SuperValu has announced the arrival of Irish Free Range Hill Lamb to selected SuperValu stores. The supermarket chain is the first retailer in Ireland to have Irish Free Range Hill Lamb in stores and to offer the new Bord Bia LQAS quality assured logo.
SuperValu is the biggest seller of Irish lamb in the country and one of the biggest supporters of Irish sheep farmers. In 2008 SuperValu and its network of independent retailers will sell almost €30 million worth of Irish lamb.
The differences between hill and lowland lamb can be characterised by smaller, lighter, and leaner carcasses, and a deeper colour meat. However, it is in the flavour, brought about by their upland rearing, that the most significant difference emerges. Hill lambs graze over a much broader and more varied landscape than the lowland varieties.
Their meat is coloured by the diversity of the flora that they feed on – heathers, hill flowers, herbs, and various grasses give the meat a sweet succulent flavour. An additional feature is its late seasonality – hill lamb is available from early autumn to early spring. Not only do these lambs offer a wonderful eating experience, they play an important environmental role, contributing to the eco-balance of Ireland’s upland region.
SuperValu has a policy of sourcing and selling only 100 per cent Irish meat which ensures superior quality and farm to fork traceability. This longstanding commitment to secure supply from local Irish producers has ensured consumer confidence in the SuperValu meat offering, which is served up by expert butchers, across the network of 192 stores.
