Lamb roasts competition at Easter

According to Kantar research analysed by AHDB, lamb roasting joints saw a 25.5% increase in volume sales compared to 2022 (Kantar, two w/e 9 April 2023). Of this, leg roasting joints accounted for almost 93% of all lamb roasting joints sold this Easter, and 62% of all lamb sold for the period.

In total, 9.7m kg of roasting joints were sold through retailers in the two weeks leading up to Easter. This is up 6% on last year, and outperforms the overall meat, fish, and poultry category which saw a 1.8% decline on 2022 (Kantar World Panel).

The importance of the Easter roast was well supported by retailers with many this year pushing promotions. Marketing both online and instore for many retailers featured imagery of Easter lunch with roasting joints front and centre.

This, coupled with slightly unsettled weather this year versus previous, meant more consumers opted for the classic roast for their Easter lunch.

Lamb is traditionally associated as a favourite with older consumers, and whilst they still accounted for over 75% of total lamb sales at Easter, the largest uplift in purchases were seen in the middle family demographic with a 22.3% increase compared to last year.

Charlotte Forkes-Rees, AHDB Retail and Consumer Insight Analyst, said: "Previous research has shown the importance of pester power and the 'treat' aspect associated with lamb particularly for younger demographics, and highlights that consumers were really getting behind the celebratory sentiment surrounding Easter.

"There may have also been heightened demand for lamb with Eid falling just after the Easter period. AHDB research has indicated that supermarkets are becoming more popular for Muslim consumers, particularly with younger generations as they are looking for cheaper alternatives to butchers during the cost-of-living crisis."