Steven Wilson adds some Razzledazzle to pedigree Limousin herd

WITH more than 30 years in the butchery business, Steven Wilson knows a lot about beef – and the large number of regular customers he supplies through his Cumbrian shop and wholesale meat business is testament to to the quality product he sells.

And it’s not surprising that he and his wife Gina have established their own beef business – specialising in breeding pedigree Limousin cattle with the focus firmly on what the butcher wants.

Steven’s looking to convince more pedigree Limousin breeders that the size of the cattle is less important than the size to weight ratio. The latest addition to the herd – stock bull Razzledazzle – is certain to leave its mark having just lifted a major award at the Royal Highland Show.

Steven started out working for well-known traditional family butchers Richard Harrison and Sons in his home town of Wigton where he learned all aspects of the trade.

After ten years, he worked at nearby Black Brow Abattoir at Wiggonby, learning the wholesale side of the business. But two years into the job the foot and mouth epidemic began and he began driving livestock trucks.

Returning to Black Brow after foot-and-mouth had gone, he realised that working all day within a confined environment wasn’t for him and, by chance, he met the owner of a butchers shop in Great Corby, just east of Carlisle, who was retiring. Steven decided to take on the lease and then after a year bought and built up the business, which he started 21 years ago in July.

Through hard work and building a reputation for supplying quality meat, Steven Wilson’s Butchers now employs up to ten full-time and part-time staff, including Steven and Gina’s son, Scott, 23.

Over the last two decades, business has increased ten fold with meat also supplied to leading hotels, pubs, cafes in the area and for outside catering events, including weddings.

In fact, in mid-June the butchery was supplying meat for the wedding of the Wilsons’ daughter Natasha and her husband, Rhys. The couple have another daughter Danielle. Gina and their two daughters all work for the NHS in north Cumbria.

Most of the sales are of traditional meat cuts and meat products and Steven has earned a reputation for his prize-winning slab pies with 1,000 portions with a variety of fillings, although mostly beef, being sold each day.

From an agricultural background, Steven had always wanted to farm and his entry into the business is reflected in the name chosen for the pedigree Limousin herd – Impulsive.

Limousin cows and calves

Unbeknown to Gina, who initially had also been unaware of the deal to rent the butchers shop, 18 years ago Steven bought his first 20-acre field at Rosley at auction in Carlisle and at the time of bidding he hadn’t secured the funding to buy it, but thanks to his bank manager it all worked out.

Steven was at Borderway Mart buying cattle for the shop when he also bought a Limousin bull with the intention of running him with some Limousin cross cows, which had been bought as calves for around £200 each, which was all he could afford.

Elite Benn, a son of Nenuphar, renowned for his exceptional topline and hindquarters, had until then been working in the Priestley’s Brontemoor herd.

Steven said: “I then bought three pedigree cows and I still wasn’t thinking about pedigree breeding until someone was interested in a bull from one of those Gunnerfleet females, so I started registering the herd – it was Impulsive!

“Since then, Gina has also got hooked on the pedigree breeding – and she went the extra mile and made the bid that secured the purchase of our latest stock bull.”

Over the last five years, the Wilsons have been 'working quietly away' on the herd, which is based at Smithfield House, Wigton, which they bought with eight acres of land several years ago. They farm just over 50 acres, which includes 25 acres of rented land near to the farm.

However, sales of bulls through the ring have topped at 10,500gns for Impulsive Niall, 10,000gns for Impulsive OMG and 9,000gns for Impulsive Orlando all at Carlisle.

This year, a full ET brother to OMG, Romeo sold privately in excess of £10,000 to a commercial breeder.

All the bulls were by Loosebeare Justin, which ‘clicked’ with one of their cows – the 9,200gns Romford Jessica a Plumtree Fantastic daughter – which, as well as a natural calf, has produced several embryos.

Steven and Gina have made several visits and purchases of females from the Republic of Ireland on the invitation of former Irish Limousin Society breed secretary Paul Sykes. The Impulsive herd currently numbers ten breeding females and followers and the plan is to keep the herd small and focus on breeding quality cattle.

The most recent investment was made at the Limousin society Carlisle May sale this year when the Wilsons paid 24,000gns for Deveronvale Razzledazzle from Banff breeder Graham Morrison.

Limousin cows and calves

Steven said: “When I’m looking at the cattle before a pedigree sale, if an animal catches my eye I just keep looking around the rest of the entries. The Deveronvale bull attracted both of us and I said the bull would go for 20,000gns at which point I stopped bidding – but Gina carried on and bought him!”

Before the Wilsons bought Razzledazzle, he was already entered for the Royal Highland Show and the bull took the reserve Limousin championship after winning its class and being awarded reserve champion bull and junior champion.

The aim for Steven is to breed a true butcher’s beast – bigger cattle don’t do the job for the butchery business, he says.

“I’m looking for shape rather than size when I’m breeding Limousins – the commercial breeder doesn’t want a big bull but they want one that is easy calving.

“I’m happy that most of our bull buyers are commercial producers - they are getting bulls which go on to do the job and at a sensible price,” said Steven.

Razzledazzle, a November 2020-born ET son of Foxhillfarm Jasper, out of Aultside Jazz, says Steven, will add a a bit more size to his offspring but still have that 'sweetness' without being too extreme in the hindquarters.

He’s hoping his progeny will appeal to pedigree breeders while still firmly keeping the commercial producer in mind.

“I’m hoping to get these pedigree men on board with my way of thinking. The bull has good back breeding. We also intend to take semen off him,” added Steven.

Some ET breeding has been carried out each year and this year the plan is to do some IVF work.

For the butchery business, Limousin-bred heifers are the animal of choice although Steven is keen to buy from other local producers of quality beef. These are mainly bought through the ring at Carlisle or Wigton marts.

Mostly heifers aged 18-24 months old are bought which have hopefully had two summers at grass and have been finished on a TMR. They tend to put more far on at lesser weights.

Steven is looking for cattle weighing 550kg to 600kg that will grade U4L and kill out at 60 per cent.

The grass-fed cattle have a creamy fat cover which marbles into the meat. The cattle are expected to kill out at over 60 per cent. The carcases are aged for up to 28 days, depending on the cut, which probably loses five per cent and despite the emphasis being on taste and flavour they still beat the supermarket on price.