Muddy Boots seeks partner to ramp up meals production

A small producer of ready meals made using grass fed Aberdeen Angus beef is looking to join forces with a larger manufacturer to distribute products on a national scale.

Miranda and Roland Ballard, a husband and wife team, set up Muddy Boots Real Foods in December 2008. The beef in its range of ready meals and burgers is 100% pure-bred, 21-day matured, naturally-reared Aberdeen Angus beef. Naturally-reared means the calves single-suckle their mothers for the first seven months until it would be time for cow and calf to be separated, says Miranda Ballard co-founder of the company. "It is a slow farming method that makes for better beef and happier cattle."

Muddy Boots Real Foods is now on the hunt for a manufacturer to produce its range on a larger scale. Products include beef casserole, beef and herby dumplings, cottage pie, lasagne, meat balls and minced beef and roast vegetables ready meals, as well as a range of burgers. All of the products have been specifically developed so that they can be frozen.

Muddy Boots Real Foods sources its beef from Roland's father, who is a farmer with a herd of award-winning pedigree Aberdeen Angus cows at Church Farm in Shrawley, Worcestershire. "When beef is handled correctly, it's unbeatable so we thought that it was about time that ready meals and beefburgers got the top quality stuff too," said Ballard. "We believe that we are the only company in the country to exclusively use 21-day matured, grass-fed, Aberdeen Angus beef to make ready meals. The grass-rearing means that our beef is packed full of omega-3 and omega-6, and good beef like this is a top source of potassium, iron and vitamin B," she said.

The firm currently only supplies around 20 wholesale outlets and has a home delivery service. "This could be a good opportunity for a manufacturer looking to make products using 100% traceable British beef," she added.