Why Michelin-Starred Chef Marco Pierre White Is Serving Whole-Cut Vegan Lamb

Chef Marco Pierre White—known as the first British chef to be awarded three Michelin stars—just added whole-cut vegan lamb and beef to the menu of his 22 steakhouses in the United Kingdom. Made by Israeli company Redefine Meat, the vegan meat (dubbed “New-Meat”) is made using a range of proprietary and patented technologies to recreate all of the complex sensory elements of whole-cut lamb and beef flanks from plant-based ingredients. 

“When I first tasted Redefine Meat, I was mind-blown,” White said in a statement. “The world needs to eat less meat, but the reality is that until now plant-based meat products have fallen way short in terms of the quality and versatility required for our menus. Redefine Meat’s New-Meat products are pure genius, giving you all the sustainability and health benefits of plant-based, without the compromise on taste and texture.”

In 1995 at age 33, White became the youngest chef at the time to get three Michelin stars. He is also known for making Gordon Ramsay cry during an apprenticeship. Now, the pioneering chef is looking toward the future of food and sees the urgent need for viable plant-based substitutes to environmentally damaging animal products. “It’s the most clever thing I’ve seen in my 45 years of being in the kitchen,” White said in a video about Redfine’s vegan meat, adding, “I think it’s going to revolutionize our world.” 

Michelin-starred chefs impressed by whole-cut vegan meat

Founded in 2019, Redefine Meat uses a revolutionary 3D technology that maps 70 sensorial parameters to create a cut of vegan meat that mimics the taste, texture, and juiciness of a whole-cut of animal meat. The company offers a full line of vegan meats which, in addition to the whole-cuts, includes culinary-grade ground beef, sausages, premium burgers, and lamb kebabs which have already been served at approximately 150 restaurants across Israel. It raised $29 million in February to bring its revolutionary vegan meats to a wider market. 

In addition to White, other notable European chefs have added Redefine Lamb and Redefine Beef to their menus, including Michelin starred Dutch chef and TV personality Ron Blaauw; Joachim Gerner (who is the Head Chef at two-Michelin star Restaurant FACIL in Berlin); and Renowned Israeli chef Shahaf Shabtay—representing the first time that whole-cut vegan meat has been so widely available. 

Blaauw—who operates several locations of Ronbar Gastropub in the Netherlands—was impressed by how similar the vegan meat was to traditional meat cuts. “Honestly, I was so surprised by the texture and structure of the meat. The first time I tried it, I remember closing my eyes and appreciating the chewiness and mouthfeel like I would a great cut of meat,” he said in a statement. “For me this is a gamechanger, as we can now serve another variety of high-quality meat to our customers that just happens to be made from plant-based ingredients. Even now my head is still spinning with the possibilities this meat creates for our menu.”

Saving the planet by redefining meat

As its name suggests, Redefine’s mission is to recreate meat using plants for the benefit of animals, humans, and the environment. While many companies have developed plant-based alternatives to ground beef, chicken, and pork, few have created solutions for culinarians looking for whole cuts that can entice meat eaters. 

Redefine CEO and Co-founder Eshchar Ben-Shitrit also sees the company’s 3D plant-based meats as a solution to fighting the climate crisis. While COP26 concluded on November 12 with pacts to eliminate deforestation and slash methane emissions by 30 percent by 2030, world leaders focused very little attention on reducing the consumption and production of meat—a leading driver of both deforestation and methane emissions. 

“Redefine Meat has its eyes set on the real problem—not meat, but the way it’s produced. We have a genuine solution that today, not in 2030, preserves all the culinary aspects of meat we know and love, but eliminates cattle as a means of production,” Ben-Shitrit said in a statement. “We’ve achieved a level of superiority in taste and texture that surprised even some of the most recognized chefs in the world, and our unique technological capabilities enable us to replace every part of the cow for the first time.”

In addition to launching across Europe, Redefine Meat is looking to expand to restaurants in other markets, including Asia and the United States, in the coming months. 

For more about whole-cut vegan meat, read:
Nearly 100 Steakhouses Just Added Asia’s First Whole-Cut Vegan Steak
Startup Raises $40 Million to Bring Whole Cut Vegan Bacon to Stores
Whole Cuts of Vegan Steak Secretly Launch at Colorado Restaurant