Meat & Livestock Australia

 The versatility of lamb meat

By Earl D.C. Bracamonte

Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) gathered Tagaytay’s best restaurants to come together and celebrate the versatility of lamb, through the “I Love Aussie Lamb” campaign.

Australian master butcher Kelly Payne flew to Manila to train Tagaytay chefs how to cut the lamb parts perfectly. The hands-on training, simply dubbed “Butcher Master Class,” unfolded at the Taal Vista Hotel. Participants drew lots for dishes they were to prepare.

Part of the training also broke down the misconceptions on lamb meat. Chef Roby Goco of Elaia by Cyma, had an extensive tour in Australia prior to this gathering. He’s known as the country foremost Lambassador for his pioneering efforts in using lamb meat.

“When I opened my first restaurant in Boracay, no one supplied me with lamb. So I bought chops for Buy 1, Take 1 from a local shop because there was no movement. Now, lamb meat is readily available,” shared Chef Roby.

Chef JJ Sycip, who assembled the Tagaytay Food Festival, attests to the versatility of Aussie lamb as it is used in a lot of Filipino dishes. It is now used in calderetta, rendang, balbacua, chorizo, and paella, to name a few.

“This program goes beyond simply putting lamb on the menu. By starting with butchery and product mastery, we empower chefs to confidently work with different lamb cuts and fully express the versatility of Australian lamb in their own kitchens,” shared Butcher Payne.

“Australia is big on food safety. You can actually trace the origin of the meat to the farm/farmer where it came from,” he added.

The collaboration resulted in a multi-course experience where diners can now enjoy nine different lamb cuts – shank, short loin, bone, leg, shoulder, short rib, rack of lamb, neck, and rump - with each thoughtfully prepared to highlight both the ingredient and the chef behind it.

Now, Filipino dishes using lamb meat are proffered in such Tagaytay restaurants as Asador dos Mestizos, Butcher’s Steak and Grill, Anya’s Resort, The Fatted Calf, Anzani (Ville Sommet), Textures, Elaia by Cyma, Taal Vista Hotel, Farmer’s Table, Reynaldo’s Smoke House, Gorio’s Roadside, Fatima, and Mama Lou’s Group.

The Australian government has seen the growth of Aussie lamb patronage in the Philippines. In 2025, it exported 577 tons of lamb meat to the country; marking a sizeable 80% increase from the previous year. And the number continues to grow as more restaurants feature lamb in their menus.

With holidays like Lent, where swine and bovine meat are discouraged, lamb meat comes, not only more healthy with its natural supply of Omega 3 fatty acids, but more so because it is the preferred meat in all scriptural feasts.