Meat Promotion Wales have launched their annual PGI Welsh Lamb campaign by calling on consumers to experience for themselves the unique flavours that make Welsh Lamb so respected across the world.
Starting on 1 August with Lamb Day, which marks the period when fresh, new-season Welsh Lamb is at its most plentiful, the new campaign will focus on helping people have confidence to cook the versatile meat from the comfort of their own homes as uncertainty continues to plague the restaurant industry.
Having Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status takes into consideration how factors such as the clean air and spring water, fresh grass and fragrant heather all contribute to create a unique taste, which cannot be replicated anywhere else in the world.
To inspire people to try Welsh Lamb at home, and show why it’s suited to such a wide-range of cuisines and cooking methods, a series of leading figures from the food world will be lending a hand over the coming months to create delicious recipes and simple how to guides so people can find out for themselves just why it’s so highly regarded.
Among these is Dean Edwards, who has been a regular chef on ITV’s Lorraine over the past decade and John Gregory-Smith, who is a chef, presenter and best-selling author who specialises in Middle Eastern and North African cuisine.
Also working on the campaign is Michelin-starred chef Hywel Griffith of the Beach House restaurant in Oxwich, who will be helping people make the most of the summer BBQ season.
With dining out in its usual sense a distant memory, all is not lost, as it’s the time of year when the sweet aroma of BBQ smoke wafts over rooftops and garden fences. To help make the most of this Hywel has created a delicious BBQ recipe and launched a competition giving the chance for people to win over £400 of high-end barbecuing equipment.
Discussing why Welsh Lamb is so suited to BBQ cooking, Hywel said, “When it comes to barbecuing, Welsh Lamb lends itself perfectly because you’ve got two choices – long and slow or medium rare. Its versatility means that all the different cuts can be cooked on the barbecue and they taste absolutely fantastic.
“The two best cuts for long and slow cooking are the shoulder or the breast because they have a high fat content. As they cook, all the fat melts away and bastes the meat while it’s cooking and you end up with a fantastic product.
“When cooking medium-rare you can use best end, the rack of lamb and the leg. I would cook a leg of lamb to medium /medium-well. You could smoke it at a higher temperature or you could cook it quicker in steak form. You can cook the racks or the best end beautifully pink. It’s such a versatile product.”
Rhys Llywelyn, Market Development Manager for Hybu Cig Cymru, added: “Lamb Day is a time when Welsh Lamb is plentiful and at its very best, so we want to remind people across the UK not only of its excellent taste, but also of its many benefits such as versatility for cooking.
“Seasonal eating is something many of us are guilty of forgetting, but there’s a reason things taste better at the right time of year. We hope our upcoming campaign builds on recent momentum as we show people how to make quality, restaurant-style dishes from the comfort of their own homes.”
