Farmers have an important role to play in encouraging consumers to view Scotch Lamb PGI as a shopping essential and to help promote it as a quick and easy ingredient to cook, according to Fife sheep farmer and Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) board member, George Milne.
Milne said he wants to help inspire consumers to include home-produced Scotch Lamb in their regular diet.
“Lamb is an unsung hero of Scottish produce and, by being at the forefront of showcasing its versatility and fantastic taste, we can promote to the public the time and dedication we, as farmers, put into rearing an animal to some of the highest welfare and environmental standards in the world,” said Milne.
“Consumers should be proud of Scottish agriculture and the farmers that produce their food. We undoubtedly have an opportunity to try and connect closer to the consumer by making the most of the opportunities that QMS provide through social media, in particular.
“Although the ordinary face-to-face methods of interaction – such as farm visits - are not available to us right now, we can use this opportunity to take a step back, to take a few steps forward when it comes to educating and building trust with consumers.”
“During the summer months, many of us are turning to the BBQ for our evening meals and traditionally that meant reaching for sausages or burgers – but what we need to be promoting is that higher quality cuts of meat are just as suited to the BBQ."
With the recent launch of the joint GB-wide ‘Make it’ with Lamb campaign, Milne highlighted the combination of summer months and an increase in home cooking as the ideal catalysts for farmers to get involved and to encourage consumers to give Scotch Lamb a try.
“During the summer months, many of us are turning to the BBQ for our evening meals and traditionally that meant reaching for sausages or burgers – but what we need to be promoting is that higher quality cuts of meat are just as suited to the BBQ.
“Take, for instance, a leg of lamb. It’s an incredibly flavoursome and nutrient-rich meat and, while some might be intimidated to try cooking it on the BBQ, with the current summer weather it’s so easy - just heat the BBQ up, remove the bone and butterfly the meat (or ask your butcher to do this), place it on the BBQ on high heat to seal the meat and then turn to a low temperature and cook for about 40 mins turning a few times. Remove from the BBQ and rest the joint for 10 mins and then carve. This will taste delicious and comfortably feed 8 people.
"We are producing a high-quality product and there are a number of ways that we can help drive a positive relationship built on mutual trust and respect. It can be as simple as submitting your favourite lamb recipe to your local newspaper, sharing information about how it is reared on social media, or simply sharing and supporting content from the Scotch Kitchen or QMS social channels,” he added.
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.
