Beef Kidney, Whole 400g

Ox kidney is a prized ingredient in the tradition of nose-to-tail cooking. Tasty, versatile, and nutritious, its distinctive flavour and texture have earned it a staple place in British cuisine, with dishes like steak and kidney suet pudding gracing many tables during the autumn and winter months.

Ox or beef* kidney offers excellent value for money and is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12, riboflavin, and iron. It also has anti-inflammatory properties and is known to support heart health.

For a rustic classic, try kidneys on hot buttered toast. A simple yet divine method is to sauté beef kidney pieces in butter, finishing with cream and a little wholegrain mustard. For a devilled twist, mix flour, mustard powder, cayenne, and any other spices you prefer, dust over the kidney pieces, sauté in butter, and add a splash of stock towards the end. Alternatively, stew the kidney with soft onions, stock, and a fortified wine like Marsala or port, and serve with creamy mashed potato recipe to warm both body and soul.

Chef Valentine Warner's Inspiration:
"Ox kidney is a very different delight to that of lamb in shape and of course taste, a gentler one I'd put forward. Preparation is easy as a whole beef kidney does not require the membrane removal that lamb kidneys do. Simply cut away the nodules from the central white piece of fibrous fat and remove the white from each section.

While many will simply discard the white part that's been cut away from the kidney, chopped up and rendered in a little oil and this will give you a delicious melted suet for cooking in.

Floured and fried with capers, that the capers be crispy, the butter brown and nutty and the kidneys kept pink, will give the cook a most delicious result. Finish with chopped fresh parsley and lemon juice.

Take for a longer journey and fry them in olive oil before adding, cumin, paprika, turmeric, a little cinnamon and black pepper. Then add in the onions and allow to cook for a bit before following with chopped fresh tomatoes and green pepper. Give them a slow braise under a lid for long enough that all is tender, the sauce thick and well-reduced. Season with lemon juice and salt before stirring in chopped fresh coriander, parsley or both. Delicious eaten with flat breads and labneh.

A most obvious go to is the suet pudding, the kidney combined with ox cheek or diced shin of beef. A rich gravy containing a little ground ginger and a lot of black pepper will deliver warm comfort for cold days. Eat with dollops of English mustard mixed with horseradish.

A classic cream laced Dijon mustard sauce or green peppercorn sauce (the latter made with excellent, deep and rich beef stock recipe) and either would be wonderful over beef kidneys. Serve both with buttered rice.

Vindaloo? And few remember such a good place for ox kidney which makes a wonderful curry in creamy sauce varieties, tomato-led chilli attacks and in dry curries. Vindaloo is my favourite."

*All Swaledale beef is heritage breed and raised on independent farms and smallholdings dotted around the wildly beautiful Yorkshire Dales. Slow grown and free to roam on the swath of green hills and valleys; the result is exceptional tasting beef with an umami taste - rich, dense and flavourful. Swaledale Whole Beef Kidney is Always Fresh Never Frozen®, butchered to order, vacuum packed, and shipped in recyclable packaging to arrive safely insulated and ready to enjoy.