Scotland’s next generation of rugby talent have swapped the pitch for the kitchen to learn all about the benefits of top British-produced red meat.
The up-and-coming rugby players learned about the important role red meat plays as part of a healthy, balanced diet.
They learned tips on nutrition from leading chef Scott Lyall, who covered some essential kitchen skills and examples of Scotch Beef PGI dishes.
The meat is only sourced from selected Scottish farms that adopt best practice regarding animal welfare and production methods.
The young players then went head-to-head to replicate these PGI dishes, building skills such as knife work, food preparation and portion control all while delivering a tasty, top quality dish.
It is part of the first of four ‘Red Meat Cookery and Nutrition’ events, delivered in partnership between the Scottish Rugby Academy and Quality Meat Scotland (QMS).
Jennifer Robertson, Health & Education Manager for QMS, said: “We’re really proud to support the FOSROC Scottish Rugby Academy students’ education, with the knowledge helping fuel performance on the pitch while ensuring that off the pitch they can perform just as well in the kitchen.
“Including red meat as part of a balanced diet has a huge amount of nutritional benefits, acting as a key source of protein as well as essential minerals such as zinc.
“Combining this with top quality, local ingredients such as Scotch Beef PGI means that you can be confident your meat has come from trusted Scottish farms with a commitment to producing the best ingredients.”
Tom Coughlin, Scottish Rugby Performance Nutritionist, added: “Within our age-grade nutrition curriculum it’s extremely important to develop the practical skills alongside a solid knowledge base.
“Eating well on a budget is one of our core modules and this was a perfect opportunity to work with QMS and chef Scott Lyall.”
