Beets for beef: Scottish maker creates flavour-enhancing hot sauce for Scotch Beef PGI

Fans of flavour and spice will be keen to get their hands on a brand new Scottish hot sauce specially designed for Scotch Beef – one of the country’s best-loved products – as it launches today.

Scotch Beets Hot Sauce has been created in a collaboration between award-winning hot sauce maker, Tom’s Sauces, and Scotch Beef. It represents an industry-first, as the first hot sauce designed specifically to be paired with Scotch Beef.

The sauce packs a flavour punch with a mouth-watering array of ingredients including Scottish beetroot, spicy Scotch Bonnet chillies and zesty and fresh ginger root. Red wine vinegar infused with fennel seeds adds a bold, rich and summery base, perfectly complimenting the velvety beetroot texture.

Adding the hot sauce to Scotch Beef enhances the meat’s natural flavour profile, which includes a rich, buttery depth and an earthy taste, and comes with the added guarantee that the beef is fully traceable, local and quality assured. The Scotch Bonnet chillies give a fiery heat while not overpowering the meat, balanced with the sweet and tangy flavours of ginger and garlic.

Scotch Beets Hot Sauce launches during a summer unlike any other, seeing family and friend get-togethers, several major sporting events, and staycations on the agenda. Top quality food is at the heart of it all, with the hot sauce providing the perfect companion for BBQ cookouts, parties and trips away, or for simply adding a twist to midweek meals.

Lesley Cameron, Director of Marketing and Communications at Quality Meat Scotland, the industry body that promotes Scotch Beef PGI, said: “In recent years, hot sauces have skyrocketed in popularity as the perfect way to elevate burgers, steaks, sandwiches and more.

“We thought it was about time Scotch Beef had a sauce befitting of its flavour, working with the incredible Tom’s Sauces to design Scotch Beets Hot Sauce – made from Scottish ingredients by Scottish suppliers.

“Adding just a drop of the sauce to your favourite Scotch Beef recipes opens a whole new dimension of flavour, becoming something of a secret weapon for home cooks. It really has to be tasted to be believed!”

Tom Green, head sauce maker at Tom’s Sauces, said: “Who said beetroot was boring? This was an exciting and creative challenge to showcase Scotch Beef PGI with a totally distinctive hot sauce which we’re sure customers will appreciate and enjoy.

“This partnership with Scottish producers has created a unique summer condiment rich in texture and flavour. Chuck the ketchup because this is your new favourite sauce.”

A limited number of bottles of Scotch Beets Hot Sauce will be available to purchase at Scotch Butchers Club butcher shops DH Robertson in Arbroath, Strachan Craft Butchers in Blantyre, Gloagburn Farm Shop in Tibbermore and Briggsy’s Quality Butcher in Jedburgh, with profits being donated to local charities.

Further bottles will be available through a giveaway on the Make It Scotch Instagram channel, @make.it.scotch.

For more information on Scotch Beef and Quality Meat Scotland, visit www.makeitscotch.com.  

Perfect serving suggestion

BBQ Scotch bavette steak served with Scotch Beets 

Raise the steaks and show your next BBQ a little Mexican flavour. Bavette steak is the tender and tasty hero of this fajita inspired recipe.

SERVES: 4

PREPARATION TIME: 30 MINS plus cooling and standing

COOKING TIME: 19 MINS

INGREDIENTS

·       4 corn on the cobs

·       35ml chilli flavoured oil

·       1 small red pepper, finely chopped

·       1 small orange pepper, finely chopped

·       1 small green pepper, finely chopped

·       1 small red onion, thinly sliced

·       4 tbsp reduced sugar sweet chilli sauce

·       Pinch Scottish sea salt

·       500g Scotch Beef Bavette Steak

·       2 tsp fajita seasoning

·       8 regular wholemeal tortilla wraps

METHOD

SALSA

1.     Half fill a large saucepan with water and bring to the boil.

2.     Add the sweetcorn and cook for 5 minutes until just tender. Drain and cool.

3.     Brush the corn lightly with 1 tbsp chilli oil and cook over hot coals for 3-4 minutes, turning, until blistered and lightly charred.

4.     Once cool, slice down the length of the cobs with a sharp knife to remove the kernels.

5.     Add the charred corn kernels to a bowl and toss in the peppers, onion, chilli sauce. Season to taste. Cover and chill until required.

STEAK

1.     Rub the steak all over with the remaining chilli oil, fajita seasoning and a little salt.

2.     Leave to stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Even better, wrap the steak and chill for 2 hours to allow flavours to develop further.

3.     Cook over hot coals for 12-15 minutes, turning, until cooked to medium/rare. Or, if you have individual steaks, cook these for 3-4 minutes on each side for medium/rare, and up to 5 minutes on each side for medium.

4.     Let the juices settle by leaving to stand for 5 minutes.

5.     Pop the halves of lime on the barbecue for a few seconds to lightly caramelise and set aside.

6.     Heat the wraps as recommended on the pack.

7.     Slice the beef then load up your wraps with beef and corn salsa and a generous drizzle of Scotch Beets

8.     Throw a wedge of lime on the side to drizzle over.

Nutritional Claims

·       Two of your five a day

·       High in protein – 40g per serving

·       Source of vitamin B12

Get creative for Pancake Day with Cats Protection’s easy recipe

Looking to add some cat-themed fun to your Pancake Day? Or would you simply like to give your breakfast some moggy magic? Then have a go at our pawsome pancakes, decorated to look like cute kitties. 

You could take inspiration from our designs or style your pancakes to look just like your own cat. Don’t forget to share photos of your creations with us on FacebookTwitter and Instagram, we’d love to see them!

Remember, these pancakes are for humans only. Don’t feed them to your cat!

Vegan Cat Pancake Recipe

Makes 16 pancakes

Ingredients:

  • 300g self-raising flour
  • 1tbsp sugar
  • 1tsp baking powder
  • 1tbsp vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt
  • 400ml plant-based milk
  • Vegetable oil for cooking
  • Toppings (strawberries, blueberries, bananas, vegan chocolate sauce, plant-based yoghurt)

Method:

  1. Mix together the flour, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt in a bowl.
  2. Gradually pour in the milk, whisking as you go, until a smooth batter forms.
  3. Add 1tbsp of oil to a non-stick pan and put it on medium-low heat.
  4. Add a couple of tablespoons of batter to the pan and shape it into a cat face (alternatively, you could make round pancakes and cut them into cat shapes later).
  5. Cook the pancake for 3-4 minutes, until the surface starts to bubble, then flip it over and cook for a further 2-3 minutes until it’s golden on both sides.
  6. Repeat the process, cooking your pancakes in batches until you’ve used up the batter. You may need to add a little more oil to the pan each time.
  7. Use your toppings to create cat faces on your pancakes. Don’t forget the eyes, nose, mouth, whiskers and ears!

Looking for more cat-themed baking inspiration? Discover our Kitty Bakes series of recipes over on our YouTube channel

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