LAMB was the order of the week at a Herefordshire pub as diners got behind an industry promotion.

Racks of lamb were said to have gone down a treat at the Alma Inn, Linton, where Dan and Gemma Evans, served up the dish during the first ever British Lamb Week.

In Gloucestershire, butcher, Andy Creese, who is in Newent, was also flagging up cuts of lamb during the first week of September.

They were typical of events and activities across the UK organised by the Marches NSA and other groups which saw lamb starring at farmers’ markets, pubs, shops and shows.

The NSA said more than 7,000 people engaged with Facebook content alone.

Phil Stocker, chief executive of the Malvern-based NSA, said: “It has been great to see the lamb price just a little stronger during British Lamb Week. There are several other factors in play of course, including the slight improvement in exchange rate and forthcoming ethnic festivals. However we would hope and expect that some of the good promotional work being done, as well as the good quality products on offer, is starting to have an effect.

“For a fledgling initiative, the feedback NSA has had suggests British Lamb Week has been a big success and I hope it will have given us something constructive to build on in future years. It shows what can be done with an injection of enthusiasm and energy amongst the sheep farming community, and I think the entire industry should give a huge thank you to Rachel Lumley who got the whole thing off the ground.”

Rachel, who had never been involved in any promotional activity before, said she was overwhelmed to see that marketing works and doesn’t have to cost the earth, if producers are able to club together as they did for the special week.

Phil continues: “At a national level it has allowed us to connect with and promote existing large scale promotional work, such as that undertaken annually by our levy bodies. And on a local scale it has resulted in a remarkable number of individuals doing things that they certainly wouldn’t have done otherwise.

“Such activities include lamb tastings in pubs and local shopping centres, with some farmers setting these things up individually and at their own expense. It can only raise awareness, get people to try lamb cooked in a number of ways, and help underpin our home market.”