BRC A Grade
100% Recycled Packaging
Red Tractor approved
High Welfare 100% UK Sourcing
Sustainable By-Product
0.53kg of Co2 per kg
What is Legghorn Mince?
Legghorn mince is a blend of 420 day old Breeder hen thigh meat and the pluck from the bird. The pluck is an old term for the offal, we use the hearts, livers and gizzards. The thighs produce a rich, tasty mince that can be used to make meatballs, koftas, laab, dumplings and any ragu based dish, just as they did in traditional Italian cookery.
Breeder hens are the prized parents of the egg layers and the broiler chickens we eat in the UK. The meat has an incredible flavour because the birds live for over a year, which is unlocked by tenderising the meat.
We work with the NOBLE FOODS to source the thigh meat of their Breeder hens, as they currently go to waste. We both share the principle that we have to make 100% use of all possible food resources in the UK, to reduce our reliance on imported food and to reduce the environmental impact of the food we eat.
We have chefs across the culinary board using Legghorn mince; from Japanese Koya to Italian Nessa and Mortimer House, from Burger specialists Whole Beast in Peckham to zero waste restaurant Silo, from Fooditude to Baxter Storey.
It's Tasty
High welfare 420 day old Breeder hens produce rich, delicious meat. Our meat is antibiotic free.
It's Healthy
Our mince is rich in protein, iron, zinc, selenium, vitamin A, and vitamin B, making it a nutritious choice.
It's Low-Carbon
Breeder Hen meat is a by-product of the chickens we eat. As such, our carbon footprint is 0.53kg Co2/kg, the lowest meat footprint in the UK.
Testimonials
I made hen dumplings/meatballs with mince spring onion, ginger, sesame oil, seasoning etc, and cooked them in dashi to make soup. It was delicious, really fluffy and light in texture.
The Mince is sensational!
Tried a Ragu with it and that works very well as an alternative, flavour profile is very similar to the classic veal pork lamb & offal mix!' We made a kofta with it as well and it worked very well
We sell through a network of local and national wholesalers.
Email richard@legghorn.com to find out who we supply or introduce us to your preferred supplier.
Why am I doing this?
A focus on under-utilised foods to create social impact
In 2019, after 13 years running Murray’s Fresh Fish and Foodchain, I created a campaign called Feast Fairly with the Refettorio Felix in London. For one month we challenged chefs to create dishes using under utilised, unloved and forgotten foods with £1 from every dish sold being donated to the Refettorio.
We were blown away by the chefs’ enthusiasm for our basket of wonderful by-products and discards, raising close to £8,000 in the process. Class B asparagus, pullet eggs, salmon bellies, pigs hearts, the list goes on but there was one product that caught the eye. Chefs marvelled at the flavour of the spent hen meat and my fascination with poultry by-products began (not something i thought i’d ever say).
Our team
Richard Murray
Fred
Jack And Will
Our Breeder hens
Sustainable consumption of the parents of the chickens we eat
Our Breeder hen farms are small with just 36,000 birds on site, producing fertile eggs for hatching into the free range broiler chickens and free range eggs we eat. For example, Marks & Spencer chickens are the offspring of our breeders.
Breeder hens are selected for their strengths in egg production and immunity, playing a crucial role in the egg and chicken industry. The Breeder hens are incredibly valuable to farmers and, as a result, are kept to the highest welfare standards. Breeder hens are kept to the same density as free range chickens and are accredited to the Red Tractor scheme. Our farms are the cleanest farms I have ever visited. Biosecurity is the number one risk to farmers, with avian flu being so prevalent.
Breeder hens are antibiotic free and are only vaccinated for Salmonella and Newcastle disease.
As the primary purpose of the Breeder hens is producing eggs, the carbon footprint is in the offspring. Therefore, by replacing your usual mince with Legghorn mince you are greatly reducing your carbon footprint.
Up until now Breeder hen meat has been under-appreciated, we’re on a mission to change that.
Timeline
In 2005, before founding Murray’s Fresh Fish, I gained extensive experience working in various aspects of the fish industry. This included a year at the Wester Ross salmon farm, working at a Mersea Island oyster company, a London fishmonger, and numerous fishing trips along the West Coast of Scotland on my old Honda Shadow. These diverse experiences gave me a deep understanding of the fish industry and a passion for high-quality seafood.
In 2006, I established Murray’s Fresh Fish, a fish wholesale company dedicated to providing fresh, high-quality seafood to chefs and restaurants. The goal was to deliver exceptional fish from the coast directly to culinary professionals.
Early on, I set up a daily text message service (pre-smartphone era) to over 1,000 chefs, detailing the fish being landed along the coast from Suffolk to Sussex. This innovative approach ensured chefs were informed about the freshest catches available, allowing them to plan their menus with the best ingredients.
Murray’s Fresh Fish became known for championing less popular fish such as grey mullet, megrim soles, and coley. These fish, once overlooked, have now become staples on many restaurant menus. This not only diversified the offerings but also supported sustainable fishing practices by promoting a wider variety of seafood.
Building on the success of the Feast Fairly campaign, I launched Leghorn Hen, a company dedicated to utilizing the meat of long-lived, egg-laying hens. These hens have fuller and more natural lives compared to broilers, resulting in far tastier meat. Leghorn Hen aims to bring this underutilized resource to the forefront of the culinary world, promoting sustainability and exceptional flavor.
Get in touch
- Corringham Rd, Gainsborough DN21 1QH
- richard@legghorn.com
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