Can you eat a retired dairy cow? Ex-dairy beef explained
Old dairy cow is usually minced. Treated with patience, it can be steak, bresaola and salami. How 210 was hung, cured and cooked.
Yes, and most of us already do
Meat from retired dairy cows is already in the food chain, mostly unseen, in mince, burgers and ready meals.1 What is rare is treating it as something worth cooking whole: hung properly, cut by a butcher who takes an interest, and served as itself.
Where the idea came from
The film began with a dish. The Swedish chef Magnus Nilsson served retired dairy cow at his restaurant Fäviken, and a short profile of him set the director thinking about the old cows on his friend Jon’s farm, and what happened to them.
For the detail, from choosing the cow to cooking an aged steak, read advice from the charcuterie Nilsson’s team started.
How 210 was prepared
The butchers hung the beef for just over six weeks before cutting it. Some of it went to the curer, who turned it into bresaola and salami, curing it for about six weeks in a room held at 12 to 13 °C and 70 to 75% humidity. The rest went to the chef, Marcel, who cooked it for the people who had known her.
What it is like
Whether an old dairy cow is worth that time and care is the question at the heart of the film’s dinner. The people at the table give their verdict on screen; the rest is up to you.
Where to try it
A small number of restaurants serve retired dairy cow by name. We keep a list on Where to Eat.
Sources
- Farmers Weekly, 29 July 2020, citing AHDB retail data on manufacturing beef from cull cows.
- Hanging, curing-room conditions and timings: as stated on camera by the butcher and the curer in the film.
Last checked 2026-10-25. Spotted an error? Tell us via the press contact.