By Kayley Kennedy
Photos: Rob Haining

WHEN you think of Wagyu beef, it’s often the beer-fed, daily-massaged bovine breed from Japan producing a fat-enriched, and often over-priced, steak that comes to mind.
But there’s a delicatessen in the town of Bridge of Allan that’s putting all those previous assumptions to rest. 
The team at Wagyu House – the add-on delicatessen to the Highland Wagyu cattle company run by husband and wife duo, Mohsin Altajir and Martine Chapman, and shop manager Marie Claire James – is out to prove that Wagyu beef is affordable for all.
The deli sits on Henderson Street in the bustling Stirlingshire town, in a corner shop front which recently underwent a tremendous transformation to welcome its new audience. 
But it’s not just the shop surroundings that are out to impress, as when you step in the door you’re hit with the sight of a fridge full of prime cuts, sandwich meats and speciality Scottish cheeses, as well as a warm welcome from those on the other side of the counter. 
It’s a vision that has taken five years to come in to fruition, as Mohsin explains: “When we came here five years ago we couldn’t find a steak that was good enough so thought we should try producing our own.
“We started off with a small herd of Wagyu and a number of embryos, and now cross the Wagyu to our Aberdeen-Angus and Beef Shorthorn herds, a combination that works very well and offers a cheaper, cross cut for our customers.”
For those looking for a pure-bred, or full-blood as Mohsin calls it, Wagyu steak, a sirloin steak will set you back around £75 while the cross-bred equivalent will cost around the £40 mark. 
But it’s worth pointing out that these are so rich in flavour that a steak would easily split between two, making it all the more affordable.
It’s not just the prime cut steaks that are on offer at Wagyu House, however, as the team as developed a number of sandwich meats, including pastrami, salami, bresaola and cecina, as well as a chorizo-type sausage that is more like a paste or pate, and great on toast. 
There’s also a large selection of braising cuts to add that extra depth of flavour to stews and casseroles. 
If it’s traceability you’re after, it doesn’t come much better than this as the five-year fertilisation to steak process sees cattle born five miles from the shop and taken for processing to Scotbeef on the outskirts of Bridge of Allan before they’re offered for sale – traceability and a low carbon footprint to boot!
Mohsin added: “What we can do and produce, as a nation, is second to none and what we’re doing at Highland Wagyu is, I believe, producing the best beef in the country – even the consort of Japan couldn’t tell the difference between our Wagyu and the original Wagyu from Japan.”
These thoughts are echoed by a number of top chefs the length and breadth of Britain as Highland Wagyu can be found in selection of hotels in London and is a favourite of Scottish chef, Tom Kitchin, as well as Adam Newth who was recently crowned Young Scottish Chef of the Year at the CIS Excellence Awards. 
If you want to get your hands on some Wagyu, there will be a huge array of produce up for grabs at the Royal Highland Show, but you better be quick as, last year, the Highland Wagyu stand was cleared out before the third day was out!

So, how does it taste?

The lovely team at Wagyu House provided a ribeye steak for sampling, and while a ribeye will always be my steak of choice, wagyu or no wagyu, the taste of this particular cut was pretty darn special.
Cooked on a medium heat for four minutes either side – with no oil or seasoning as it doesn’t require either – and allowed to rest for a couple minutes, the first thing you notice is how easily the knife slices through.
This follows through to the taste test and, to be honest, I’ve never had a steak quite like it – it’s so rich and full of flavour, almost like a slice of roast beef, and the fat marbling makes it so tender that it melts in the mouth.
What Mohsin says really is true – you won’t find beef like it.

Check out the rating on Trip Advisor.

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g551845-d8615290-Reviews-No_16_Deli-Bridge_of_Allan_Stirling_Scotland.html