A stellar line-up of six renowned Scottish chefs have been working with Savour St Andrews over the past six months to create a spectacular menu for a dinner celebrating the very best of Scotland’s larder.

Martin Hollis, executive chef at the hotel which is a member of Quality Meat Scotland’s Scotch Beef Club, will be joined by a host of top ranking Scottish chefs to create the meal. These include Geoffrey Smeddle of The Peat Inn Restaurant with Rooms, Duncan McLachlan from Playfair’s Restaurant and Steak House, Mat Majer from The Adamson, Sharon Munro of St Andrews Links and Jamie Scott from The Newport.

Celebrating Scotch Beef PGI

Cooked by Chef Hollis, the main course will showcase the versatility and outstanding taste of Scotch Beef PGI with Black Isle Scotch Beef Fillet, Short Rib ‘Osso Bucco’, Shallot, Pommes Mousseline and Swiss Chard.

Local farmer, John Bell will attend the dinner with Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) to talk about the dedication, care and stockmanship skills behind the production of top-quality Scotch Beef PGI.

The chefs will be supported by students on the night from Cupar’s Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) Elmwood Campus and Fife College and, from profits made at the dinner, each college will receive a £500 bursary to be used for further hospitality training.

Chef Martin Hollis of The Old Course said: “We are once again delighted to be hosting the St Andrew’s Day Dinner at the Old Course and look forward to welcoming guests to this unique culinary experience.”

Scotch Lamb PGI and Specially Selected Pork will also enjoy a high profile on 4 November at the “Savour St Andrews” Chefs Taster Lunch which will take place in the Hall of Champions at the Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort and Spa.

Carol McLaren, QMS director of marketing and communications said: “The St Andrew’s day dinner is a truly unique event which sees a host of fantastic local chefs coming together to create a first-class gastronomic experience.

“Having a Scottish beef farmer speak, and then serving Scotch Beef PGI as the main course at this event, is a great opportunity to highlight the commitment of Scottish livestock farmers in producing a brand that offers world-leading levels of traceability, assurance and welfare standards as well as superior quality and taste.”

For more information, inspiration and delicious Scotch Beef recipes visit www.theScotchKitchen.com or visit us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @ScotchKitchen. For information on foodie events in St Andrews, visit www.SavourStAndrews.com.

Focus on liver fluke at Lochaber Monitor Farm meeting

The effective control of liver fluke in sheep will be the focus of the next Lochaber Monitor Farm meeting on Thursday 1 November.

Chris and Malcolm Cameron run the 1,200-hectare Strone Farm, Lochaber’s monitor farm, near Fort William. They have seen liver fluke in their sheep for many years and, like many farmers in the area, are keen to minimise its effects in their flock of 550 North Cheviot ewes.

Understanding liver fluke

At the meeting on the 1 November, Matthew Colston, a ruminant technical consultant from ELANCO Animal Health, will give an overview of the problems liver fluke can cause in sheep and highlight practical steps farmers can take to minimise production losses from the parasite.

Matthew will also lead a discussion on the various fluke treatments available for both chronic and acute fluke infections in sheep and will be joined by Mairi Thom from Crown Vets, who will explain how sheep farmers can test for fluke in their own flocks.

The main aim of the meeting is to focus the group on the benefits of strategic fluke testing which will ultimately result in better decision making.

“Establishing whether your farm has a liver fluke problem, using the right treatment product at the right time and managing your grazing tactically are all vital to effectively control fluke,” said Matthew.

“It is important for farmers to draw up a fluke control plan in conjunction with their vet or sheep advisor as each farm and time of year brings different fluke risks.”

Six local farms in the Lochaber area, including Strone, are involved in a small trial to try and find the incidence of liver fluke in sheep in the area.

They have started collecting faecal samples from small groups of lambs from their 2018 crop.

These samples will be screened in the laboratory for the presence of fluke eggs and the results analysed in time for the meeting on the 1 November.

The same lambs will also have a more complex Coproantigen ELISA test on their individual faecal samples. This second test is able to detect fluke infection around two to three weeks earlier than the standard faecal egg count method and will help determine the exact fluke status in the sheep from these six farms.

The results of the trial will be shared at the meeting and the group can discuss potential treatment strategies for the farms involved.

Earlier this year, the Camerons took on a tenancy of an extra 42ha of grazing land and some sheds just 11 miles from the home farm at Strone.

After discussion with the management group they decided to trial finishing all their own male lambs indoors intensively this year. The progress of the lambs, including their weights, has been monitored every two weeks over the summer and an update on their progress will be shared at the meeting.

The Lochaber Monitor Farm is one of nine monitor farms that have been established around Scotland in a joint initiative by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds. The aim of the programme, which is funded by Scottish Government, is to help improve the productivity, profitability and sustainability of Scottish farm businesses.

The meeting on 1 November will be held at Strone Farm and will begin at 11am and finish around 3.30pm. Lunch will be provided. To book your attendance (and lunch) please contact facilitators Niall Campbell or George Gauley on 01631 563093 or email fbsoban@sac.co.uk.

For more information about the monitor farm programme visit www.monitorfarms.co.uk