GEORGIA VAN PREHN, ALTA, AUCKLAND LAMB

THE RESTAURANT IS ON Auckland’s Karangahape Road; the lamb is dispatched all the way from the Otamita valley in Southland, 20 kilometres west of Gore. That’s all due to Georgia van Prehn’s exacting demands for perfection.

Origin South lambs are born and bred on one farm and slaughtered when they’re deemed to be at their best, says Georgia. “This, for me, equals a premium product where the lamb is not in distress. Origin South meat is a product that really speaks with the environment, due to it not being moved around, and this corresponds with our ethos here at Alta. The meat is perfectly tender and a great colour.”

There are no secrets when it comes to this part of the industry; most diners want to know the ethical and sustainable credentials of what’s on their plate. As far as the Origin South story goes, that means no antibiotics, growth hormones or genetically modified organisms. It’s also halal-certified.

Talk about a family affair: the fourth-generation farm has been in the premium meat business for more than a century. Logan Evans and wife Nicole are owner/managers of the Mt Peel property and they live on the 3300-hectare site with their three young children. Logan’s parents, Rex and Hilary, still work on the farm, too. “We ensure every lamb that enters Origin South is a wether or ewe, so no ram lamb makes it in.” (A ram lamb can taint the meat, Logan explains).

“Our family feels a strong connection to this land and we are proud of what we produce; we’d like this product to be seen as a gift from our family to yours,” he adds.

To honour that gift, Georgia serves the lamb rump medium rare. And, keeping with that ovine theme, she often serves it with sheep’s yoghurt, which, she says, has a funkiness to it that cow’s yoghurt doesn’t. originsouth.com, 366krd.co.nz