Emble Beef
Slow-grazed Northumbrian pastoral provenance
Our animals only eat what we grow here, we can speak with confidence to their provenance.
Wine makers like to talk about terroir, the Scots like to talk about dualchas (‘doo-al-chus’) - all describing how specific natural environments, heritage and traditions shape the unique taste and character of produce from that place.
Our beef has that.
It starts in the hills…
We farm in the traditional way. We focus on traditional beef breeds from traditional herds born up in the hills, and bring them along the traditional route to the coast where they thrive.
…down to the sea
Our coastal pasture spans our farms at Embleton and North Sunderland. We have resown our grass fields with lots of species of grasses, herbs and legumes to give our cattle a very diverse diet outdoors. We call this ‘forage’.
Our cattle only eat what we grow here
We only feed what we grow on our land. We know exactly what our cattle are eating and do not supplement or bulk up their diets. We let them grow at a slow and natural rate, eating only high-quality homegrown forage and silage. Just as ‘you are what you eat’, so are our cattle.
Did you know? It’s common practice to feed cattle by-products from the human supply chain to quickly add bulk and accelerate growth. These include highly processed bread and other baked goods, root vegetables, and poor quality, high-carb supplements. That doesn’t happen here.
When our cattle come inside for the winter, we feed them silage along with ensiled oats, barley, lucerne (aka alfalfa), vetch and yet more grasses.
We estimate that every mouthful of our silage is made up of between 20 and 25 species of grasses, legumes and herbs.
Just as we need diversity in our diets, so do cattle. Cattle are the kings and queens of fermentation so we do our best to turbo charge their tummies, enabling them to break down all the goodness in their forage, boosting their strength, energy and overall health.
Slow grazed, slow grown
Our cattle aren’t rushed along, the meat has the marbling that speaks to its unforced maturity.
What is marbling?
Marbling refers to intramuscular fat. The white flecks you see within the lean muscle (the meaty part of your steak), rather than the layers of fat on the outside of your cut, or between the muscles (intermuscular).
Why does it matter?
Beautiful marbling is what gives the meat its deep, rich flavour, tenderness, and a melt in the mouth finish.
Natural and unhurried maturation results in smooth, even and fine flecks of intramuscular fat, or marbling. Forced and accelerated growth, on the other hand, can lead to animals storing thick layers of external, intermuscular fat. And that is the key difference.
As the finely marbled fat melts, it spreads delicious flavour, locks in moisture for juiciness, as well as tenderising the texture, influencing every aspect of the experience.
Where can I try Emble beef?
We are proud to supply some top independent and family butchers, including The Herd in Seahouses, Nicholsons of Whitley Bay and Lidgates, London.
The Herd, Seahouses
The Herd was established in 2025 in Seahouses, a seaside village that neighbours our land.
Harriet and Dan Whitelaw come from farming stock and, along with their head butcher, Harvey, have dived into the butchery trade with great enthusiasm and are smashing it.
They take our beef from nose to tail. We are very keen to work with butchers who are able to take the whole animal, nothing is wasted and customers are encouraged to try new cuts. It’s not all about sirloins and rump steaks - you must try their Emble short ribs!
Lidgates, Kensington
Danny Lidgate is the fifth generation Lidgate to run C Lidgate, founded in 1850. Located on Holland Park Avenue in Kensington, the business is universally recognised as London’s oldest and best master butcher.
We’ve built a close relationship with Danny and his team, led by Stephen Owen in the shop. They pride themselves on only selling the best of the best from UK producers and routinely win awards for their products, including with our beef, which was awarded three stars in Great Taste 2026.
If you’re in London, stopping by their very busy shop is a memorable experience, you’ll probably see an off duty celeb, and if you mention Emble, you will get a meaningful nod from behind the counter.
Image: Nicholsons, with kind permission
Nicholsons, Whitley Bay
Nicholsons is a stand out name in Northumberland butchery. Kathryn Meadows (nee Nicholson) is the fourth Nicholson to run the marvellous shop on Park View.
She frequently hosts butchery evenings in the shop where customers come and try their hand. We love to come along and talk about where Nicholson beef comes from and help make that vital connection between eating, farming and growing.
“We believe great steak starts long before it reaches the butcher’s block. It starts with good farming, high welfare standards, and careful maturation. We know that’s what we are getting from Emble - beautifully marbled, flavour-packed steaks that we are proud to put our name to.”
- Kathryn Meadows