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Hi there

My name is Stephanie and I have lived with my husband Ian in rural(ish) Spain for the past 7 years, just outside of a town called Yecla, in the Province of Murcia.

About a month a so ago our local national supermarket, Mercadona, has been selling your frozen oyster shoulders of lamb. It is not common to find frozen meat in Spain. Normally, all meat in this area of Spain, sold both in the supermarkets and butchers is fresh Spanish produce. It was a revelation to come across good old New Zealand lamb, which is common to find in the UK. We have generally found that Spanish lamb, does not compare to the taste of British or NZ lamb we have been used to.

We have now purchased our third joint and would like to say wow ! It is the very, very best NZ lamb that we have EVER eaten. The quality and flavour is FANTASTIC !

So much so, that I had to Google your Company, having found on the latest piece, a label showing the source of the lamb, which has been imported by a Company called Carnes Felix in Ribal, Valencia.

To find that your Company, which doesn't seem to be of a massive size, is sourcing and exporting such good quality meat, is most worthy of some praise, here is my endorsement to it!

Keep up the good work.
Regards to you all.

Letter to Waitomo Times,
October 29, 2009 “Your Letters” section.

Taste of Home

BONJOUR, Kia ora, . . . hello from France!

My name is Maraea Lammas. I was born and bought up with my brothers and sisters in Oparure. My family name is Paki and I am the second youngest daughter of the late Mahuri and Rora Paki MBE from Oparure. I went to Oparure School then Te Kuiti High School.

I’ve lived in England for 30 years and two years ago we (my family) moved to a very beautiful part of France (Limousin) in the southwest of France with our nearest city Limoges. This is ‘beef country’ we have the famous Limousin cow (beautiful ginger in colour, or red as some people would say) and of course world renown for the Limousin Pottery.

My reason for writing is this . . . I can’t believe it. The other day I went into our local supermache (supermarket) to do my shopping and decided I would get a leg of lamb. As I always buy New Zealand lamb if it is available, apples, kiwifruit, cheese, yes I know I’m in France, but hey, it ’s from home. I proceeded to the chiller cabinets and there in front of me I saw a big sticker in blue. On reading the sticker it said – Te Kuiti Meat Processors Ltd, Ahuroa Road, Te Kuiti, New Zealand.

My eyes welled up, I was overcome, I had tears streaming down my face, I thought about my parents, my family who still live in the homestead and Aunty Miriama Tahi who lives next door to us and our dear Aunty Dr Diggeress Te Kanawa who passed away recently. Needless to say that was the end of my shopping trip . . . There is always tomorrow.

I came home and rang my children who live in England to tell them about the lamb and how of all the places in New Zealand it came from home. Of course they were excited. They said ‘keep the label mum’, which I have. Who would have thought I’d be crying over a leg of lamb? It was worth it. The meat was beautiful and I picked up a couple more for the freezer.

Come Christmas we will be having lamb instead of the traditional turkey which we had in England – we prefer it. When we have lamb my grandchildren always ask . . . ‘is it New Zealand lamb Grandma?’ Of course I say yes . . . it’s simply the best, and then we turn into ‘Tina Turners’ dancing around the kitchen with them.

The French don’t celebrate Christmas like we do. They celebrate New Year instead, but we will have our Christmas lights hanging from the guttering and a big Christmas tree decorated inside. With a bit of luck – like last year – we will wake up to stalactites hanging from the trees on Christmas Day. It ’s magical and freezing, but who cares.

We will have a big log fire burning in le salon (the lounge), food, music, drink, presents, family and friends, English TV, French TV and after our meal we will settle down and watch the Queen’s Speech. Then we will go for a walk around our village Bersac Sur Rivalier (Bersac by the river) which is what we used to do in England. What more could you ask for?

Au revoir, goodbye!
Maraea Lammas Bersac, Limousin, France