Matt and Lynley Wyeth hope more farmers will partake in the celebration. PHOTO/SUPPLIED
BECKIE WILSON
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Knowing where the meat we consume comes from is a big deal to Matt and Lynley Wyeth.
The Masterton couple, who run Spring Valley farm, also want it to be a big deal for their urban counterparts too.
The couple have come up with an idea to add a ‘town meets country’ flavour to National Lamb Day, held on Wednesday.
They invited a handful of ‘townie’ couples to dinner on Thursday night who would work up an appetite on a farm tour, checking out the waterways and environmental projects, as well as stock and pastures.
The Wyeths will be serving an entrée of lamb steaks, including some “naked” and others with seasoning to compare, followed by a rack of barbecued lamb served with roasted vegetables paired with donated Te Kairanga pinot noir.
It only seemed fitting for an initiative to involve “townies”, Mrs Wyeth said.
National Lamb Day acknowledges the arrival of 5000 frozen sheep carcasses in London, having left Dunedin’s Port Chalmers 98 days earlier in 1882.
The couple wanted to see more engagement between rural and urban.
“We want them to see where the meat they buy, and enjoy, comes from,” Mrs Wyeth said.
She said “townies” were the main consumers of the meat they grew, but not many knew about the environment it was grown in.
To kick off the initiative, the Wyeths made a post on their farm’s Facebook page at the end of April, and it just “snowballed” from there.
They wanted to spread their story about the community and environment they live in that helps produce a “top quality, ethical eating experience”.
Their challenge to farmers was to invite to dinner someone they would not normally socialise with.
Mrs Wyeth hoped more farmers would get on board to help make it an annual event.
