Thanks to its delicious taste and unmatched quality, New Zealand beef and lamb is a prized menu item for locals and visitors in kitchens across Aotearoa. For over 40 years, our food service team has built relationships with chefs around the country who are creating and cooking amazing beef and lamb dishes for their customers. We’re driven by a desire to help Kiwi chefs make the most of New Zealand beef and lamb through education, menu inspiration, and culinary awards.
PROMOTING EXCELLENCE WITHIN THE FOODSERVICE SECTOR
The Beef and Lamb New Zealand foodservice portfolio has been around for a long time. Back in the 1980’s they ran the Lamb Cuisine Awards which helped put New Zealand lamb on restaurant menus around the country. In 1997 the Awards became the Hallmark of Excellence Awards which was developed by a group of chefs to include both beef and lamb dishes and to establish what was to go on to be New Zealand’s longest running culinary award. The Beef and Lamb Excellence Awards ran for 23 years and during that time awarded the prestigious gold plate to over 3000 restaurants around the country.
The Ambassador Chef Programme evolved from the Beef + Lamb Excellence Awards and for almost three decades has seen some of our best loved chefs join the beef and lamb family as Ambassador Chefs. Some of these chefs have gone on to become Platinum which is a lifetime status granted to chefs for their longevity as ambassadors for Beef + Lamb New Zealand. In 2021 Beef + Lamb New Zealand launched their inaugural search for a Beef + Lamb Young Ambassador Chef which is a competition held bi-annually for chefs under the age of 26.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s vision is for kiwi chefs to value and celebrate the place of grass-fed New Zealand beef and lamb as part of our national cuisine and for the voices of our Ambassador Chefs to lead the way.
The role of the Ambassador Chefs is to help shine a light on the New Zealand food story with inspiration, innovation, and elevation of New Zealand beef and lamb at the heart. They will help to celebrate New Zealand producers and their produce by telling the paddock to plate story through their menus.
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WHY USE NZ LAMB?
New Zealand Lamb ticks all the boxes for what our diners are looking for. Rich in taste and texture, and flavourfully lean and tender, you – and your guests – will love it. With little-to-no bone, and well-trimmed of fat and waste, there are economic advantages as well.
Our lamb has gained a worldwide reputation for being the best and you will often find it on menus in top restaurants across the globe. Kiwi chefs acknowledge that our sustainable farming, clean pastures and climate makes a big difference to the quality of the meat. This is what locals and visitors alike expect when dining and it’s important for chefs to feel confident in serving up an authentic taste of New Zealand on a plate.
Not only does New Zealand lamb taste delicious but with a huge range of versatile cuts available, it’s easy for chefs to get creative in the kitchen and showcase the different flavours of Aotearoa.
Knowing that our lamb is reared to the highest standards, right on your doorstep, is vital for chefs to confidently tell that paddock to plate story to their customers. Backed by our Quality Mark guarantee, New Zealand lamb is free range, and grass-fed, and free of artificial additives and growth hormones – a pure product of its pure environment.
WHY USE NZ BEEF?
Food trends come and go, but beef remains an enduring customer favourite and anchor on restaurant menus, both in New Zealand and abroad.
New Zealand beef is raised as nature intended, with care and compassion by our farmers. Our cattle are able to roam freely in the lush and nutrient-rich pastures and this results in beef that is naturally delicious, full flavoured and fine textured - it’s no wonder our country has a reputation for producing some of the world’s finest!
The rich and juicy flavour of New Zealand beef is what locals and visitors alike expect when dining and because it’s raised on their doorstep, Kiwi chefs to feel confident in serving up this authentic taste of New Zealand on a plate.
From the down home comfort of a pot roast, to the special occasion of rib eye and the simple pleasure of a roast beef sandwich, Kiwi chefs love the versatility of our sustainably produced New Zealand beef. Our beef is available in a wide array of cuts, each suited to different cooking techniques and recipes.
Backed by our Quality Mark guarantee, the beef you buy in New Zealand meets the highest international quality standards. Its free range, and grass-fed, and free of artificial additives and growth hormones.
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