The Farmers’ Union of Wales has welcomed the addition of a new, luxury Welsh Lamb product, which will be available in a leading supermarket ready for consumers to celebrate Easter.
Asda supermarkets will be stocking a new half Welsh Lamb leg joint in time for Easter celebrations from March 27 – April 5 as part of their ‘Extra Special’ range. The Extra Special Welsh Half Lamb Leg will be available in selected stores across the UK.
The new product has been created with celebrations in mind and is described as being ‘Prepared with succulent Welsh Lamb, with a full-flavoured gravy infused with roast garlic and deep Ruby Port, all finished with fragrant rosemary for a delicious Easter roast.’ An oven-ready product, it allows families and couples a convenient and delicious way to serve an Easter celebration meal.
Lamb has proven to be a popular product over the last 12 months, with more people choosing the protein over the lockdown period. The most recent data shows that the volume of lamb sold in the UK between December and February has increased by 16.4% compared with 2020 figures.
FUW President Glyn Roberts said: "This is a most welcome step in the right direction. Given the uncertainty our farmers face over future trade deals, supporting local suppliers is key to ensuring we have thriving, sustainable family farms here in Wales.
“Farmers in Wales produce excellent, sustainable, quality PGI Welsh Lamb and we are confident shoppers won’t be disappointed by the new range. I can only encourage others involved in the food supply chain to follow suit."
Emily Rees, HCC’s UK Retail Market Development Executive commented: “We know there is an increased consumer appetite for lamb products around Easter and Welsh farmers have been working hard to meet this peak of demand.
“It’s great news that consumers will be able to choose Welsh this Easter and by doing so they can be assured that they are choosing a high-quality product from domestic farms, which makes for a sustainable and fully traceable choice for their celebrations.”
Welsh Lamb is stocked by many retailers including supermarkets, independent retailers and butcher shops. HCC supports all retailers with the sale and promotion of Welsh Lamb and Welsh Beef.
Hayley Whittaker, Buying Manager Pork & Lamb at Asda said: “We are proud to offer Asda customers the option to buy Welsh lamb in time for the Easter weekend. We work closely with our suppliers in Wales to offer customers the best local products to celebrate with friends and family.”