Forget fashion and celebrity culture (42 per cent), sports (65 per cent) and the soaps (44 per cent), a study by Red C for Bord Bia shows that 78 per cent of consumers are interested in cooking, food and drink when it comes to consuming media. TV shows like Home Chef with Neven Maguire (25 per cent) and Kitchen Hero with Donal Skehan (20 per cent) attract viewers, but 48 per cent of consumers look to foodie websites, apps and blogs for recipes.
Online brands like Bordbia.ie (17 per cent), RTE.ie (34 per cent), Food Network (19 per cent) and Jamie’s Food Tube (37 per cent) are among the popular choices. Speaking at the launch of the ‘Lamb tasty easy fun’ campaign, chef Stu O’Keeffe (above) said lamb is a versatile and tasty meat. Recipes show the different cuts available and the cooking styles used to bring out the meat’s flavour. Lamb can be barbecued or grilled and eaten al fresco.
The pan-European campaign highlights the versatility of European lamb as an everyday meat. Three promotional agencies – Bord Bia in Ireland, AHDB (Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board) in the UK, and Interbev in France, will invest €7.7 million over the 36 month campaign period with half of the budget funded by the European Union (EU).
Teresa Brophy, consumer and trade marketing manager, Bord Bia, says over 80 per cent of lamb sales are by consumers aged 45 years and older. The new campaign encourages younger consumers to consider lamb as an everyday meal option and provides them with practical information on how to cook lamb and showcase the range of recipes available.
Bord Bia found that 84 per cent of the 1,008 consumers interviewed like trying out new recipes and one in 10 want to impress partners with new dishes. Social media has a 70 per cent following among foodies on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Irish consumers like to share photos of meals created at home or dishes they eat when dining out.
The lamb recipes and cooking tips are at www.tastyeasylamb.ie
