Fillet Steak – Exceptionally Tender, Grass-Fed Heritage Beef
Perhaps one of the most recognisable and prized steaks, fillet steak is cut from the tenderloin, a muscle that sits inside the sirloin and does very little work. This lack of exertion results in a naturally lean cut with exceptional tenderness and a melt-in-the-mouth texture.

Chef Valentine Warner Inspires
"Inclined to head for steaks that have worked over their lifetime I do however occasionally enjoy a fillet steak, roasted to medium-rare and well-rested that it delivers its juicy suppleness.

A man for tradition and a well-made green peppercorn sauce is a fine accompaniment for fillet steak. I like it to be quite hot in its delivery, the sauce made with a good dark beef stock and only the tiniest splash of cream. Use some of the piquant and slightly ‘soapy’ liquid from the peppercorns as well as the corns themselves.

So too a good cep sauce made with white vermouth is a wonderful accompaniment and especially if the mushrooms have been picked by you. NOTE: If using dried cep (porcini, penny buns, boletus) always use the water to rehydrate them in the sauce as heaven only knows how many times I've seen it chucked away once the soaking is done. Madness!

I once ate a buttery roasted apple en croûte with fillet steak all luxuriating on a powerful brandy sauce, containing no cream. Mon Dieu it was delicious!

A light chicken stock and champagne-based cream sauce is very delicate and remarkable when fresh oysters are blitzed in at the end and served alongside the beef.

Very occasionally I like to heat a good Japanese dashi or beef stock, the poaching pot resting in the hot coals of my small portable charcoal BBQ. Slice the fillet paper thin and arrange near some shiitake and maybe some cabbage and sliced tofu. These will be dipped in the broth and lightly cooked. Have a sharp and tangy ponzu or rich ground sesame sauce nearby for dipping and dressing. Fillet is not normally used for such hot pot cooking in Japan (fattier more marbled cuts preferred) but it works well provided the meat is dunked for little more than seconds. Lovely for a winter weekend with a bottle of good saké."