SCOTLAND RUGBY stars Fraser Brown and Grant Gilchrist met up with renowned Scottish chef Jak O’Donnell this week to learn about the great taste and health benefits of Scotch Beef PGI.

Ahead of their Guinness Six Nations Test against Wales tomorrow (Saturday March 9) at BT Murrayfield, Fraser and Grant were able to enjoy a dish of Scotch Beef steak and salad, providing them with a nutritious meal, packed full of natural protein as well as a host of vitamins and minerals.

As professional sportsmen at the top of their game, eating a healthy diet is something both Fraser and Grant take extremely seriously, and Scotch Beef is one of their favourite ingredients.

Commenting on pre-match prep, Fraser, who has a farming background, said: “Nutrition is one of the most important things for us to integrate into our training programme. We have to be so careful to ensure that what we put in to our bodies gives us as much energy and strength possible to enhance our performance.

“While we value what we eat, we also need to think carefully about where the ingredients come from, so knowing that the Scotch Beef comes with a quality assurance guarantee, as well as a range of health benefits, gives us the peace of mind that what we are putting in to our bodies is the highest quality.”

Ms O’Donnell, Chef Patron at The Sisters Restaurant in Glasgow, who prepared the steaks for Fraser and Grant said: “Scotch Beef is a fantastic ingredient to use as not only does it pack a punch with flavour and tenderness, it’s also a high-quality product which comes from selected Scottish farms were animal welfare and production methods are a priority.

“Scotch Beef is one of the jewels in Scotland’s fantastic natural larder and it’s one of my favourite ingredients to use as a chef as it’s so incredibly versatile. From a roast sirloin steak to slow cooked beef cheeks, you know you’ll always be on to a winner with Scotch Beef.”

Scotch Beef was recently announced as the Official Healthy Eating Partner of Scottish Rugby. As part of that partnership, Quality Meat Scotland is delivering a range of activities with Scottish Rugby in the coming 12 months, including an initiative to raise the profile of the importance of healthy eating as part of Scottish Rugby’s schools programme.

QMS comms director Carol McLaren said: “Scottish farmers work incredibly hard to produce a world-class product which is renowned across the globe for its quality and taste. It’s great to see top professional sportspeople like Fraser and Grant supporting the Scotch Beef brand and showing they have a really good understanding of the importance of beef, lamb and pork in a healthy diet."