A group of future chefs have been among nearly 500 people to take part in an exciting research project which is gathering consumer feedback on Welsh Lamb’s succulence, taste and flavour.

The twenty students from Coleg Cambria joined 480 consumers who tasted and scored a total of 3,360 samples of Welsh Lamb for the latest series of taste trials held in the final months of 2021.

All 480 consumers will contribute to a sample base of 2,000 consumers during the lifetime of the project run by Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC).

HCC’s Welsh Lamb Meat Quality Project is part of a five-year Red Meat Development Programme, funded by the EU and Welsh Government, and seeks to ensure Welsh Lamb retains its worldwide reputation by studying consumers’ preferences and through scientific analysis of lamb samples.

Each year the project investigates different on-farm and processing factors that may influence the eating quality. Last year, the meat sampled at the taste panels were looking at lambs’ finishing diet and meat ageing period.

During the consumer taste panels, consumers are asked to score seven pieces of Welsh Lamb on meat quality attributes; tenderness, juiciness, flavour, aroma and overall liking. The consumer taste panels target a range of groups in order to get a true representation of the product’s consumers.

Paul Smith, a chef assessor at Coleg Cambria, who accompanied the student group said, “It was a truly inspiring event for the new students to take part in, and an amazing induction into Welsh local produce.”

A second chef assessor, John Webster, added, “The event gave the students a great opportunity to understand the importance of working with local farmers and helping to improve the quality of Welsh produce.”

With the completion of the consumer taste panels for this trial, the data will be analysed and the findings will be used to establish an assessment of meat quality variation which will be made available to the whole supply chain with a full report of the results expected in late spring.

John Richards, HCC’s Industry Development and Relations Manager explained, “The assessment will help inform the supply chain from farm to fork, to help understand shoppers’ taste, flavour and texture preferences and enhance the Welsh Lamb eating quality experience for the modern consumer.

“To date, the taste panels have been undertaken in cities across the UK including Chester, Reading and Cardiff. Whilst the main aim of the panels is to gain valuable feedback, it also offers an important opportunity to highlight the nutritional benefits of eating lamb to consumers.”

The Welsh Lamb Meat Quality Project is one of three 5-year projects in the Red Meat Development Programme which is funded by the Welsh Government Rural Communities – Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the Welsh Government.