‘First and foremost, it’s about the product,’ Ian Warren tells me. ‘Working with such a large network of farmers means we’re always able to pick the best cattle. We won’t deal with someone just because they can supply us with fifty cows. If we only want to pick four from their farm, that’s what we’ll have, but we’ll always pay a premium for it. Obviously, we’ll hang the meat correctly and we use different ageing techniques depending on the cut, but what my dad always says is that if it isn’t right at the start, it’ll never be. That’s why we’re constantly looking to source the best.’

The Warrens’ location in the northeast of Cornwall between Bodmin Moor and Dartmoor plays a large part in the quality of their cattle, but it also helps them maintain a sustainable farming model. ‘The nature of the ground and the slightly warmer climate we’ve got down here really suits our style of farming. Everyone goes on about regenerative agriculture but most of our farmers are farming land which can only house livestock, and they can only rear relatively small numbers per acre. None of our farmers have feedlot cattle; our cattle grow as old as they can before their slaughter because they’re slower-grown traditional animals. A lot of the meat sold in the big supermarkets is from fourteen-month-old bull cattle that have been grown as fast as possible to get good yields. Our model is completely different and much more sustainable.’

Whilst the high quality and sustainable nature of Philip Warren’s meats is the main draw for restaurants, their personal and bespoke service is a big factor too. Chefs regularly travel down to Cornwall to get an insight into the process and Ian will often work with them to develop new cuts (‘For me it’s all about maximising the carcass as best I can’). The ageing process is equally collaborative, with input coming from both chef and butcher in terms of the length of time required to get the best out of the meat. ‘We will do anything beyond the standard twenty-eight days of ageing’, explains Ian, ‘but personally I don’t think it often needs to go beyond thirty-five days. It can, of course, but the benefits are minor in my opinion.’

Regular customers were able to benefit from a similarly bespoke service during the Coronavirus when Philip Warren launched its ‘On The Pass’ range to combat the closure of restaurants. ‘It all came about because we had nearly half a million quid’s worth of stock hanging in our fridge and we didn’t know how we were going to sell it all,’ says Ian. ‘The idea was to target customers who would’ve eaten in those restaurants and sell them the bespoke products which would normally be served there. A fifty-day aged rib wouldn’t normally sell in the shop day-to-day but for the people out there who normally like going to places like Brat, it gave them the chance to carry on having it. Our head butcher would call them and ask them exactly how they wanted it cut and if people wanted it to be left to age for another three weeks, that wasn’t a problem. People really liked feeling that they were going to be the chef for a bit.’

It’s this level of attention that Ian and his team of butchers pay to every cut of meat being used by chefs and customers, combined with the company’s willingness to pay farmers premium prices for high-quality, sustainable produce, that makes them truly stand out from the crowd.

philipwarrenbutchers.co.uk