Last December for Children in need we decided to do our bit here at Donald Russell by holding a raffle.
The most coveted prize by far was to have dinner cooked for one of us and five friends by our very own Head Chef Stefan using Donald Russell products.

Everyone wanted the sought after “Star Prize” and after a mad rush to buy tickets it was a member of our Customer Service team Sandra Stewart who won this great evening.

Stefan and Liz went along a few weekends ago to Sandra’s house and really showed off some skills in the kitchen providing a fantastic meal for all six of the party.

The feast began with “Perfect canapé” of Queen Scallops on their shells which were roasted with garlic and herbs and served with a tomato and bacon vinaigrette. This was very well received and set the evening off with a bang!

Further to the canapés the guests settled down to the starter of warm cod and langoustine salad with bacon crisps. All of the guests were won over by the delicious starter and although it was a dish they would not normally order when out it was met by rave reviews. All of the diners said they “want to try it again” and the dressing really pulled the starter together giving it a resounding thumbs up. Stefan also showed Sandra how to make the perfect bacon crisps to accompany this divine starter and I am sure she will be trying this again!

For the main course Stefan and Liz cooked a classic ribeye Roast with sauce Béarnaise, potato rolls and seasonal vegetables. The meat was tender and juicy and the Béarnaise sauce really set this great cut off (Stefan recommends you use a blend of tarragon, parsley and shallot!). Stefan opted for “Macaire Potatoes” which is a combination of mashed potato, onion, bacon and egg yolk. The mixture was then formed into rolls and placed into the oven to be crisped up. – Even the humble potato was given a five star makeover.

Dessert came as welcome sweet treat – Fruit crumbles, (from our new dessert range) served with delicious homemade custard. Liz wowed all the guests with the prefect custard, showing that if made in advance it takes the same time to heat up as shop bought varieties.

We are all hoping this years Children in Need will bring another prize to rival this one and I for one will be first in line to buy my ticket!
With everyone here at Donald Russell donating generously we managed to raise just over £500 and are ready to beat that total this year!

With food this delicious charity has never tasted so good!

Talk soon

Gourmet Butcher,

Hi everyone,

I’m Sandy Wyllie and my current position of Portion Butchery Manager gives me responsibility for every aspect of your orders – From the butcher’s table to your presentation box.

I have been working for Donald Russell for 24 years and really do believe there is no room for compromise when it comes to the meat we produce here!

This week we managed to get Head chef Stefan out of the kitchen and down to the Butchery hall where the two of us were hard at work on two new developments.

What are the new products I hear you asking….

Well you will have to keep your eyes on the blog and website for further details!

Now I have got my first blog post under my belt (Phew!!) I will be in more regular contact with you all and remember you can always ask any butchery related questions here via our blog,

Talk soon,
Sandy

Hi all,

Thought we would write a quick post about the awards ceremony our Director, Financial controller, Head Chef and our Marketing Manager attended last night.

The prestigious event “Scotland Food and Drink Excellence Awards 2010” was held at the Benromach Distillery on the outskirts of Forres, Morayshire.

The organisers aim is clear – To really put Scotland on the map in terms of food and drinks. They believe that Scotland is “A land of food and drink” and the efforts of the producers should be recognised.

There were a total of forty-five companies shortlisted for the awards this year. With an Edinburgh based brewer beating us at the final hurdle with their tasty Oak Ages Beers.

We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate them on their success and a further well done as they also went on to win the Drinks (Alcohol and Non-Alcoholic) category, Business of the year and International Business of the year!

We were very pleased to be nominated for the exciting “Product innovation of the year” for our delicious new range of cheesecakes and our individual fruit crumbles which we are all really proud of!

It took lots of development trials before we had our final recipe – Which of course had to meet the same exacting standards as our award winning meat but we really think they are exquisite!

They enjoyed a Champagne reception followed by dinner.

Talk soon,

Hi there,
Below you will see an image taken during the last photo shooting session.

It's magic!

It was quite hard work to nail a product onto the wall and make it look that good! Jokes aside....The image is just flipped - That picture was an accident taken just before I had time to turn my "Best side" to the camera. I don't know what looks better though...The Pork Rib roast or me!

See you all soon unless Vogue comes calling!
Stefan