Buying beef

You also want meat that’s well-marbled

There are two important things to look for when you’re choosing your beef. Let’s start with the colour of the meat. Look for meat that is a deep, rich, dark red, rather than bright crimson.

You also want meat that’s well-marbled with fat. Look at the meat and you should see little streaks of fat visible in the beef; this is a good sign. These fine strands of fat will both flavour and moisten the beef as it cooks, so that it doesn’t dry out.

When you’re buying expensive cuts such as steaks or a nice joint for a roast, don’t forget to find out how long the beef has been hung for. A good butcher will always know as the maturing process called hanging makes a real difference to the flavour of the meat.