Red Meat Industry Forum

If you read the news every day you will have been advised not to eat eggs, drink milk, don't eat too much cabbage, eat more spinach, don't eat read meat - what? Why? Don't eat white meant? Don't eat green meat - hang on that's probably a good idea.

1. But I bet you didn't know that 92% of UK households bought red meat last year. A statistic provided by MeatMatters.com goes to show how important a side of beef or roast lamb is important on a weekly basis.

It has been a tradition of the UK population to have a Sunday lunch every Sunday of the year, with a double helping at Christmas so while the figure is high, it's of no real surprise. But only if you take what they write in the media for granted. So that's the first fact you didn't already know. Now time for the other nine.

2. Do you know what the difference is between Cottage Pie and Shepherd's Pie? Now that's got you think hasn't it, perhaps it's the type of potato laid on the top? No not at all. The former uses minced beef and the latter is with lamb. A meal that usually utilises offcuts with a layering of spuds. Tasty!

3. Bangers and Mash, American? No, quintessentially English, although perhaps a visiting American serviceman named them as such. During World War II, meat was so scarce that it was proliferated with water to fill the sausage out. Once fried, the pig skin would explode, hence bangers and mash.

4. You might be worried about the types of fat you consume, certain food industries are concerned with overuse of polyunsaturated fats that clog up your system. Well never fear, over 50% of lean red meat contains mono unsaturated fat which is good for your body and great for the red meat industry!

5. Remember how I stated how important the British Sunday lunch was and how engrained it is in our society.

While it does have religious connotations and despite the efforts of governments to deter us from sitting down with the family at this vitally important time through shops, pubs and places of work being open. 25% of all red meat bought is still consumed between the hours of 12pm and 2pm and 5pm to 7pm on the Sabbath day.

There are far more facts where they came from. The fact we love best is the fact that red meat taste so darn good.