Meat Ageing Refrigerators are at the heart of exclusive restaurant’s high quality offering

The Nest is an exclusive restaurant based within Bainland Lodge Retreats, a luxury holiday resort based in the picturesque Lincolnshire countryside. It offers guests and members breakfast, lunch and dinner throughout the day in a relaxed yet refined ambience, with a menu that prioritises high quality ingredients and expertly crafted dishes. On average the restaurant serves 250 covers throughout the day, but during the summer dinner service alone can hit 170 covers.

Steaks sourced from local producers have been a key part of the menu at The Nest. Looking for new ways of creating a standout offering, Simon Craddock, owner of Bainland, decided to add dry aged meat to the menu. After consulting with executive chef Callum Hawkins and Nick Rouse, finance and general operations manager, he contacted local specialists in commercial refrigeration - Lincoln Refrigeration. They immediately recommended Williams’ Meat Ageing Refrigerator (MAR) as the ideal solution to their needs, as they knew Williams equipment combined high quality, reliable engineering and great design.

Once the decision to add dry aged meat was finalised, Callum dedicated time to extensively researching the art of meat ageing before training his team on these techniques to ensure a smooth and safe process from the kitchen to the customer’s plate.

Williams designed the MAR to provide the perfect environmental conditions for creating high quality dry aged meat.  The unit controls temperature and humidity with precision to ensure results and features Himalayan salt blocks to help develop the flavour. The MAR was also designed with front of house use in mind, helping to draw diners in to a unique theatre dining experience. A full length glass door and interior LED lighting show off the contents of the cabinet, while an activated carbon filter prevents any odours from escaping. With steak already hugely popular, The Nest has three MAR cabinets in the dining area to enable them to meet the demand for premium aged steaks.

“We were considering boxing them in, but they’re such good looking cabinets we don’t need to,” says Nick. “Customers see the meat hung up, and once they’ve chosen what they want, waiting staff explain the ways it can be cooked for the best experience.”

The Nest orders in meat semi-aged from a local butcher, which is then held in the MAR for up to three weeks. It currently offers Ribeye, Sirloin and a 1KG Cote de Boeuf that’s ideal for two people.  “We’ve had customers say our dry aged steak is the best they’ve ever had,” says Callum. “There’ve been zero complaints!”

As well as improving the flavour, the Himalayan salt blocks add another point of visual interest. “We’ve had a lot of positive feedback about them,” says Nick. “Diners think they look really cool!”

The MAR is designed to be easy to clean and maintain. Both interior and exterior are constructed from stainless steel, with removable shelves making every area accessible for cleaning. The clear display makes it easy for staff to see the current temperature and humidity, providing them with the information they need to record HACCP data.

“Everything about the cabinet is user friendly,” says Callum. “There’s nothing you have to mess about with, you can just trust it to get on and do its job properly.”

Beyond its aesthetic appeal, the meat ageing refrigerator also improves kitchen efficiency, which is a major advantage for a busy kitchen like The Nest. “Resting a steak is a vital part of the process,” says Callum. “As dry aged meat is already so tender it takes less time to cook, which helps to improve our productivity.”

Ageing their own meat also has benefits for profitability. “We can sell these products for much more than standard steaks, so it’s a big win to dry age them ourselves rather than buying in flat-packed steaks,” says Callum. “We can even make money on the trimmings, taking them and turning them into beautiful dry aged burgers which we can also sell at a premium.”

Callum is excited at the possibilities afforded by the MAR. “We’re hoping to start experimenting with ageing Wagyu beef soon,” he says. “But it doesn’t need to stop there, we’ve got plans to try ageing cheese and even vegetables with it. It’s such a versatile piece of equipment!”

“I’m hugely impressed with the quality of Williams’ equipment and the service provided by them and Lincoln Refrigeration,” says Nick. “Everything was delivered and installed on time, with no disruption. I wholeheartedly recommend Williams to any business that needs high quality and reliable refrigeration equipment.”

Williams Refrigeration offers a comprehensive range of commercial refrigeration including gastronorm cabinets and counters, specialist bakery equipment, coldrooms, multidecks and blast chillers. 

To learn more about Williams extensive product range visit www.williams-refrigeration.co.uk. 

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The Publicity Works: 01263 761000 williams@publicityworks.biz 

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Martin Laws at Williams Refrigeration 01553 817002

Williams Refrigeration is a division of AFE Group Ltd. It is an ISO9001-2008 Quality Management accredited company and has been awarded ISO14001, the internationally recognised industry standard for Environmental Management Systems.  Most recently Williams has demonstrated its commitment to staff welfare by achieving Occupational Health and Safety Management System  certification ISO 45001:2018

Williams designs, manufactures and installs a highly diverse product range, supplying hotels, hospitals, schools, restaurants, bars and kitchens around the world. With a wide selection of gastronorm cabinets and counters, prep stations, blast chillers/freezers, bottle coolers, bakery and modular coldrooms the company provides products that suit almost any application – a “one-stop” refrigeration purchasing solution.

The company has also developed a specialist range of medical and pharmaceutical refrigeration, including bespoke coldrooms and the Medi+ range of cabinets. 

Williams’ commitment to customers is absolute, offering extensive specialist advice and support from installation through to after-sales, service and maintenance.