A Halloween feast with meats to die for from your local wholesale butcher
At your local wholesale butcher IMS of Smithfield, there is nothing we enjoy more than helping both our wholesale and private clients pick out the perfect meats for their events. Whether you are hosting an intimate dinner for four or your restaurant is fully booked for the rest of the week, we have the skills and knowledge to support you with not only choosing the right meat but how to pair and accompany with complementary dishes and (most importantly) how much you will need to serve your guests and leave them full to bursting!
Halloween is the day when the ghosts and the witches come out. It is the time when our children are out trick-or-treating for sweets. It is also the perfect time for adults to get glammed up in their most elegantly beautiful outfits and attend the perfect Halloween Banqueting event hosted by hotels and restaurants alike. Caterers need to pull out all the stops to provide incredible meals with the best cut meats and endless choices available, and of course, they will want to provide the highest quality of meat possible to all guests. This is where IMS of Smithfield can support. In our blog this month, we discuss all things Halloween and how you can choose the perfect meats to match your event, the season and wow your attendees.
Themed banqueting events celebrating Halloween in style
We all love a themed banqueting event. The decoration, the costumes and of course the exquisite food all fit well together in order to create the perfect evening. It’s no secret that our nation loves the idea of lavish banquets with beautiful food, great drink and a glamorous evening. Whilst you may have the theme and the decorations to hand, it can be a little more tricky to choose the perfect menu to complement your theme and where to get your high quality produce from.
To cater to your entire guest list, you will have to carefully consider a range of options, including allergies, dietary requests, and religious foods. At IMS of Smithfield, we can cater our meats to all, including kosher and halal meats.
The best meats for spooky beef stews and creepy chicken casseroles
There is an art to creating succulent beef stews and casseroles that keep its juiciness and flavour from creating to serving. Stews and casseroles are generally more of a slow-cooked dish, and you, therefore, need meat that is able to withstand being in the pot for a considerable amount of time without going dry or flavourless. Choose the best cuts of meat from your local wholesale butcher with our handy hints and tips:
Some of the best cuts of beef meat for your stew or casserole:
- Chuck – from the cow’s upper front section, this meat cut is lean and can therefore be pretty tough. Perfect for slow cooking but not so great for grilling.
- Rib – often where ribeye steak is cut from, a juicy and flavourful section of the cow. If you use the ribs, pan-sear, cook in the oven or on the grill for a beautiful dish.
- Round – another slightly tougher section of the cow, the round is great for slower cooking at lower temperatures to really bring out the taste.
- Flank – so flavoursome and not to be missed, the flank is often compared to a ribeye (when cooked correctly). Pan fry or grill for that fantastic flavour to seep out.
There are, of course, other meats you can use in your favourite winter dish, including chicken, pork, sausages – just about any meat type, to be honest!
These meats are hardworking muscles that can be tough and benefit significantly from long and slow cooking that yields the most incredible results. For a rich, flavourful dish that wows your guests, you will get results with the above best cuts of meat every time.
Some of our favourite recipes for you to try in your catering kitchen or at home
Muffin topped beef winter stew
Beautiful lamb cuts to die for from IMS of Smithfield
Lamb – when cooked correctly, it can be a succulent meat dish that many people enjoy. A true lamb cut is from a sheep under a year old and their meat marketed in the year of their birth. The older the sheep, the stronger and tougher the meat tends to be.
You should always purchase your lamb from a source local and trusted. When you choose to purchase from a local wholesale butcher like IMS of Smithfield, you will be able to find out much more about the meat, including where it has come from, how it was reared and how it was slaughtered. Being able to trace your meat back to the field is becoming more and more crucial to all who support the humane treatment of animals both during their lives and when they are slaughtered.
At IMS of Smithfield, we work incredibly closely with our farmers and suppliers to ensure that we not only have the best meat to offer but that it has been reared in a sustainable and humane way. It is for this reason that we are a leading butcher to many hotels and restaurants throughout London.
Amazing dishes that will have your restaurant banqueting event fully booked:
You may also be interested in:
IMS of Smithfield – your London restaurant group meat supplier
Why IMS of Smithfield should be top of your meat wholesaler list in 2021
The latest food trends in 2021 and what you need to know
Frightfully fresh meats from your favourite IMS of Smithfield butcher every time
If you are getting ready to host your big night (or week) and you need a choice of perfectly cut meat, why not pay a visit to IMS of Smithfield, or give us a call, and we can provide you with the advice, guidance and of course the meat, to make your event a scarily successful event.