AHEAD of this year’s Royal Welsh Show at Builth Wells, Welsh red meat agency Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) is partnering with some of the country’s most innovative chefs to showcase new recipes for Welsh lamb and Welsh beef.

Focusing on the quality and versatility of Welsh meat, HCC will be holding cookery demonstrations in the show which illustrate a wide variety of recipes – quick 20-minute meals, slow-cooked dishes drawing on inspiration from across the world, and barbecue choices.

Free recipe leaflets will be available for show visitors.

Starring in HCC’s on-site cookery theatre on the first day of the show will be Francesco Mazzei (pictured right), chef patron at Sartoria in Mayfair, who has made frequent TV appearances on shows such as Saturday Kitchen.

Francesco is creating a ‘temple of Italian cuisine’ in London, and will demonstrate Welsh red meat dishes with a Mediterranean twist.

He is a long-term supporter of PGI Welsh Lamb as a member of HCC’s Welsh Lamb Club – a group of top restaurateurs who are committed to using this fine red meat on their menus.

Another special guest who has made his name on TV is Imran Nathoo, the Cardiff dentist who starred on the 2017 series of Masterchef.

Imran recently partnered with HCC in a successful ‘pop-up’ dining venture, with his unique take on lamb kebabs the centrepiece of a three-course flavour sensation.

His kebabs used slow cooked shoulder of PGI Welsh Lamb and in the Royal Welsh, Imran will be showcasing another lesser-used cut which is both economical and tasty, by cooking tandoori lamb neck fillet with masala potatoes, crispy onions and coriander vinaigrette.

“I’ve wanted to visit the show for some time, but never had the opportunity to go until now!” said Imran. “I can’t wait to experience the sheer scale of one of the most highly regarded agricultural events in the country.

“As a city boy I’m keen to learn more about how the food products we see in the shops are actually produced and meet the hard working folk behind it.

“The quality of Welsh lamb is obvious.”

Also featuring on the HCC stand will be Wales’ young chef of the year Steffan Davies, as well as other members of the Culinary Association of Wales’s international teams, plus HCC’s own Elwen Roberts, who is well-known to S4C viewers for her cooking demonstrations on ‘Prynhawn Da’.

“Showing consumers the versatility of Welsh lamb, Welsh beef and pork from Wales is the key aim for us at the Royal Welsh Show,” said Elwen.

“With help from guest chefs, the HCC stand will be a feast of new flavours, new ideas and inspiration for people to try at home.”