About us - Donald Russell - Scotland's Finest Butcher

We hold a Royal Warrant and are renowned for the quality of our hand cut steaks and roasts. Our small team of Aberdeenshire butchers made our name serving some of the most prestigious hotels and Michelin-starred restaurants worldwide.

Always grass-fed

We only ever consider traditionally reared, grass-fed cattle from the very best British farms. Their low stress lifestyle, natural diet of fresh green grass allows the beef to develop a full, rounded flavour and fine marbling. Gentle walking around the fields builds healthy muscle tone – essential for the best finished texture. The result is world class, richly marbled, flavoursome beef, every single time.

For over 40 years, we have been the trusted choice of some of the very best restaurants and hotels around the world. During that time, our passionate commitment to traditional quality means we have also grown into Britain’s leading online and mail order butcher.

We are notoriously picky

Only the best of the best makes the Donald Russell grade. Decades of experience go into inspecting every single carcass. The knowledge that goes into examining the muscle tone, fat covering and marbling of each animal is what sets us apart.

If our expert inspectors don’t judge it to be absolutely perfect, they turn it away at the door.

We are masters of maturation

Our maturation chill controls temperature, air flow and humidity to the tiniest fraction of a degree. As the beef matures, natural enzymes get to work, tenderising the meat. The flavour gets even richer and deeper.

Maturation is an expensive process; water evaporates, leading to weight loss, and we need to discard the outer portion of the carcass but the end result is a texture and flavour that just can’t be beaten.

''Our butchers use their finely tuned senses of sight, touch and even smell to decide the precise moment when each cut is at its absolute pinnacle of maturation. It all adds up to a lush tenderness and seriously rich flavour that simply can’t develop otherwise.''

Mark Farquhar

We cut by hand

Our master butchers cut the old-fashioned way: by hand. We firmly believe that only the touch of an experienced butcher can get the very best from any piece of meat. This care and craftsmanship means the eating quality of your meat simply can’t get better.

We maintain our traditions

We proudly champion the traditional craft of butchery. It’s an art that takes years to learn and decades to perfect. We play our part in keeping the old skills alive by handing them on through our dedicated apprenticeship programme. This way, we help to make sure that the ancient craft of butchery will survive for future generations.

We freeze for perfection

No artificial preservatives – flavour and quality are naturally preserved
Less waste - frozen in convenient portions, just use what you need
Optimum maturity – frozen the moment it leaves our butcher’s knife
Convenience – lots of options at your fingertips

We deliver to your door

We’ll deliver right to the door of your home, neighbour or work address, on a day that suits you. No need to wait in; you can choose a safe place to leave it while you’re out. Your order is packed with plenty of ice to stay perfectly frozen on even the hottest day. What could be simpler?

Find out more about our deliveries here.