New Zealand Lamb - World Famous For 140 Years

This year National Lamb Day will be commemorating 140 years since the first shipment of frozen sheep meat arrived in London on May 24th 1882. The shipment was organised by two entrepreneurs, William Davidson and Thomas Brydone who came up with revolutionary technology to keep the meat frozen with all but one of the 5,000 carcasses arriving in excellent condition.  That voyage was the beginning of what was to to become a multi-billion-dollar export market which has put New Zealand lamb on the world stage.

Lamb may be one of our biggest export earners, but for Kiwi chefs it has become a staple on restaurant menus here at home.  With access to premium brands, products and cuts, chefs love to showcase the best of what New Zealand farmers have grown.  With the knowledge that Kiwi farmers are pushing the boundaries and growing amazing produce, chefs feel proud to be able to tell the paddock to plate story to their guests.

Ahead of the 140th anniversary, I chatted with Platinum Ambassador Chef, Darren Wright who has been in the industry for 30 years and has cooked a lot of lamb in that time.  Darren has owned several award-winning restaurants during his career but when Covid hit back in 2020, he made a big change and sold his Christchurch-based restaurant, Chillingworth Road.  He then took on his current role as brand ambassador for Alliance, so works right at the coal face of lamb production now.

What he sees on a day-to-day basis is some very innovative thinkers - a bit like Brydone and Davidson - including farmers who are taking their farming practices to the next level and chefs who know exactly how to showcase the amazing produce on the plate.

 “Farmers have changed how they do things over the years and producers are really passionate about creating great products.”

In his job, Darren gets to meet farmers who are using unique breeding programmes combined with excellent farming practices, to create produce with an amazing story behind it.  It comes down to what the animals are fed and keeping them stress free right through to the processing plant.

 “It’s amazing to be able to visit chefs and tell them the story of how the animals are grown so they can tell the paddock to plate story through their menu.”

Darren grew up in Akaroa surrounded by a bounty of fresh food and with cooking inspiration from both his grandmothers he was well set up for a career in food.  It’s not surprising then when I asked him what he finds special about cooking with New Zealand lamb that he links it back to memories of family roast dinners. He says the connection of food and family is the reason why lamb is so important to Kiwis. 

 “Most of us grew up with fond memories of a Sunday lamb roast shared with family and friends, so lamb is often associated with that family connection.”

Remembering back to his early days as a chef in the 90s, Darren finished his training at the Park Royal in Christchurch.  He says back then it was all about cooking lamb racks as they required little effort to make a fabulous dish.

Lamb racks are still popular and feature on most restaurant menus in some form, but are often accompanied by a secondary cut.  Chefs are looking for these secondary cuts not only as they keep the cost of a dish down, but it allows them to get creative in the kitchen which results in an outstanding dining experience for their guests.

Darren’s creativity and talent, along with his signature style of using a prime and secondary cut on his dishes helped elevate him to being named a Beef + Lamb Platinum Ambassador Chef in 2015.  He says this experience of being an Ambassador Chef gave him a good insight into the red meat industry which has helped him immensely in his current role.

He has also cooked internationally on both a competitive and promotional level, and feels a sense of pride being able to cook with such a world class product.  He says lamb is a very important part of the New Zealand food story and is one of the ingredients we are best known for on the world stage.

As we reflect on that voyage 140 years ago I can’t help but wonder what Davidson and Brydone would be thinking about what they began all those years ago.

For National Lamb Day this month, Darren is looking forward to a traditional family celebration. What will he be cooking?

 “It would have to be a nice oyster shoulder served at the table with a whole lot of sides and a traditional old school mint sauce.”