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Isreal’s Redefine Meat has confirmed it will be served in two of Selfridges restaurants. The upmarket London department store will be the first venue of its kind to offer the brand’s New-Meat. Harry Gordon’s Bar & Kitchen and The Brass Rail are both now preparing dishes using the animal meat alternative.
Redefine was selected by Selfridges to align with its four-week ‘earth-conscious shop of the future’ event, running throughout April. Alongside restaurant availability, the meat will be featured in an installation, dubbed ‘SUPERMARKET’. Viewers will be given an insight into Redefine’s production, development and environmental impact.
Redfine’s growing international reach
The Israeli startup is already known for its hyperrealistic whole-cut meat alternatives. Having closed a $135 million investment round in January, it is making good on its plans to embrace global commercialisation. As a result, Selfridges is not the first high-end location to partner with the brand. Top restaurants in Israel, Amsterdam, London, and Berlin already serve the New-Meat product range, made famous by its beef and lamb flanks. Minced, sausage, and kebab analogues are used alongside.
Launched at the end of 2021 the New-meat range has garnered unlikely fans, in the form of professional chefs known for their work with meat. Notable amongst them is Marco Pierre White, who revealed his astonishment at the products and now serves the protein items in his own establishment.
“It’s the cleverest product I’ve seen in my entire career,” he told i News. “When I first tried it, I snapped it in half to look at the structure, and it’s got the texture of a cheek of beef or brisket. I could make a boeuf bourguignon and you wouldn’t know it wasn’t meat.”
Selfridges makes its selections
Selfridges’ restaurants have selected two dishes to use New-Meat in. Harry Gordon’s has opted for a traditional Spanish white bean stew while The Brass Rail chose a ciabatta roll. The move into a department store with such global recognition represents a new feather in Redefine’s cap.
“Selfridges stands out as a worldwide brand synonymous with quality,” Redefine Meat CEO and co-founder Eshcha Ben-Shitrit said in a statement. “Its in-store restaurants are no different and that’s why it’s a natural step for Redefine Meat’s New-Meat products, as defined by their quality, to be listed on their menus. We’re confident that it will continue to surprise and impress the public with the same delicious taste and texture of animal meat, and its truly ground-breaking environmental benefits.”
The partnership with Redefine is not the first time Selfridges has sought to join forces with a vegan-friendly counterpart. Last December, U.S.-based chef Matthew Kenney opened a vegan restaurant on the second floor of the department store. Adesse was launched as part of the Project Earth sustainability initiative being promoted by Selfridges. The food served is seasonal, organic, and free from animal derivatives.
Vegan meat goes high-end
The trend for whole-cut vegan meat alternatives is clear to see, With Redefine being one of the numerous players looking to perfect specialist whole-cuts.
Meati officially launched a direct-to-consumer sales channel last month. The mycelium meat manufacturer gauged potential reception with a pre-order event for its Classic and Crispy Cutlets the month before. Selling out the entire inventory in under 24 hours, the startup pressed ahead with a full rollout. A realistic steak analogue is slated for debut later in spring.
Earlier this month, France’s Umiami revealed it had closed a $30 million Series A to support it’s plant-based chicken breast development. The startup claims its texture and flavour will fool ardent meat-eaters. Meanwhile, in Boston, Tender Food raised $12 million in a seed round for its diverse range of vegan whole-cuts. The startup revealed it has already developed beef steak, pulled pork and chicken breast analogues using a proprietary ‘spinning’ technique.
All photos by Redefine Meat.
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