Tracy McDonagh, from Tuam, was selected as the overall winner of a recent national Bord Bia competition, run in association with Today FM. As part of Bord Bia's new Lamb – Tasty, Easy, Fun campaign, Ms McDonagh submitted her signature lamb dish of tacos with lamb, tomato, coriander and avocado salsa for the judges’ consideration, and went on to prepare the dish in a live cook-off on Today FM.
The final dishes were then judged by a tasting panel that included Today FM presenter Anton Savage; Mairead Garvan, marketing specialist, Bord Bia; Irish chef Mark Moriarty, winner of the 2015 San Pellegrino Young Chef of the World; and Irish sheep farmer Brian Nicholson. Tracey McDonagh was announced as the overall winner having wowed the judges with her flavoursome dish.
“I used to only eat lamb in restaurants and always thought it was too complicated and fancy to make at home," Ms McDonagh said after her win. "This recipe is inspired by both my love of tacos and to help in moving away from the idea of lamb being a meat for just the colder months of the year. This dish is a real treat in the spring and summer time and makes for ideal entertaining food. It is fresh, full of flavour and a big crowd pleaser. I’m delighted the judges loved it so much.”
Ms McDonagh received an iPad mini, and a new state-of-the-art Weber barbecue, perfect for cooking more lamb, as first prize in the competition.
The Today FM competition was run as part of a European lamb campaign which highlights the importance of lamb as a quality everyday meat. Three promotional agencies — Bord Bia in Ireland, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board in the UK; and Interbev in France — are continuing to invest €7.7 million over the campaign period from 2015 to 2017, with 50 per cent of this funded by the European Union.
For helpful cooking tips and an extended selection of traditional, contemporary, and everyday lamb recipes to suit all tastes, check out www.tastyeasylamb.ie
