About Highlands
Today's consumer prefers lean, premium meat, and the Highland beef is ideally suited to meet this demand. Highland beef is meat that is lean, well marbled and flavorful with little outside waste fat (they are insulated by long hair rather than a thick layer of fat).
Highland and Highland crosses have graded in the top of their respective classes at the prestigious National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colorado. In the British Isles, Highland beef is recognized as the finest available and fetches premium prices. The British Royal family keeps a large herd of Highlands at Balmoral Castle, near Braemar, Scotland, and considers them their beef animal of choice.
- Adapted from the American Highland Cattle Association
What is Highland Premium Beef?
Highland (sometimes called Scottish Highland) is a distinct breed of cattle that are generally smaller than Angus and unique in their looks because of their long hair and horns. It is one of the oldest purebred cattle breeds in the world, extremely hardy and first developed on the cold north Atlantic coast of Scotland.
Highlands require little in the way of shelter, feed supplements, or expensive grain to achieve and maintain good condition. Cold weather and snow have little effect on them. They are raised as far north as Alaska and the Scandinavian countries. They also adapt well to more southerly climates with successful herds as far south as Texas and Georgia.
These cattle are excellent browsers, able to clear a brush lot with speed and efficiency. Despite long horns and an unusual appearance, Highlands are even-tempered, bulls as well as cows.
| Cut | Fat (g) | Cholesterol (mg) | Protein (g) | Iron (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pure Highland Rump | 4.2 | 48.5 | 22.4 | 2.0 |
| MAFF ALL Beef Rump | 13.5 | 63 | 18.9 | 2.3 |
| Pure Highland Shoulder | 4.7 | 42.6 | 20.6 | 2.2 |
| MAFF ALL Beef Shoulder | 10.6 | 63 | 21.6 | 1.9 |
| Pure Highland Sirloin | 7.1 | 37 | 21.8 | 2.3 |
| MAFF ALL Beef Sirloin | 22.8 | 60 | 16.6 | 2.1 |
| Pure Highland ALL Cuts | 4.5 | 40.9 | 20.6 | 2.1 |
| MAFF ALL Cuts | 15.6 | 64.3 | 18.8 | 2.0 |
Highland premium beef is beef that comes from Highland cattle that is superior in flavor, tenderness and cooking.
Scientific tests carried out on Guaranteed Pure Highland Beef by the Scottish Agricultural College - the National College for Food, Land and Environmental Studies - demonstrate convincing evidence that GPHB is significantly lower in Fat and Cholesterol, and higher in Protein and Iron than other beef.
The data below is from a study done by food scientists at SAC led by Dr Ivy Barclay, Head of the Food Science & Technology Department which compared Pure Highland Beef cuts to all beef cuts published by McCance & Widdowson* At the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food (MAFF).
* The composition of Foods, McCance & Widdowson, MAAF