Rare breed makes comeback

English Longhorns - a late maturing cattle breed with long horns curling into their heads - first came to Australia in the early days of the colony.

But they died out in the 1980s as producers looked for more fertile, polled cattle with better growth rates. Mr Gunner and his family, who have built a successful paddock-to-plate business, have reintroduced them to the state for their "exceptional full flavour".

They have one of only two pedigree herds in Australia, grazing in paddocks at Meningie.

The 33-head herd have been bred from embryos imported from Europe, and the Blackbrook stud in Leicestershire, UK.

It has been a long journey involving a series of setbacks such as quarantine issues and low conception rates.

But four years after the idea was first born, Willock Park English Longhorn beef is in the cabinet of their four Feast! Fine Foods butcher shops in Adelaide and Victor Harbor.

It is also on the menu at select Adelaide restaurants including Orana on Rundle Street.

"It has been two, three or four times harder than I thought but it has all been worth it," Mr Gunner said.

The first two English Longhorn-Angus crosses were processed at 30 months in March.

"They are big carcases, about 500 kilograms, with 8 millimetres to 9mm of fat so we have to be creative in how we cut them up," Mr Gunner said.

Supply is limited to two F1 carcases a month in the first year - progeny of about 30 Angus females artificially inseminated with English Longhorn semen.

Mr Gunner is thrilled with customer feedback and discussion on social media as consumers learn more about the striking breed.

He may seem an unlikely supporter after his success with one of SA's most awarded beef brands, Coorong Angus Beef.

But he says Angus beef has become a bit "ubiquitous".

"(Fast food restaurant) Maccas is selling Angus and there are even Angus pies, so while we still believe our Angus is fantastic beef, our restaurant customers wanted something different to offer diners," he said.

In recent times a number of chefs including acclaimed Adelaide chef Jock Zonfrillo of Orana restaurant have prompted Mr Gunner to look at heritage British Breeds such as South Devon and the English Longhorn.

Mr Gunner also sees the breed as well suited to Australian conditions and consumers' growing preference for grassfed beef.

"In the UK they are used for conservation grazing to control undergrowth in national parks eating shrubs, trees and unfertilised grasses so don't need really high quality feed," he said.

"We have been able to put them in the paddock here and not worry about them for a long time."

There is an added altruistic benefit - with English Longhorn on the UK Rare Breeds Survival Trust list until recent times.

"It is the old adage if you want to save something eat it or use it to stop it disappearing," he said.

At about $60/kg for an English Longhorn steak it sits in the "luxury" end of the market but is selling well.

Mr Gunner's aspirations do not extend to taking on Wagyu - which he describes as "the Grange" of the beef industry - but he does hope English Longhorn will become a premium eating experience by enthusiastic carnivores.

"Wouldn't it be great if we could grow some beef that was such a great eating experience, you had to have or you hadn't lived," he said.

"They regularly win taste test competitions in the UK and (celebrity chef) Heston Blumenthal rated it as the perfect steak in his In Search of Perfection television series."

Mr Gunner's vision involves using the whole animal.

"The shops are keeping every bit and Phil Whitmarsh, who used to be head chef at the Daniel O'Connell Hotel (in North Adelaide), is developing stocks and pies with all the trim, bones and fat for us," he said.

"Africola restaurant in Adelaide has put up its hand to buy the heads and while the Australian cost structure makes it difficult in selling hides it would be great to find someone wanting to make boots or furniture from it."

Mr Gunner is under no illusion about the lengthy breeding program, expecting it will still be years before pedigree English Longhorn beef is available.

He has already discussed this with his sons, Will, 11, and Jock, 9 - whose names are combined in the brand name - that they will be ones to see it through.

"Before we brought embryos to Australia there had only been six head in the history of English Longhorn breed born from embryo transfer - now we have 36 ET calves in Australia and more coming, but it is a slow process taking two to 2.5 years to reach maturity."

Details: www.feastfinefoods.com.au