KEEPING your kids fed and happy over the Easter holidays can be a challenge.
But it’s also a great opportunity to have fun cooking together and teaching them about where our food comes from.
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Quality Assured Scotch Beef, Scotch Lamb and Specially Selected Pork are a great starting point for loads of different recipes and great tasting food that you can serve up in as little as 20 minutes, according to nutrition expert Dr Carrie Ruxton.
Even better, Scotch red meat contains all the nutritional building blocks children need for healthy growth and development, giving them plenty of energy to play and learn at home and at school.
Dietitian Dr Ruxton explains: “Scotch red meat is very rich in nutrients, which means that you only need a small amount of it to pack a really big punch in terms of the vitamins and minerals we need.
“It’s high in things like Vitamin B12 and B6, which are used for releasing energy from food and boosting psychological function, and iron which is important for the red blood cells that carry oxygen around our bodies.
“And it’s also high in Vitamin D, which is important for healthy bones, as well as zinc, which is important for immune function and growth in children, iodine – for brain development – and selenium, which can help support the healthy functioning of your body, including your metabolism and immune system.”
Eating good quality red meat is key for kids – who need two to three times more nutrients for their size compared to adults.
It is also important to avoid letting them fill up on sweets, crisps, biscuits and fizzy juice – because these processed foods don’t contain much in the way of nutritional goodness.
Carrie explains: “Children are growing very rapidly but have smaller appetites than adults so the health benefits of them eating red meat means you’re giving them exactly what their bodies need at that specific life stage to help support their growth and development.”
Takeaways can be tempting when you’re in a rush – but you can actually make a meal in the same time it takes to wait on a delivery, and save cash into the bargain. They are expensive, they tend to be high in fat and salt and the portion sizes are too big, so you end up eating too much.
Carrie says: “I don’t always have time to spend hours in the kitchen, cooking and prepping food and sometimes I like meals that are really quick and easy to put together.
“Red meat is very versatile – I often make meatballs with Scotch Beef mince, some chopped onions, salt and pepper and then mix in a beaten egg to bind it all together.
“Fry them off in a little bit of oil and then add a jar of tomato sauce and let it all simmer away. Serve with pasta and you can’t go wrong.
“Specially Selected Pork loin chops and Scotch Lamb leg steaks are another family favourite, served with whatever fresh vegetables you can get your hands on. There are so many modern twists on how to cook vegetables – like baking broccoli for example – that meat and two vegetables doesn’t have to be boring.”
SERVE IT UP
CRAFT Butcher Steven Strachan is proud to serve his customers the best quality Scotch red meat from livestock that have been born and reared in Scotland.
That means it is locally sourced, quality assured, farmed with care – and offers complete traceability from farm to fork.
Steven, 38, and wife Nicola, 32, set up Strachan Craft Butchers in 2018 and employ 21 staff at shops in Blantyre, Larkhall and East Kilbride.
He says: “We have full traceability so when customers come into our shops, we can tell them exactly where our meat came from, which farm it was reared on, what it was fed and how it was transported.
“There’s a real trust there and people also know they can ask us for tips about what cuts to buy, how to cook the meat and how much they need.”
Steven’s favourite meal is slow cooked Scotch Beef shin.
He says: “Sear the meat in a pan to lock all the juices in, then pop it in the slow cooker with celery, carrot and onions and let it cook away all day, then serve with a creamy mash and green beans.”
Another great family recipe is Scotch Beef Satay Stir Fry with Carrot and Courgette Noodles
INGREDIENTS: 2 Scotch Beef Rump Steaks cut into 1cm slices
3 large peeled carrots spiralised into noodles or chopped into thin matchsticks if you don’t have a spiraliser
3 courgettes spiralised into noodles or chopped into thin matchsticks if you don’t have a spiraliser
Thumb sized piece of ginger finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
2 medium egg noodle nests
3 tbsps crunchy peanut butter
2 tbsps low-salt soy sauce
1 tsp honey
Zest and juice of a lime
Salt and pepper to taste
METHOD: In a small bowl, use a fork to whisk together the peanut butter, soy sauce, honey, lime zest and juice until smooth.
Cook the noodles according to packet instructions.
In a wok or large frying pan, add the oil and fry the steak slices for two minutes over a high heat until nicely browned or cooked to your liking. Remove to a plate, turn the heat down and add the ginger and garlic, being careful they don’t burn.
Add the veg, turn the heat up and stir fry for a couple of minutes before adding the cooked noodles, sliced steak and any resting juices and toss everything together.
Add a splash of the noodle cooking water and 1 tbsp of the peanut sauce.
Spoon into bowls before drizzling over more of the peanut sauce and topping with any garnishes of your choice. Visit makeitscotch.com for more quick and easy recipe ideas that are contemporary new takes on traditional meat and two veg dishes using Scotch Beef UKGI, Scotch Lamb UKGI and Specially Selected Pork.
Carrie’s tips for making meals go further include adding things like beans and lentils to meat dishes – as well as lots of veggies. Adding pulses such as red lentils to a bolognese makes it go further, adds to your five a day and boosts the nutrient content too.
She says: “One pot meals are a great way of using less energy to cook and batch cooking and freezing food is a good idea too, especially if you’re planning days out over the holidays.”
She also believes it is important our meat comes from animals that have been reared to the highest animal welfare standards.
She adds: “When you buy red meat from other countries, you simply don’t know what sort of life the animal has had, what it has been fed on and what the welfare standards are.
“But the Scotch Beef, Scotch Lamb and Specially Selected Pork brands give you absolute assurance that good really is good – and you are supporting Scottish farmers at the same time.”
Read more on the Scottish Sun
To carry the Scottish red meat industry’s prestigious premium brands – Scotch Beef UKGI, Scotch Lamb UKGI and Specially Selected Pork – livestock must have been born and reared in Scotland and spent their entire life on Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) assured farms.
When you see these logos in supermarkets and butchers shops, you can be totally sure that the meat you are buying is locally sourced, quality assured and farmed with care – and that you can enjoy top quality, beef, lamb or pork on your plate that is delicious, nutritious and will deliver an exceptional eating experience for everyone to enjoy.
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