One of Scotland’s best homegrown products will be taking centre stage on menus across the country later this month for St Andrew’s Day.
An idea sparked by a sheep farmer and a livestock auctioneer to make Scotch Lamb the natural choice for celebrating St Andrew’s Day, in the same way that turkey is synonymous with Christmas and haggis for Burn’s Night, has become a popular tradition with pubs, restaurants and community events marking the patron saint’s day on 30th November.
Some of Scotland’s leading chefs have inspired lamb dishes for this celebration over the years, including Andrew Fairlie, Tony Singh and, last year, Derek Johnstone, the Executive Head Chef at Archerfield House who created the ‘Muckle Pie. This year, it is Chef Patron Jamie Harrison of the Kirkstyle Inn in Dunning who has created the starring dish, a trio of lamb which showcases the different cuts and how versatile lamb can be to cook.
“Lamb is one of Scotland’s greatest natural assets and it deserves a day of its own- St Andrew’s Day is the perfect time to put it centre stage,” says Chef Patron Jamie Harrison of the award-winning Kirkstyle Inn in Dunning. “Autumn lamb has especially good flavour and marbling and as a chef I love its versatility – whether it is slow roast, seared in a pan or a warming mince dish.
Jamie’s dish is a stunning trio of Scotch Lamb with seared loin, mint and haggis crumb; twice cooked belly noisette; and stripped slow cooked lamb shoulder with lamb jus.
“We always have a lamb dish as the main event on our St Andrew’s Day menu and it’s popular. Some people wouldn’t make lamb their first choice from a menu, but this has been a great way to reintroduce them to this wonderful meat. It’s full of flavour, packed with good, natural nutrition and comes straight off our hills, so it’s an absolute winner on many levels.”
As well as chefs taking on the baton, those behind Lamb for St Andrew’s Day – the livestock auctioneers, sheep farmers, butchers and the national marketing body for red meat, Quality Meat Scotland – have delivered more than 3.1 tonnes of lamb into schools for pupils to cook and eat.
This started when Covid made it difficult for the traditional St Andrew’s Day events to take place in communities and venues, so each November they have donated into schools meaning that more than 78,000 school pupils across Scotland have had the opportunity to cook with lamb in Home Economics classes or enjoy special dishes in the school canteen. QMS has also provided resources for teachers to tell the story of lamb production in Scotland and its health benefits in the classroom.
Over the years, this simple concept has boosted lamb sales and introduced thousands of young people to one of Scotland’s finest products, with sales of lamb last November up 13% on the year before in both the marts and on shop shelves*.
“St Andrew’s Day offers the perfect opportunity to enjoy Scotch Lamb, whether at home, in restaurants, or at community events. It can be cooked in so many different ways and doesn’t need to be expensive – your butcher can guide you with inspiration for roasting, slow cooking, grilling or creating traditional dishes,” says Neil Wilson, the Executive Director of the Institute for livestock marts in in Scotland (IAAS). “Whether you’re planning a family meal, hosting friends, or simply want to mark Scotland’s national day with something special, Scotch lamb offers a delicious way to celebrate our Scottish heritage and support local producers.”
Get Involved
Look out for Scotch Lamb at your local butcher, supermarket or farmers’ market, and discover recipe inspiration through Quality Meat Scotland’s Make It Scotch social media channels and website.
Remember to share your St Andrew’s Day lamb dishes and celebrations on social media using #LambforStAndrewsDay to inspire others and to keep building this Scottish tradition.