuine point of difference that comes with a sustainable story to share with diners. This means that, increasingly, they’re looking in the direction of ex-dairy beef, Irish Wagyu and rare breeds.
Using retired dairy cows for beef has become increasingly popular, popping up on top menus driven by chefs such as Galway-based Jess Murphy. Inspired by the Galician or Basque use of ex-dairy cows, vaca vieja beef, a few years ago, she worked with Brady’s Butchers in Athenry to source a supply of ex-dairy cows for use in her restaurant Kai. She has also supplied other chefs, including Kevin Burke in Library Street in Dublin.
Niall Davidson in Allta, Dublin, has also been using retired dairy Jersey beef for a few years now. He works with Ben Tyrrell at Woodtown Jersey in Athboy, Co Meath.
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Tyrrell has a herd of about 400 Jersey cows, and when they can’t produce milk for whatever reason, they are retired and finished for Allta’s beef supply. Davidson says it’s a win for him.
“I use it mainly because it’s the most delicious beef I can get my hands on, but it’s also sustainable because it’s dual purpose, and they are high-welfare animals; you can taste the difference.”
Customers at Allta are presented with a plate of ingredients at the start of their meal and are talked through the restaurant’s sourcing, which often includes Woodtown Jersey beef.
“We will use it whenever it’s available. It’s something super special. For seven years of their life, they are mainly grass-fed, which means they have incredible flavour, and then we finish them in a way similar to Wagyu – that’s what makes the marbling so good.”
Davidson recently had it on the menu with Connemara clams, XO fish sauce, Worcestershire sauce and smoked apple.
Chef James Gabriel Martin was shopping for vegetables at his local farm shop, McNally’s in north Co Dublin, when he spotted beef for sale from the farm’s herd of ex-dairy cows.
“I grabbed a steak out of curiosity and took it home for my dinner, and it was one of the best I’ve had in years. I cooked it simply in beef tallow and finished it with salt and pepper. The fat was a very rich, deep yellow, and the flavour had this intense umami.”
He has since used this beef for events at The Dining Club at Whitestown House and cites sustainability as one factor for using it, but above all else, he says, “It’s the superior flavour, a depth that goes beyond dry-ageing and maturing”.
Danni Barry in Owenmore Restaurant in Ballynahinch Castle in Co Galway has proudly put Dexter beef breed on her menu. She sources it from Damien Tumelty at Castlescreen Farm in her native Co Down.
These are “wee cows with big flavour”, she says, praising the quality that comes from this native Irish breed. “It’s beautifully marbled with fat, resulting in good, deep, beefy flavour, and a buttery texture. Being a smaller breed means the muscle fibres are also smaller, making it incredibly tender,” she says. Barry uses Dexter rump in a chopped beef tartare dish.
It’s not just about the taste, though; Dexter also ticks many sustainable boxes for her.
“They’re typically reared on small-scale farms and graze on natural pastures,” she says. This leaves each cow telling its own story.
“That’s part of why we choose to put something on a plate; we talk about a sense of place,” she says.
Another beef that she’s keen to try more comes from a rare Irish native breed, Droimeann.
“I’m really excited about it. Using a breed like Droimeann is like celebrating a piece of Irish agricultural heritage. It’s reared by John O’Halloran here in Connemara. It has been a real passion project of his for a couple of years now. It was almost extinct and he, along with others, has formed a Droimeann cattle society to ensure the heritage of the breed is preserved”.
Dublin-based chef and restaurateur Paul McVeigh has been involved with the Droimeann Cattle Society since 2020. McVeigh runs Featherblade and Mister S, two restaurants where sourcing good meat is paramount. He’s also been an advocate for ex-dairy beef, featuring plenty of it on his menu over the last few years. McVeigh has been advising the Droimeann Cattle Society on finishing and ageing its beef as it expands its offering.
“I visited a farmer who keeps his Droimeann herd on Inchcleraun Island on Lough Ree, a remarkable setting that really shows the character and resilience of these traditional Irish breeds.”
A newer breed to Ireland that’s also on McVeigh’s menu is west Cork Wagyu from Mike Twomey in Macroom.
“We use the flank steak as part of our Steak Frites special at Mister S for Friday lunch. The flank cut, in particular, has beautiful depth and texture. It’s a working muscle, full of savoury character that holds up brilliantly to grilling.”
McVeigh’s approach has always been to source unique beef. “Our philosophy is to celebrate cuts with real personality. Local, sustainable, and flavour-driven, everything we want Mister S to be about.”
Irish Wagyu is becoming increasingly familiar on menus and in shops, but is this the same Wagyu famously massaged and fed chocolate while listening to classical music? Sort of.
John and Michelle Hourigan at Ridgeway Farm in Wicklow have been farming Wagyu for about a decade, importing the Japanese breed from Australia because they wanted to produce a premium Irish beef product that would be unique in the marketplace.
Their Wagyu-bred cattle are fed on grass, olive feed, and, yes, even some sustainably sourced chocolate.
The result, Michelle says, is “intense marbled appearance which results in a tender and juicy meat with a distinctive and delicious umami flavour”. Wagyu beef can cost three times more than premium Irish beef, but chefs and customers love it.
Ridgeway Waygu has been on the menu at Powerscourt Hotel in Co Wicklow, and in The Old Spot and The Coach House in Dublin, and Hourigan says it has a loyal group of slow-cooking and barbecue enthusiasts who love the Wagyu Brisket and Short Ribs.
“It’s perfect for showcasing the rich marbling and depth of flavour that Wagyu is known for,” she says.
