News
HRH receives the first Renaissance mutton of the season
13th November 2008
The Prince of Wales has been presented with a dish of Cumbria mutton to mark the beginning of the fifth "Mutton Renaissance" season.
The Prince, who founded the Mutton Renaissance Campaign in 2004, has been keen to get the long-unfashionable meat back on the nation's plates.
The campaign was also aimed at supporting British sheep farmers who were struggling to sell their older animals.
Herdwick mutton from Cumbria was presented to The Prince at Clarence House by butcher Andrew Sharp, farmer Tim Wilson and Executive Chairman of the Academy of Culinary Arts, John Williams.
Mr Williams, who is also executive chef at The Ritz in London, had brought a mutton casserole with him.
The Prince, who has often said that mutton is one of his favourite foods, told his chef Julian Williams: "You must make some of that. It's absolutely brilliant."
The campaign to help mutton shed its reputation as poor man's lamb has included encouraging top restaurants like The Ritz and The Albemarle at Brown's Hotel in Mayfair to feature it on their menus.
John Thorley, Chairman of the Mutton Renaissance Club, said: "Since the campaign was launched, demand for quality mutton has continued to grow steadily among all those with an interest in good food. There's much greater demand for it now than there was."
Sales have increased by 20 per cent in the last two years, he said, and were worth between £1m and £2m last year. But they had started from a low base, he added, and it is expected to take about 10 years for the meat to become a fully established part of the market.
"Many farmers who produce Renaissance mutton are under severe financial pressure as a result of high energy prices and the need for better market opportunities," said Mr Thorley. "They need all the help they can get to increase income."
The meat is still not widely available in supermarkets, although sales in smaller shops could benefit from a growing trend of consumers tightening their belts in the economic downturn.
Sainsbury's said this week that its customers were favouring cheaper sources of protein such as chicken, over more expensive items such as beef, pork and prawns.