Irish salt moss aged beef, only available in Fermanagh, will soon be making its way to the plates of a Liverpool restaurant.

The owner of Antonio’s Bar & Grill in Liverpool, Tony Cummins, along with Jamie Wray (Ways to WoW), Michael Thomas (CDM Booker Group), and Shaun Scally (Linden foods Group) travelled to Ireland to source Ireland’s best-kept beef secret from Kettyle Irish Foods, Lisnaskea, and be introduced to Maurice Kettyle.

Tony explains: “The food and hospitality industry is continuously evolving. I want Antonio’s to stand for value and integrity; we don’t want to be stuck on a systematic conveyor belt which seeks quantity over quality.

“Our journey is taking us back to the roots; the core, you might say, of yesteryear, where produce wasn’t ‘perfect’, but it was right. We want to bring that back.

“We ensure every ingredient used in our dishes at Antonio’s is sourced with integrity and sustainability. It is in doing so that we ensure all of our dishes have a unique and personal history and a story to tell.”

In turning to Lisnaskea man Maurice Kettyle, Tony and his team found an acclaimed food producer with a resume like no other, working alongside some of the finest chefs and the most renowned restaurants across the globe from London to New York, perfecting his craft and creating a beef that is described as “the taste of yesteryear”.

Maurice believes his unique dry aged beef to be the world’s best, and this is why he decided to create his own new and unique salt moss chambers (caves), using handcrafted seaweed salt bricks, all pioneered and perfected by the in-house Kettyle experts, creating a one-of-a-kind taste.

The salt moss ageing process has an all-rounded, well-balanced flavour that is unique, with the process concentrating the flavour of the meat and rendering the fat to a dry flakiness.

Loins and ribs are cocooned, which relaxes the muscles to create an exquisitely tender eating experience.

“When hearing about Maurice’s incredible and pioneering produce, we knew we had to have this beef on our menu,” Tony said.

“The samples arrived two weeks prior to our trip and the rest was history. I have eaten beef all my life, and let me tell you, I love my food, especially a good steak.

“We had already created a great steak menu at the restaurant, winning us a multitude of awards and reviews. One would ask, why change? The answer is simple.

“This is a beef produced by a man with sustainability in mind – a man who has worked the lands from a young boy and is someone who has great respect for the people and the families that have nurtured the lands and its produce with love for generations.”

Antonio’s Bar and Grill offered a special thanks to Maurice Kettyle and his team for their hospitality during their visit, and thanks also to Booker Group and Linden Food Group for their support and development.