The secret ingredient

The McDonald clan is devoted to bringing a taste of their home to your place

THERE’S NOTHING BUT 100 per cent New Zealand grass-fed lamb in a row of Middlehurst Delivered’s Lamb Short Ribs, but Lucy McDonald reckons there’s something special involved that sets it apart. “Family is our secret ingredient,” she says. “We try to bring out the best in each other, our land, and our animals.”

Judges awarded the McDonald family six gold medals, so they are clearly nailing it. “Pure meat, beautifully butchered” was how the judges described Middlehurst’s sweet, succulent lamb short ribs, praising their “incredible” melt-inthe-mouth texture.

Producing high-quality meat while caring for the environment and each other has been a work in progress. Lucy’s parents, Willie and Susan McDonald, took over Middlehurst Station in 1998. The 16,550-hectare property in

Marlborough’s Upper Awatere Valley is very much a family affair. Her brother Henry works on the farm, while she and sisters Sophie and Skye set up Middlehurst Delivered in November 2020.

“In New Zealand, you don’t have to tell people the breed or age of lamb you’re selling, but it makes a big difference, and we wanted to bring that traceability and consistency of product to people.”

The McDonalds have invested heavily in a breeding programme that creates dual-purpose merino lambs with high-quality wool fibre and meat. The lambs are raised on the station’s high-country blocks. Then Henry McDonald looks after the fi nishing process in Cheviot. “We want to ensure that we use the whole carcass, but we also know that many people don’t want big, traditional cuts that take three days to eat.”