What is better meat?

Since our humble beginnings the driving force behind Farmison & Co has been "eat better meat." The phrase was coined in the early days to articulate our mission, when our small team worked out of a bedroom office. The term's simplicity has always perfectly encapsulated our values. Quality meat, expertly butchered, from sustainable and ethical farms. In addition, provide a seamless customer experience and do right by our staff and suppliers. That's better meat, in a nutshell.

It's with pride we see this phrase increasingly used in the marketing of others. As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

However, it's the misuse of the term that causes us concern, and as we've seen in the past, the meat industry can be opaque. Better meat without being backed up could mean anything. Often you have to watch out for what a company isn't saying. We've built our own supply chain from scratch, so we know exactly what better meat means.

We dry-age our prime cuts to relax the grain of the meat and concentrate the flavour for the best cooking quality. Our Executive Development Chef Jeff Baker held a Michelin Star for over ten years. Jeff curates our range of food and develops new products in close partnership with our butchers. Our list of awards is long. We've scooped Best Online Butcher 3 times and were named the Countryside Alliance's Best Butcher, while numerous products have picked up awards for flavour. We have over 20,000 five star reviews, a number that's constantly growing. We supply some of the UK's top chefs and establishments and have a dedicated following on social media.

We are always free range. Legal definitions of free range vary by species, but our farms often far exceed minimum standards, with herds and flocks roaming huge upland Yorkshire pastures and allowed to exhibit natural behaviour. Animal welfare is paramount to flavour. We have rules in place about how long an animal can be on the road to slaughter, encouraging the use of local abattoirs. We source from small farms that specialise in heritage breeds, and that are local to us.

Our dedicated customer care team is on hand to help with advice, and make sure every order goes as smoothly as possible. On our website, we have chef-written recipes for every cut so you don't put a foot wrong at home. The launch of our shop Cut by Farmison & Co has given local customers access one of the largest butchery ranges in the world at their fingertips, with click and collect convenience.

Our marketing of rare and heritage breeds means we connect farmers with a growing market for this meat all over the country. We teamed up with the Galloway Breed Society to supply fabulous beef from the uplands of Northumbria to curious home cooks eager to discover this speciality.

The authenticity of our meat has always been vital to us. The British Isles has some of the finest livestock country in the world, and these pastures gave the world the bloodlines that now dominate the global herd. We need to move away from the mass husbandry that drives deforestation in the tropics and sees cheap meat imported to these shores, and back to a smaller herd with a focus on provenance and quality. We are world leaders in selling by breed across beef, lamb, pork, and venison. We have also pioneered the use of the wine term 'terroir' in relation to meat. That is, understanding how the complete natural environment of an animal contributes to its flavour and taste.

We source from a network of small, family farms, close to our Ripon base, primarily in the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors. Our farmers are specialists in raising heritage breeds on pasture the old-fashioned way, in balance with the environment. Our courier is carbon neutral and every delivery of our better meat is carbon offset. Our nose-to-tail policy means keeping wastage to an absolute minimum. Our saucepan ready range is one way we ensure less fashionable cuts - but no less in quality - can still be enjoyed by our customers.

This year, we've rolled out new QR codes on our packaging, that can be scanned with your smartphone to reveal more information about your product. Simply put the camera to the code, and follow the link.

From there, you'll be able to see the farm through video, find information about the breed and food miles, and download recipes written by Jeff Baker specifically for that cut. In short, our customers will be able to have complete oversight of where their food has come from their phones.