Lamb gets the chop as sales fall by 25 per cent

IT was once a dinner table staple, either as a roast or stew.

But lamb is falling out of favour with today’s families – with sales falling up to 25 per cent in the last 15 years, figures show.

The slump comes in the wake of the decline in the Sunday roast, with many families claiming they are too busy to spend hours preparing meals.

Analysts said the over-55s make up the lion’s share of the lamb market, with under-35s accounting for just 12 per cent.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs data shows there is also a NorthSouth divide, with shoppers in London consuming a quarter of the £845million of lamb sold in the UK each year. Meanwhile those in Scotland and the borders buy just 6 per cent.

While a London household eats around 12lb of lamb a year, this falls to 8lb in the North East. The report, to mark Love Lamb Week, said: ‘This means Londoners are enjoying an extra nine portions of roast lamb, seven lamb curries, four koftas, three lamb tagines and two extra lamb stir fry each year.’