Quality Standard Mark (QSM) beef and lamb produce from the west country will be hitting the road this autumn, to be showcased at two prestigious food festivals.
The first will be Budelicious – a food and drink festival in Cornwall took place over the weekend.
Chef Dez Turland will cook a range of dishes, like ‘tongue in cheek’ and a lamb curry which uses four cuts from the carcass to maximise value, using beef or lamb that holds the west country Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status.
QSM produce will also be promoted at the Thames Food Festival. This event takes place from September 29 to 30. The festival sees around 45,000 foodie visitors attend annually.
Around a dozen of the UK’s top chefs will take to the beef and lamb stand to create dishes which demonstrate why QSM is used in several top restaurants across the country. MasterChef’s Jane Devonshire, Jesse Dunford-Wood and Louisa Ellis will be among the chefs taking part.
The events build on recent Love Lamb Week which was actively supported by chefs, retailers and independent butchers across the country.
Commenting on the promotional work, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) quality schemes manager Karl Pendlebury said: “The food festivals and the support we receive from chefs are really helping to build a recognised presence for the QSM and the PGI schemes.
We now have more than 2,100 high-street butchers and independent retailers which actively promote the Quality Standard Mark.
He also added that the west country beef and lamb PGI is also gaining popularity with retailers and consumers alike seeking out the mark.
According to AHDB, in order for beef or lamb to be marked as ‘West Country PGI’, it must be produced in one of the six south-west counties of England, with at least 70% of the animals’ feed made up of natural forage.
