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Chef Mike Reid plates up lamb cutlets cooks with a farci of sweatbreads, wild garlic and lovage wrapped in caul fat.<\/p>\n
NEW Zealand lamb predominates in United Kingdom supermarket sales, but the nation\u2019s food service industry favours the milder taste of Australian lamb, a meat expert told a large food expo in London this week.<\/p>\n
Addressing crowds at UK\u2019s premier hospitality and foodservice trade event, Meat & Livestock Australia\u2019s country manager for UK and Europe Richard Sanders said the Merino-based background of Australia\u2019s flock delivered a milder-flavoured meat preferred for highly-flavoured foods.<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing against UK, lamb, the Welsh, Irish or NZ lamb \u2026 but their taste is really lamby and some people don\u2019t like that. Australian lamb is really mild and that is why the Indian chefs love it, because the lamb doesn\u2019t overpower the spices,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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MLA\u2019s Richard Sanders tackles smoking a rolled lamb shoulder.<\/p>\n
\u201cAustralian lamb is different. It has a different texture and it\u2019s a different flavour as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
The shift in UK demographics has been a strong factor in increased sales of sheep and goat meat into that country, according to an established exporter attending the event.<\/p>\n
Gerard Meyn of Stella Foods said the demand for Australian product has been driven by the bazaars of major Muslim population centres, he said, citing the claim of Richard Saunders that 6 percent of Britain\u2019s population accounts for 30pc of the nation\u2019s sheep meat consumption. According to the 2021 Census, Muslims make up 6.5pc of the population in England and Wales, up from 4.9pc in 2011.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of bazaars and that halal market is significant,\u201d Mr Meyn said, adding that the newly inked Australia-EU Free Trade Agreement offered a good opportunity to enter and expand into that market.<\/p>\n
He was among the 13 sheep meat, goat meat and beef exporters attending the three-day Hotel Restaurant and Catering expo under MLA\u2019s Aussie Beef, Lamb and Goat campaign. The expo attracted more than 25,000 attendees under the banner of Food, Drink and Hospitality Week to the sprawling 44,546 sq m Excel pavilion space in east London.<\/p>\n
The combined MLA platform comprised a commanding display stand in the vast expo complex and team members took over the central cooking demonstration site for most of the expo\u2019s second day. They drew crowds for most of the session which saw two full cooking demonstrations, food sampling and a discussion panel examining the role Aussie beef and lamb in the UK.<\/p>\n
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Chef Lara Norman prepared a Middle-Eastern inspired lamb dish with date glaze.<\/p>\n
The cooking demonstration featured chefs, Lara Norman and Aussie Beef, Goat and Lamb brand ambassador Mike Reid who operates two \u2013 soon to be three \u2013 restaurants and features across TV and other media in the UK and Australia.<\/p>\n
\u201cEnglish lamb is incredible, but Aussie lamb at the moment is probably the best,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe marbling we\u2019re getting at the moment is just next level.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe flavour we\u2019re getting is insanely good,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that\u2019s what we look for; we look for that flavour, the \u2018je ne sais quoi\u2019, that point of difference. It\u2019s so important.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Reid cooked cutlets with a farci of sweetbreads, wild garlic and lovage in a caul fat coating (\u2018nature\u2019s cling film\u2019).<\/p>\n
Grilled cutlets were shared with the appreciative crowd who were unaware of an earlier drama in the behind-the-scenes kitchen. The cooking staff had to get creative when the stoves failed temporarily mid-sear. The meat had to be stashed in a warming oven until the grill was restarted.<\/p>\n
Back at the demo kitchen, Mr Reid discussed the tension between local lamb producers opposing Australian imports.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom a chef\u2019s perspective the pressure is on buying local. And I understand that pressure, I feel that pressure,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut ultimately I would rather give my guests the best experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo having access to incredible meat, incredible lamb, consistent all year round with the attention to detail, for me that\u2019s the most important thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also addressed the issue of Australian lamb size compared with lamb from other countries.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s bigger, yes, but it\u2019s consistent.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s always the same size,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour recipes are influenced by your produce so \u2013 to me \u2013 we are giving more to our guests. they are getting more value for the same price and the quality is second to none so for me, the size is perfect.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lamb cutlet in the UK, it\u2019s not cheap,\u201d Mr Reid said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a very expensive cut so if you can get a thicker cutlet with incredible flavour for comparable pricing, I\u2019d think you\u2019d be crazy not to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smaller NZ lamb legs appeal to UK consumers<\/p>\n
