Wagyu House, which launched on Monday (15 August), was officially opened by a host of world-class chefs.
French chef, Albert Roux OBE, was joined by Tom Kitchin, Pierre Koffman, Fred Berkmiller and Shaun Whatling to launch Wagyu House in Bridge of Allan, Stirlingshire.
The new high street store is the brainchild of the husband and wife, Mohsin Altajir and Martine Chapman, the team behind Highland Wagyu.
The outlet will cater specially for the local retail market and the hundreds of private UK customers on their books with Wagyu products ranging from £10 to £1,000 per kilo.
The boutique shop on Henderson Street offers a wide range of Wagyu products from nose to tail, including handmade charcuterie, gourmet burgers and pies as well as prime cuts of sirloin, fillet and rib and all grades of Wagyu beef - from high grade Japanese Kobe to lower grade Australian beef.
Albert Roux's Chez Roux restaurant at Cromlix House in Dunblane is currently supplied by the company, and alongside all the chefs who were present, he is a keen supporter of Highland Wagyu.
Fred Berkmiller, Pierre Koffman, Tom Kitchin, Albert Roux OBE and Shaun Whatling. Picture: Juilet Howden
Mohsin Altajir, owner of Wagyu House which has sold more than a tonne of Wagyu beef since it started trading at the beginning of June, said: “When we set up Highland Wagyu five years ago we knew chefs would be interested, but we didn’t anticipate such an overwhelming demand from the private market. We want to bring Wagyu to the masses and let people know about its different grades with different tastes. There is Wagyu to suit every taste bud and every pocket.”
Martine Chapman, who runs Dunblane-based Highland Wagyu, the UK’s largest producer of the Japanese beef cattle, said: “We wanted to keep everything local. Bridge of Allan is literally on our doorstep so we can oversee every aspect to ensure quality every step of the way, and the main suppliers of beef are bred and processed within a five-mile radius.”
Edinburgh-based chef and the Scotsman's Food Pioneer award winner Fred Berkmiller, who was one of Highland Wagyu's first customers, said: "Highland Wagyu has everything i am looking for when buying product to serve in my restaurants , we have bought beef carcasses for just under 5 years now to fit our nose to tail policy and we are now buying Wagyu beef charcuterie for the Bar a Vin on Queensferry Street. It is one of most exquisite beef available in the UK and no doubt will be in the lead of the industry very soon .
It is great to see that Maison Wagyu is offering the product to private buyers and that it is not only available to the trade. "
Dishes made with Wagyu will be available daily for takeaway while customers can also sit down to taste samples.
Patrons can even select the number of days to dry age their beef in the store’s two drying agers, which use Himalayan rock salt for the process.
• An online shop is also in development, in the meantime, orders for Wagyu House products can be placed on wagyuhouse.co.uk
