Pro-players and Chefs Tackle West Country Beef & Lamb

Exeter Chiefs players scrummed down with Exeter Food and Drink Festival visitors over the bank holiday to sample West Country Beef and West Country Lamb.

Players, Thomas Waldrom and Jack Yeandle, joined celebrity chefs including Chris Wheeler and Dez Turland, who held cooking demonstrations to inspire thousands of consumers visiting the West Country PGI stand.

The festival followed on from an event on Wednesday 2 May, to show where West Country Beef and Lamb is produced. More than a hundred chefs descended on a farm on the banks of the River Exe to help stimulate ideas for recipes and share farmers’ pride for the produce.

West Country PGI Scheme Manager, Karl Pendlebury, who organised the events said: “It’s really been an incredible week to share PGI Beef and Lamb with customers and chefs from across the country.

“Having the Exeter Chiefs players visiting our stand at the South West Food and Drink Festival really was excellent, beef and lamb forms an important part of their diet helping them to stay as fit and healthy as they are. We also had so many chefs visit our farm open day, with the luscious green grass and the passion which shone through from our farmer, Jilly Greed, I’m sure West Country Beef and Lamb will feature on many more menus now.”

For beef and lamb to hold the West Country PGI badge it must be produced in the six counties of the south-west and be at least 70 per cent forage fed, which helps to give it a unique flavour.

Devonian born and bred chef, Richard Hunt, added: “West Country Beef and Lamb is raised in rolling hills and fertile valleys. The farmers and producers here have such pride and passion in their work. For me, sourcing the best quality produce is incredibly important – knowing that the meat has the West Country PGI mark gives me increased confidence, to make sure my customers are always happy.”

To find out more or to register and join West Country Beef & Lamb visit westcountrybeefandlamb.org.uk or call 0870 608 6610.

The West Country Beef & Lamb stand was at the Exeter Festival of South West Food and Drink from Saturday 5 – Monday 7 May.