Rhug Estate recently welcomed one of the world’s most respected chefs, Clare Smyth MBE, to the Estate near Corwen, Denbighshire, to show her around the farm which supplies her restaurant, Core by Clare Smyth, in Notting Hill, London.
Clare Smyth is the first, and only, British female chef to hold three Michelin stars in the UK and only the fourth British chef in history to receive the honour. She is the owner of Core by Clare Smyth in London which achieved a perfect 10 and the highest ever new entry in the Good Food Guide in 2019 and has also been awarded the top accolade of five AA rosettes.
Rhug Estate supplies venison to Core restaurant, which has an emphasis on natural sustainable food sourced from the UK’s most dedicated farmers and food producers.
Lord Newborough, owner of Rhug Estate, said, “It is an absolute pleasure to work with Clare and her team. It was wonderful and inspiring to be able to show Clare around the farm. We regularly invite head chefs and aspiring chefs to visit us to find out more about what goes into creating the delicious organic meat we produce here on the farm. We are delighted to be able to call some of the best places to eat around the world our customers and the purpose of the visit is two-fold. The chefs enjoy coming to the farm to learn more about how the organic meat is produced and we enjoy talking to them about the amazing dishes they create with our fabulous organic meat.”
Clare Smyth commented, “We have a lot of pride in working with Rhug Estate knowing the hard work and immense care they put towards looking after their animals and the land they depend on. They’re dedicated farmers who share the same values as us in sustainability, organic farming and animal welfare. We’re happy to be able to share their story with our guests.”
Rhug Estate has been supplying many of the top restaurants and hotels in London for over 20 years with organic lamb, salt marsh lamb, beef, chicken, game and more recently venison reared on the estate. Top chefs recognise Rhug as a strong, well-recognised Michelin star brand, which offers unrivalled security of provenance.
Renowned for its unusual herd of Bison, Rhug ‘bucked’ the trend in 2018 with the introduction to the farm of a herd of Deer. The demand for venison meat is growing year on year. Its popularity is due to the fact that it is a very healthy meat to eat, being higher in Omega 3, essential vitamins, minerals. Venison is significantly lower in fat than other meats and it commands a wonderful flavour that people love. The tender light flavour of venison meat is a chef’s ultimate dream.
Lord Newborough concluded, “The superior quality of Rhug’s products speak for themselves but I do firmly believe that having chefs visit our farm is essential in order to explain how we use sustainable farming practices to produce our high-quality meats. Organic farming is all to do with adopting the highest standards of animal welfare and removing stress in the production cycle, this produces the highest quality meat.”
