UYEN LUU - Key Persons

Donald Russell had been a favourite of mine after they supplied an event I participated in, at Henley Royal Regatta a few years ago. Whenever I hear that Donald Russell's produce is on offer, I would jump to order it because it is good. I mean it is really really good! Here was a chance for me to have a masterclass in butchery and this opportunity wasn't going to be missed. They supply to top chefs and restaurants like Marco Pierre White and Le Gavroche. When I went into their offices, immediately I saw a poster of the Swiss supermarket, Migros, which brought back a ton of good memories as I was commuting in and out of Zurich for 7 years of my life in my twenties (due to a long distance relationship) and always loved the meat they had. I remember thinking, if only supermarkets in London would supply its customers with such good quality meat and spent many hours planning dinner parties over the meat counter.

Turns out, Hans Baumann (Managing Director) from Switzerland was employed to set up Donald Russell by a Mr Donald, a gentleman farmer with his own slaughter house and a Mr Russell a supplier of the meat. Hans ran the old round Swiss Centre with the Swiss clocks in Leicester Square back in the day of the late 80s, when we were buying posters from Athena. This was how Donald Russell eventually came to supply the wonderful supermarket Migros with its beautiful tasting meats. I met the charming Hans over tea at the Donald Russell head quarters and he loved that I remembered the Swiss Centre and knew much about his native country and had unknowingly enjoyed and desired his produce way before I knew what Donald Russell was. As a typical Swiss, Hans was all about quality. It was no wonder that he had turned Donald Russell into a brand with a Royal warrant. What does the Queen usually order I queried. "It is not for us to disclose", he chuckled. "In Switzerland, we would cut everything according to the different parts of the cow", says Hans. "But when you came to Scotland, people could cut meat with a chain saw!" Hans Baumann then applied new rules of cutting meat, sending butchers to France and Switzerland to train. "We dare to cut and trim how it should be to bring out the best. We dare to charge more for it, make less profit for more quality. We dare to do what we believe to make the best steak." So why are Donald Russell products so good, I asked? "We take two steps further than anyone else, we cut more off for more enjoyment. We take all the muscles off, the chain and silver skin. We were the first to go and say that we have to mature meat for 28 days and others follow our example."

Stefan is also a Swiss man who experiments in his kitchen: ways to make the ready meals taste delicious and homemade. He tells me stories about how he has painstakingly experimented with ingredients because when they have to be frozen and stored over a certain period, then they change so he has to understand all these elements. He uses chicken thighs for his chicken curries because the meat is moist and tender. He rejects the nation's love affair with chicken breast, commonly used in curries. This raised his kudos by miles and just goes to show how Donald Russell is a leader in good taste! I tried the entire range, from the canape quiches to pork pies, beef wellington and curries and fell in love. I need to buy myself a bigger freezer so I can stock up on dinners. It is highly recommended. Thank you to Liz Webb who looked after me for two days. My wonderful stay at Mal Maison. It was wonderful to meet Hans and Stefan and all those charming Scotsmen at the butchery. I will take what I have learned from Donald Russell to choose better cuts of meat. It is for sure that I will only shop at a supermarket as a last resort. Donald Russell also kindly supplied beef, pork belly and prawns at my recent event at Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. (another post to follow).