THEY say the proof is in the eating and Cootamundra’s Hillside Texel Lamb has proved to be amongst the best lamb in the country.
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Owned and run by Andrew Roberts, Hillside Texel Lamb was awarded three silver medals at this month’s ‘Australia’s Best Lamb Competition’ at LambEx in South Australia.
There were three grass-fed weight classes, 18 to 22 kg, 22 to 26 kg and 26 plus kg, all of which Mr Roberts entered.
The other grain-fed categories were not applicable to his lambs.
While not taking the top gong, Mr Roberts couldn’t have been more pleased with his three silver medals.
As the only producer in the competition to do this he said he sees it as reward for the consistency of his stock.
LambEx, which took place at the Adelaide Showground between July 9 and 11, involved around 70 exhibitors and 900 delegates.
‘Australia’s Best Lamb Competition’ aimed to recognise the high value of Australian lamb as a tender and flavoursome value-added product.
The competition was open to lamb producers, lamb processors, lamb wholesalers and lamb retailers with the contingency that the lamb be available commercially.
Hillside Texel Lamb fit this criteria as it is available through Cootamundra Butchery.
There the lamb is available in a variety of cuts and turned into their famous pies.
Mr Roberts has been breeding texel lambs since 1993.
For 40 years he bred poll dorset lambs before converting to the breed popular in the United Kingdom, Europe and in more recent years New Zealand.
It has not reached these same levels of popularity in Australia giving Hillside and other producers a niche in the market.
Mr Roberts was initially introduced to texel lambs through his brother Hugh Roberts, also of Cootamundra.
While Hugh was in the UK in 1977 he saw texels and said if they ever come to Australia they are a quality breed.
When they did become available here, Mr Roberts was quick to jump on board.
He was sold on the lambs due to the extra meat on their carcass as well as their eating quality.
He used to sell his Hillside Texel Lamb throughout Sydney as well as here in Cootamundra, however managing his property through the drought saw him cut back on this and now the Cootamundra Butchery has exclusive selling rights to this award-winning lamb.
The cuts of lamb entered in the ‘Australia’s Best Lamb Competition’ had been prepared by Cootamundra Butchery.
Mr Roberts is hoping for further success when he shows his lambs in Bendigo this week.
