Aussie Beef Mates
Meet our UK Aussie Beef Mates
Meet our UK Aussie Beef Mates, a group of influential food professionals with extensive experience cooking Australian beef. These talented chefs partner with us to promote awareness of Australian beef in the UK.
Join our Aussie Beef Mates on their culinary adventures as they share the amazing taste of high-quality, nutritious, and sustainably produced Aussie Beef. See their latest creations by following them on social media and visiting their websites. Don’t miss their skills in preparing delicious dishes made with Aussie Beef.
Mike Reid
Mike Reid is a globally recognised chef, author, and TV personality whose passion for food was sparked in his teenage years while working in local restaurants. With over 20 years in the industry, Mike trained in some of London’s most iconic kitchens, including Le Gavroche and Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, before leading the Gaucho Group as Executive Chef. His career later took him to Australia, where he honed his craft at acclaimed restaurants like Attica and Cutler & Co.
Mike now splits his time between the UK and Australia, appearing on shows like Good Chef Bad Chef and Five Star Kitchen. His style blends modern global flavours with deep respect for provenance—especially Aussie red meat, which he champions for its quality, sustainability, and flavour. Working with food connects him to culture, people, and place, and he’s driven by the opportunity to share stories through every dish.
Favourite Footy Team:
Liverpool FC
Bombers Aussie Rules
Favourite Cut of Beef:
My favourite cut of beef has to be inside skirt. It’s packed with flavour, thanks to its marbling and open grain, and when cooked properly—hot and fast over fire—it’s incredibly tender. I love how versatile it is; perfect for tacos, stir-fries, or simply sliced with chimichurri. It’s a cut that celebrates the nose-to-tail philosophy and proves that the lesser-known cuts often deliver the most character.
Ioannis Grammenos
Executive Chef & Meatologist™
Ioannis began his career in his native Greece, working through the ranks in professional kitchens. His passion for Mediterranean cuisine led to a prominent role on the Greek television show Chefs on Air for five consecutive years. In 2012, he relocated to London to become the Executive Chef at Heliot Steak House. In 2018, Ioannis was named the world’s first Meatologist™ with the launch of the UK's first School of Meatology™. Based in the restaurant, the school offers a series of classes designed to educate meat enthusiasts on butchery and steak cooking. Under Ioannis’s leadership, Heliot Steak House has been named Best Steak Restaurant in London at the Bookatable Awards in 2015, 2017, and 2018. It has also received the Best UK Casino Restaurant award in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2024 from the British Casino Awards and Best Steakhouse 2018 in the Lux Magazine Bar and Restaurant Awards. Ioannis has served as Chairman of Judges for the World Steak Challenge since 2021, overseeing 92 judges from around the world. Ioannis was awarded the CGOC Master Craftsman of the Craft Guild of Chefs.
Favourite Footy Team:
Arsenal, Panathinaikos Greece
Favourite Cut of Beef:
I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying steak from around the world, and I particularly love using simple, flavourful ingredients like lemon, thyme, and salt. When it comes to steak, my favourite is a perfectly cooked sirloin—medium rare to medium—finished with a touch of sea salt and served with a rich red wine sauce. It's a simple yet elegant dish that always hits the spot.
Dan Espley
I began my meat journey well over two decades ago with a supermarket apprenticeship whilst graduating from the Hunter Institute of TAFE, New South Wales as apprentice of the year. Dove straight into various retail butchery sides of the trade before returning to the Hunter Institute but this time as a teacher. Moved to London eventually, initially for a shorter stay, but found a real sense of community when helping start and build Provenance Village Butchers in west London where I still get on the knives as their General Manager. I enjoy keeping a finger on the pulse of the meat industry and building up the apprentices to who will eventually inherit the trade of delivering fantastic meat to thankful customers. Being an Aussie Beef Mate only adds to my pride in Aussie exports, such as myself.
Favourite Footy Team:
Central Coast Mariners
Favourite Cut of Beef:
A medium rare to medium, marbled ribeye steak served with triple cooked chips. Hold the salad. Paired with a generous glass of red and friendly company.
Brayden Davies
The latest chapter in The Box Tree's legacy is led by Head Chef, Brayden Davies, who took over at the beginning of 2024 and brings a fresh, contemporary vision to The Box Tree. Originally from Australia, Brayden has honed his skills at several Michelin-starred establishments, including The Raby Hunt, Northcote Manor, The Angel at Hetton and most recently at Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall.
Brayden’s culinary approach blends his Australian roots with a commitment to local, foraged ingredients, reflecting Yorkshire’s exceptional produce. He describes his cooking as refined yet modern, with subtle nods to his heritage.
“I’m excited to be Head Chef of The Box Tree and to add my own mark to the history of this iconic restaurant. I’m looking forward to delighting guests with my new menus and style for years to come.”
Favourite Football Team:
Massive fan of my Australian national football team “socceroos”. Also love the spurs manager fellow Aussie Big Ange postacoglue!
Favourite Cut of Beef:
My fav cut of beef has got to be a big ribeye steak of tomahawk. There's something that reminds me of my dad cooking ribeyes on the barbie back home & enjoying with a beer or a nice glass of red wine. I also love Aussie wagyu beef shortib as its so versatile in different dishes we can do at the restaurant
Cristian Bravaccini
Senior Hospitality Leader and Executive Chef with over 25 years of international experience across Michelin-starred environments, luxury hotels, and multi-site restaurant operations in the UK, Italy, and the USA.
Proven track record of spearheading high-profile restaurant openings, including ROKA Aldwych, ROKA Mayfair, and ROKA AKOR. Adept at aligning teams to shared expectations, maintaining rigorous brand standards, and delivering exceptional culinary quality and guest experiences.
Combines deep culinary expertise across contemporary Japanese and fine dining concepts with strong commercial awareness, operational leadership, and team development.
Restaurant(s):
Head Chef overseeing ROKA and INKO NITO and Azumi Restaurant Group
Garrett Keown
Garrett Keown is Executive Development Chef at Harrods in London, where he leads culinary innovation and menu development across the business. During his nine-year tenure, he has progressed through a series of senior leadership roles, joining as Chef de Cuisine in 2017 before becoming Executive Sous Chef of the Fine Dining restaurants, where he oversaw daily operations and the opening of several restaurant brand partnerships.
Now in his current role, Garrett helps shape Harrods’ food identity while promoting the development of future culinary talent. He champions the Harrods apprenticeship programme and created an in-house chef competition to build confidence, camaraderie and technical skills amongst young chefs.
Passionate about seasonal ingredients, Garrett enjoys discovering food trends and new products. Outside work, he grows his own vegetables, fishes and cooks outdoors’
Restaurant(s):
Harrods
Mursal Saiq
Mursal Saiq is a British Afghan pitmaster, live fire chef, restaurateur and hospitality consultant, and co-founder of Cue Point London, an award-winning live fire restaurant and events concept known for bold barbecue and a culturally led approach to food, music, and space. Her cooking is rooted in American barbecue, shaped by British hospitality discipline and informed by her Afghan heritage.
Her international work includes Brazil’s Churrascada Festival, Dallas, Texas, Ireland’s Big Grill Festival and a live fire beach residency at Tillies, Palm Heights, Grand Cayman. She curates and leads barbecue takeovers globally, focusing on festivals in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Mursal also leads Cue Point Kitchen, building sustainable hospitality careers for immigrants and underrepresented communities, and founded Kabul Nights Global, a touring dining series centring Afghan storytelling. Having fled the Taliban with her family as a child, she sees hospitality as cultural diplomacy and a way to tell overlooked stories.
Restaurant(s):
Co-founder of Cue Point London