Giant lamb chop buzzing around the Beehive

The giant lamb chop was spotted at the Beehive yesterday afternoon in what must be the sweetest stop on the Lamb and Three Veg Tiki Tour so far. The chop is currently touring the country to celebrate National Lamb Day which takes place on Thursday 24 May.

Marty Shanahan, aka the Backyard Cook, has been the busy worker bee in charge of towing the massive chop – which was christened Lambo after a social media search to name it – with his bright orange Lamb Rover Defender.

“We’ve covered most of the North Island so far. We’ve stopped off at the big kumara in Dargaville, the L&P bottle in Paeroa, the giant carrot in Ohakune as well as ticking off the gum boot in Taihape before flying into the Beehive. This has to be the tastiest tiki tour ever taken.”

Earlier in the afternoon the chop set up shop at New World Thorndon Wellington where customers were treated to lamb and mint sausages from the sausage sizzle. Ashley Drake, Store Manager at the New World Thorndon was kind enough to make space for Lambo.

“When Beef + Lamb approached us and asked if we could host a sausage sizzle with a six-metre-tall lamb chop we thought they were trying to pull the wool over our eyes. But we’re always up for a challenge and were more than happy to have Marty and Lambo the Chop to cook up some great NZ lamb sausages. It’s fair to say the customers were flocking to get their hands on a quality NZ sausage.”

The date of National Lamb Day (now in its fifth year) coincides with the 136th anniversary of when the Dunedin arrived into London, loaded with the first shipment of frozen lamb which left from Port Chalmers on February 15 the same year, 1882. That journey sparked an export industry that is now worth in excess of $8 billion a year to the Kiwi economy.

Rod Slater is CEO of Beef + Lamb New Zealand and well-known in New Zealand’s flourishing red meat scene.

“Kiwis might not know it, but New Zealand is a little bit famous for the lamb we produce, we’re sort of known for it. When you buy Quality Mark lamb from supermarkets and butchers – or order it at your favourite restaurant – you are eating something really special. It’s internationally renowned, produced in our unique environment and meets standards that guarantees tender results.

To keep up to date with the chop’s whereabouts, head to the Beef + Lamb Facebook and Instagram pages or recipes.co.nz for more information. #NationalLambDay