T-bone steak back on the menu

T-bone steak, a traditional pub favourite before the BSE crisis, is back on the menu, according to experts at British Meat.

Beef on the bone, which was banned during the crisis until December 1999, is making a steady comeback, a survey commissioned by the trade body has found.

Forerib, oxtail and pub favourite T-bone steak, were all banned from menus while the BSE epidemic was at its height in the nineties.

But latest research shows that half the UK's pubs and restaurants are serving the same amount of beef on the bone dishes than they were before the ban was imposed.

T-bone steak is the most popular beef on the bone dish, with many pubs around the country putting it back on their menu.

The ban hit pub menus hard. Many licensees were forced to stop serving their most popular dishes, while others, like Alan Coomber from the Bell Inn in Rye, East Sussex, defied the law.

Mr Coomber continued serving 18oz T-bone steaks throughout the ban even though he was prosecuted for doing so.

Tony Goodger, spokesman for British Meat, said: "We believe that caterers should make the most of this opportunity to bring beef on the bone back on menus. As many survey participants commented, there is certainly a growing demand, so make te most of the opportunity."

British Meat also discovered that "traceability" - letting customers know where the meat they are eating has come from - is a growing issue for caterers.

Mr Goodger said: "It is becoming increasingly important to identify the country of origin of meat on the menu and many are even including specific details of suppliers. We would definitely advise caterers to label the origin of meat clearly on their menus."