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Beacons inspire army of Swiss chefs

A TRIP to Wales has helped some of Switzerland’s leading chefs and restaurateurs create tasty new dishes with the finest Welsh Lamb.

PGI Welsh Lamb has been growing in popularity in top Swiss restaurants and hotels. The tour was arranged by Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC), in conjunction with a major food importer who added Welsh meat to its premium listings last year, in order to boost demand.

To help raise awareness of the provenance, quality and versatility of the meat, the tour included a visit to a farm in the Brecon Beacons, a guide to how the lamb is processed and a cutting demonstration by a master butcher, and a cooking display.

The Swiss restaurateurs enjoyed seeing how Welsh Lamb is produced in its natural environment, according to sheep and beef farmer Richard Roderick of Talybont-on-Usk. “It gives such confidence for chefs to see the low-intensity and high-welfare way in which the animals are reared, and that they’re fully traceable from farm to fork” said Richard.

“Hopefully the visit will inspire the chefs and their colleagues to use more meat from Wales in their restaurants!”

HCC’s agent in Central Europe, Patricia Czerniak, said that since re-establishing a foothold in the Swiss market recently, demand for PGI Welsh Lamb had increased substantially.

“Hotels, restaurants and tourism is big business in Switzerland, with chefs looking for high-quality ingredients,” said Patricia.

“Since they started to list Welsh Lamb last year, business with one foodservice importer has already doubled, and they’re looking to triple sales by the end of 2017. Bringing their clients and prospective customers to Wales can only help to boost this market.”

Patricia was also encouraged to see the chefs picking up new ideas through their visit.

“After the butchery demonstration, many of the chefs asked for new cuts to be made available, including offal such as livers and sweetbreads,” she said.
“The visitors included some of Switzerland’s top chefs, so we hope that their new Welsh Lamb creations will set a trend in the country.”

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