Northern Irish Farm Shop Focuses on Niche Meats

Bruces Hill Cattle Company, near Ballymena in County Antrim, is developing products from its herd of Belted – or ‘Beltie’ – Galloway cattle and also expanding into premium meat pies for both the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Bruces Hill Farm Shop is one of the biggest of its type in Northern Ireland, and gained six gold stars at the Great Taste Awards for its Dexter steaks.

Mike Frazer, owner of Bruces Hill Cattle Company, said, “Winning so many gold stars from such an expert judging panel in the Great Taste Awards and at the first attempt was a marvellous boost for the business. It also gives us a platform for growth in speciality meats with the traceability and provenance that consumers are increasingly seeking. All our meat comes directly from our own farms and is prepared by our own team of highly qualified butchers. It’s a real farm to fork operation.

“The Beltie meat is just as succulent as Dexter, for example, but it has a milder flavour. It’s already proving popular in the shop. We expect that it will be another success for the business particularly in Britain and the Republic of Ireland, the two markets we have targeted for growth over the next 12 months. We already have sales there for our Angus meat through our website,” he added.