Public sector caterers from across the south east celebrated Valentine’s Day this year, by visiting a working South Downs lamb and beef farm near Lewes in East Sussex.

Nearly 50 caterers and a dozen Sussex farmers gathered in the stunning surroundings of Firle Place, country home of Viscount Gage and his family whose extensive acreage is farmed by tenant farmer, Andrew Barr. Lord Gage and Andrew Barr welcomed their guests to the farm in the magnificent main house before embarking on a tour of the farm and surrounding downland.

Caterers, chefs and food buyers from across the cost sector were invited to make the connections between the meat they buy and how it is raised locally by regional food promotional body, the South East Food Group Partnership (SEFGP)¹.

SEFGP’s public sector project manager, Melissa Love, was hoping to convince buyers to choose meat raised in the south east rather than imported lamb from New Zealand and Brazil which are perceived as being cheaper.

“Conditions for livestock farming across the south east downs are unique and produce affordable meat of the very highest quality,” said Melissa. “Traditional breeds of Southdown lamb & beef have been present on the Sussex downland for hundreds of years and now, more than ever, local farmers need our support. Our message is that with better knowledge of less popular cuts, local meat can be very affordable for the public sector and, in some cases, cheaper.”

The event was the culmination of a two-year project with South Downs Marketing Ltdto introduce forequarter meat to schools and hospitals across the south east.

Representing 18 farmers from Hampshire & Sussex, South Downs Lamb Marketing initially saw rapid growth in sales to retail butchers, but soon found that demand for popular hindquarter cuts like leg and rack of lamb was outstripping demand for the forequarter.

According to Chris Clark, Chief Executive of South Downs Lamb Marketing, there is still plenty of room for growth. “We have an enormous capacity for increasing production on the farms we work with, but we need to find a reliable market for forequarter meat. We hit on the idea of selling forequarter mince to the school sector and promoting less well-known cuts like boned and rolled shoulder to the hospital market and it is just starting to take off. Events like these really help make it real to buyers and chefs who may be used to buying imported meat.”

The caterers who attended found the visit fascinating, being able to observe newborn lambs with their mothers in the lambing shed, before a short trip up onto the top of the downs to see how grazing is so vital for preserving the beauty of the South Downs landscape.

The session finished with a demonstration from the Meat & Livestock Commission’s master butcher, Viv Harvey, who demonstrated a range of imaginative cuts of forequarter lamb, beef & pork from across the region.

MLC² representative, Tony Goodger, was delighted with the turn-out. “This is a great opportunity to demonstrate the quality & provenance of British meat to the public sector. All of the livestock farms in the South Downs scheme have attained the Red Tractor Standard and will soon be using the English Beef & Lamb quality mark, which lets you know that high animal welfare standards, eating quality and traceability have all been given careful consideration by the farmers involved.”

He continued, “We have also produced a DVD for public sector caterers with a full butchery demonstration of some innovative forequarter cuts, which will be available soon.”

Caterers and farmers sat down together at the end of the session to enjoy a locally-sourced lunch of slow-cooked lamb stew & beef & ale casserole from a South Downs farm, where all agreed that the proof was in the eating. “You can really taste the difference”, was the general verdict and many of the delegates were now intending to speak to their wholesale butchers about purchasing meat from region.

SEFGP’s Melissa Love was positive about opportunities in the public sector for regional producers: “Although today has given everyone food for thought, there is no doubt that public sector caterers are keen to purchase food more sustainably. In the last year, we have seen a huge increase in interest from the cost sector in re-connecting with local producers, both to keep food miles down but also to have a closer relationship with farmers and growers from their local community. I’m confident that this is a trend which is here is to stay.”

For media enquiries, images or for more information about sourcing regional food in the public sector or the project work of the South East Food Group Partnership, please contact Melissa Love on 07976 917363 or melissa@sefgp.co.uk.

For more information about South Downs Marketing Ltd, please contact Liz Snaith on  07974 678833 or email lizsnaith@btopenworld.com.

For more information about the Meat & Livestock Commission, please contact Tony Goodger on 07775 535212 or email tony_goodger@mlc.org.uk.