Neven Maguire & Bord Bia make cooking Lamb easy this summer!

Bord Bia launches Summer Lamb campaign to highlight the versatility of this tasty meat

Bord Bia have announced the details of a Summer Lamb campaign which will highlight the unique flavour and versatility of Lamb and provide consumers with a range of simple and tasty lamb recipe ideas. The campaign is also encouraging consumers to choose Lamb with the Bord Bia Quality Mark to ensure it has been produced to Bord Bia's highest standards and to know where it comes from.

Recent Bord Bia research has shown that 51% of consumers believe Lamb is the tastiest of all of the meats and to make cooking Lamb easy, Bord Bia is providing video demonstrations of Neven Maguire cooking two tasty Lamb dishes and step by step instructions for producing a range of versatile lamb recipes.

The videos and recipes are available from http://www.bordbia.ie/summerlamb and include:

- Lamb Chops with Tomato and Smoked Paprika Sauce

- Butterfly Leg of Lamb with Anchovy and Rosemary Topping

- Lamb Casserole with Cinnamon and Courgettes

- Lamb Burgers with Spicy Soured Cream Dressing

· Greek Style Lamb Kebabs with Yoghurt Dressing

· Lamb Cutlets with Fresh Herb Dressing

- Barbecue Lamb Steaks with Spicy Tarragon and Shallot Butter

Bord Bia is also partnering with the Ray D'Arcy Show on Today FM from today for two weeks and the show will be asking listeners to look at lamb in a new way and to design a tasty Summer Lamb Burger recipe. Four listeners will be selected to cook their unique lamb burger recipe live on air and the overall winner will be chosen by a panel of judges including Neven Maguire and Mairead Farrell from the Ray D'Arcy Show on Friday 15th June.

Teresa Brophy, Ireland Markets Manager, Bord Bia said "Lamb is the perfect meat for quick and simple summer recipe ideas. It is ideal for the barbeque and so is a favourite summer time meal with friends and family. We are encouraging consumers to consider all of the ways in which lamb can be cooked and prepared and to enjoy its unique taste, which is said to come about as a result of rainfall which makes the grass sweeter”.

James Murphy, Chairman, IFA Sheep Committee said "Recent Kantar research has shown very positive results for lamb sales with 66% of households buying lamb on a regular basis. Shoppers are also spending over €100 million on lamb which is an increase of 8% compared with this time last year and with summer a key period for lamb sales we are confident that this trend will continue”.

To celebrate the Summer Lamb campaign Bord Bia is giving five people the opportunity to win an iPad to make looking up Bord Bia dinner recipes in the kitchen easy! For details on the competition, which ends on Friday 22nd June, visit http://www.bordbia.ie/summerlamb . Winners will be announced on Monday 25th June.

Bord Bia will be offering consumers the opportunity to sample Lamb through a series of in-store tastings in supermarkets around the country on (Date). For further information visit http://www.bordbia.ie/summerlamb, look for updates on facebook.com/bordbia or join the conversation on twitter using #summerlamb.

Bord Bia Quality Assured Lamb Chops with Tomato and Smoked Paprika Sauce

Lamb cutlets or lamb steaks are also delicious with this sauce.

Serves 4

Time: 20 minutes

- 4 sideloin lamb chops, well trimmed

- A little olive oil

- 2 tablesp. chopped fresh oregano leaves or flat leaf parsley

- A little salt and freshly ground black pepper

Tomato and Smoked

Paprika Sauce

- 2 tablesp. olive oil

- 1 large onion, finely chopped

- 3 cloves garlic, crushed

- 2 teasp. smoked paprika

- 400g tin of chopped tomatoes

- 1 tablesp. chopped fresh oregano leaves or flat leaf parsley

- 1 tablesp. tomato purée

- 1 teasp. sugar

To serve: Steamed Broccoli and mashed or sautéed potatoes

Combine the olive oil, oregano leaves, salt and pepper. Brush this mixture over both sides of the lamb chops. Leave to marinate while you make the sauce.

To make the sauce, heat the oil in a medium sized frying pan. Add in the onion and fry over a gentle heat for about 5 minutes until softened. Then add in the garlic, paprika, chopped tomatoes, herbs, tomato purée, sugar and a little salt and pepper. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer gently for ten minutes until the sauce thickens. Taste and add more seasoning if necessary.

To cook the chops, heat the barbecue, grill or frying pan and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until cooked to your liking. Allow the chops to rest for a minute or two before serving.

Serve with the Tomato and Smoked Paprika Sauce, steamed broccoli and mashed or sautéed potatoes.

For more Bord Bia Quality assured Lamb recipes see http://www.bordbia.ie/lamb