Offal-ly Good

It’s inexpensive, full of flavour and goodness, and crying out to be used. Now making more of offal is being championed by EBLEX, which is predicting its renaissance in 2008.

Fashions come and fashions go and there was a time when braising hearts, casseroling liver and bacon, and pressing tongues were just some of the popular choices made by consumers. They found offal indispensable when it came to producing cheap but tasty dishes to eat at home.

Now the trend has gone full circle and the English Beef & Lamb Executive (EBLEX) believes the time has come for a revival in beef and lamb offal dishes as consumers make a return to those traditional dishes that offer distinctive flavours and textures.

Local sourcing, nutrient rich food, slow cooking and a conscious effort to reduce waste are affecting consumer choice, and EBLEX predicts these trends will help put offal back on the menu.

According to TNS World Panel data – October 2007, annual sales figures show that UK offal sales have risen in the past three years, and this growth is set to continue as offal features on more restaurant menus and in home cooked meals, with consumers now willing to try more speciality offal such as sweetbreads, fries, tripe and ox cheek.

EBLEX believes ox heart is set for a revival not only because of its flavour and succulence but its value for money in classic roasts and stews, while lamb's kidneys offer the mildest flavour with a distinctive texture which is perfect grilled or pan fried for speedy suppers.

Mo Herd of EBLEX says: "The increase in consumer demand is very positive and shows that such great tasting products are being used in more imaginative ways."

With the help of food writer and celebrity cook Sophie Grigson, the group is promoting these products. She is an offal enthusiast and, in her opinion, offal is going to be the "sushi of 2008". "So many people these days don't realise that offal is not only extremely delicious but can be a total bargain. It is one of the great neglected delicacies. Most types of offal are easy and quick to cook and work well not only in traditional British dishes, but also with the Mediterranean and Asian flavours that we love so much these days."

A special tasting menu using beef and lamb offal was put together by St John's Restaurant head chef Chris Gillard at the restaurant in Smithfield in London [see page67]. He says a lot of chefs throw the offal away but that "it's a chef's dream to play with such textures and flavours". "You get the whole animal and the offal is a bonus," he adds.

He says the restaurant has a good relationship with local suppliers and benefits from being so close to Smithfield meat market. He uses every part of the animal although he admitted that some products were difficult to come by such as lamb's tongues and brains.

The ox heart was a particularly undervalued piece of meat, he says. He explained how the outside of the heart had been trimmed, tubes removed, sliced thinly across the grain, marinated and then char grilled. With the stuffed lamb's hearts he took a different approach. These he stuffed with sage and onion, and wrapped them in bacon and braised them in a simple chicken stock.

To show different ways of serving tripe, it had been deep fried and served as a canapé before the meal and then braised as a main course.

The pastry for the beef and ox kidney pie was made with fresh suet – another by product of offal that is often just thrown away, says Gillard. Fresh suet was again used in the dessert which was spotted dick.

The braised oxtail was cooked in a similar way to the pie – braised in red wine and chicken stock.

Set to be the latest food trend for 2008, oxtail has already been making a steady comeback with slow food enthusiasts and restaurants, especially in the winter months. Generally sold cut into individual portions at the natural joint, it requires long, slow moist cooking – around three to four hours – to be transformed into tender meat with a rich, smooth flavour that literally falls off the bone.

Lamb's tongue is also becoming fashionable in some Michelin starred eateries with traditional recipes for cured, cold dishes, or the new trend of poached or sautéed recipes.

"We need to show there is a market for it. It matters to everyone," says Herd.

This article originally appeared in the Food Development Association's fd magazine

For more information on the FDA, go to www.fooddev.co.uk/homepage.asp

Text: Sheila Eggleston  Photography: EBLEX