A joint initiative which is designed to spark a “modest renaissance” for mutton will be launched next month.
The promotional drive is being funded by Eblex and Meat Promotion Wales (HCC), and supported by the National Sheep Association and the Academy for Culinary Arts.
Campaign spokesman Matt Exley said: “This is the first step on what will be a long road that could take five, 10 or 20 years before mutton is up there with the other mainstream meat choices. But that is what we like to think we can achieve in the long run.
“In the short term, we’re trying to achieve a modest renaissance and to position mutton as a product that can be enjoyed by consumers who like to experiment.”
Celebrity chefs, restaurants, independent butchers and small farmers have all been approached to draw attention to the campaign.
“We are trying to attract support from different areas of the meat industry and have now got a number of small farmers, butchers and abattoirs on board,” said Exley. “People who know about cooking say that mutton will have a superior flavour to lamb if reared in the right way, handled in the right way after slaughter and cooked in the right way.”
Mutton has been in decline since the Second World War but among suppliers enjoying regular demand for the meat from consumers is Graig Farm Organics - an organic producer group which covers 170 farms in Wales and the Borders and which has been selling Welsh mountain mutton for 10 years.
The promotional drive is being funded by Eblex and Meat Promotion Wales (HCC), and supported by the National Sheep Association and the Academy for Culinary Arts.
Campaign spokesman Matt Exley said: “This is the first step on what will be a long road that could take five, 10 or 20 years before mutton is up there with the other mainstream meat choices. But that is what we like to think we can achieve in the long run.
“In the short term, we’re trying to achieve a modest renaissance and to position mutton as a product that can be enjoyed by consumers who like to experiment.”
Celebrity chefs, restaurants, independent butchers and small farmers have all been approached to draw attention to the campaign.
“We are trying to attract support from different areas of the meat industry and have now got a number of small farmers, butchers and abattoirs on board,” said Exley. “People who know about cooking say that mutton will have a superior flavour to lamb if reared in the right way, handled in the right way after slaughter and cooked in the right way.”
Mutton has been in decline since the Second World War but among suppliers enjoying regular demand for the meat from consumers is Graig Farm Organics - an organic producer group which covers 170 farms in Wales and the Borders and which has been selling Welsh mountain mutton for 10 years.
No comments yet