Stefan, what’s your background?
My background is somewhat unconventional and varied. I come from a gastro-family and spent much of my formative years working in restaurants in Worcestershire. My mum was a chef and my dad a restaurant manager. From there, I went to Cambridge, where I graduated with a degree in Modern Languages, and spent some time in Germany working in Brand PR. My next step was into the world of international supermarkets – I most recently ran a buying and sourcing team with the leading international supermarket chain, Lidl. I sourced food from across Europe and the world for UK and Irish supermarket shelves.
Describe Meat Porter in 5 words…
Restaurant-quality meat to your door.
What is your aim at Meat Porter?
Meat Porter is an online artisan butcher, sourcing and delivering high quality fresh meat to your door. We source from the same producers as top London restaurants, guaranteeing you that gourmet experience every time you dine. Build your own box from scratch from a selection of premium and everyday cuts. With our rapid 24-hour turnaround, get a box delivered to your door tomorrow…
How do you differ from other delivery services?
If you order by midday, we’ll delivery to you tomorrow. We don’t dictate a delivery day for you. All of our meat is fresh – it has not been pre-frozen – and will arrive with you chilled in a recyclable box. We will even deliver orders on Saturdays at a small additional cost. If you have a barbecue, a dinner party, or just want to cook great meat, we don’t want you to have to plan weeks in advance.
How do you source your meat?
I use a similar approach to top restaurants. The taste of the meat is paramount. It should taste like meat and not need work to cook it. We source the best meat for your kitchen at home. Our key motivator is sourcing top restaurant-quality cuts and delivering to your front door. We source much of our meat from a number of third and fourth generation specialists based in Smithfield, London – Smithfield is Europe’s biggest meat and poultry market. We source from the same producers as many of London’s top restaurants, hotels and steakhouses, including some with coveted Michelin stars. All of our meat meets high welfare standards and traceability is guaranteed and available back to the farm. Much of our meat is British – occasionally we source abroad if seasonality, taste or quality dictates.
Where do you prepare the meat?
Our red meat – for example steaks and pork loin – is cut in-house at our hub and headquarters in Wandsworth, London. Our poultry, such as our duck and chicken breasts, are packed for us by our producers. All of our meat frequently undergoes stringent taste testing amongst the Meat Porter staff, as well as regular customers.
How do you deliver the meat, and where?
We distribute our meat across Great Britain; there are only a handful of Highlands postcodes that we are unable to serve. Our meat is distributed by a number of carefully chosen distribution partners that specialise in shipping perishable products. Our customers are able to track their orders from dispatch to door. We deliver to customers’ homes, but also encourage our customers to have orders delivered to their places of work. The boxes are discreet and very easy to carry.
How much are your boxes?
They range. We have a minimum order of £25. Standard delivery is free if you spend £50. Obviously, it depends what you are ordering! Ribeye steaks will cost you more than bacon!
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I see Meat Porter as the market leader in this kind of specialised home delivery service. I want to branch out into other key categories, where I still believe domestic consumers do not have access to the quality they deserve: charcuterie, cheese and more.
Which is your favourite meat?
I love lamb. I think it’s so versatile. Because it’s naturally sweet, it works so well with spices, but also with acidity. From culture to culture, it features. From tagines in Morocco, to British Sunday roasts with mint, from seared chops with Garam Masala, to flame-grilled with rosemary and honey. And the fat crisps up so well, too!
Now get 2 Free 8oz Rump Steaks and free delivery when you spend £50 or more onmeatporter.com,by entering the voucher code ‘2FREE50’, and follow Meat Porteron Facebook andTwitter…