The comparative size of the smaller NZ carcases and Australian lamb gives the Kiwis an advantage in supermarket retail sales, according to UK-based Mark Smith who trades for the Swiss-based GVFI.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe smaller legs appeal because the discretionary spend is less,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The NZ producers also match the UK seasonal demand.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe two peak times are Christmas, when the NZ production season is just beginning but Easter is peak production,\u201d he said, adding that recent years have also seen the growth of boneless cuts during the UK summer months.<\/p>\n
Frozen lamb legs from NZ have traditionally dominated exports to the UK, providing up to 52% of volumes in 2024.<\/p>\n
Visiting a London supermarket the week before Easter, Sainsbury\u2019s was offering 50pc off NZ lamb \u2013 bringing it to around \u00a38\/kg.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a loss leader to get people into the store,\u201d Mr Smith said.<\/p>\n
More widely; however, domestically-sourced lamb was priced up to 33pc higher from last year, according to the industry\u2019s The Grocer.<\/p>\n
Lower UK production, driven down by unpredictable weather and disease, along with high demand for Easter and Ramadan, has led to a shortage of UK-sourced lamb for retailers.<\/p>\n
Most UK sheep meat demand is met domestically or by NZ imports, although volumes of Australian exports destined for the UK are increasing.<\/p>\n
There is certainly room for growth. Australia has undershot its quota allocation every year of the UK-FTA. It fulfilled only 47 percent of its sheep meat quota in 2025. However, sheep meat imports from Australia totalled 25,800 tonnes for that year, representing a 35pc lift on the year; and 2024 saw a 47pc rise in volumes from 2023.<\/p>\n
Usage of Australia-UK FTA sheep meat quota<\/p>\n
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Source: Australia DAFF<\/p>\n
The UK represents only 0.3pc of total Australian sheep meat exports by volume.<\/p>\n
In the evening, the Australian Trade Commission hosted around 300 guests at Australia House.<\/p>\n
Australian Trade and investment Commissioner James Fairley praised the UK-FTA \u201cthat has made Australian products more accessible and made Australian products more competitive in the UK market, enabling Australian suppliers to diversify the goods they can send and helping British companies to diversify their sources more.\u201d<\/p>\n
He praised South Australia\u2019s Vili\u2019s pies, which is now the official supplier of pies to the London Broncos.<\/p>\n
Mr Fairley also praised Australia\u2019s recently inked free trade agreement with the European Union.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis one in a generation with the world\u2019s second-largest economy will open up access to 27 member countries and about 450m consumers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it\u2019s not all about the FTA and tariffs.<\/p>\n
\u201cAustralian and UK industry, processors and consumers, are relying on high-quality, sustainable products,\u201d Mr Fairley said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAustralia and the UK should work together to drive solutions for key global challenges facing our agricultural producers.<\/p>\n
\u201cTogether we can work to diversify the products available on our shelves, collectively promote sustainability and health benefits and continue to supply high-quality, premium products,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are pleased to see the initial benefits of the FTA continue.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a win for industry and consumers, there\u2019s no doubt about that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a great deal for the UK and for Australia.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are countless opportunities for us to explore, resulting in significant benefits to both economies.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Serving-up-for-Fletcher-International-from-left-Emily-Coleman-Anthony-Sheridan-Graham-Lyon-and-Keira.jpeg\")
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Serving up for Fletcher International, from left, Emily Coleman, Anthony Sheridan, Graham Lyon and Keiran McLean.<\/p>\n
Exhibitors participating in the MLA-supported display were Ausvision Meat Producers (trading as Beaufort River Meats), Endeavour Meats, Fletcher International Exports, Greenham Australia, Jack\u2019s Creek, JBS Foods Australia, Marble King, Mulwarra Export, Providore Global, Signature Beef, Stella Foods Australia, Teys Australia and Thomas Foods International.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Chef Mike Reid plates up lamb cutlets cooks with a farci of sweatbreads, wild garlic and lovage wrapped…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":517068,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[59,57,58,50,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-517067","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-united-kingdom","8":"tag-gb","9":"tag-great-britain","10":"tag-greatbritain","11":"tag-news","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom","14":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/517067","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=517067"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/517067\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/517068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=517067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=517067"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=517067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}