Two hotels in the borders celebrated Love Lamb Week, last week, with new additions to their restaurant menus which put locally reared lamb at the heart of the dishes.

The dishes formed part of the restaurants’ commitment to Love Lamb Week (1 and 7 September) – the national awareness week aimed at celebrating and educating consumers on the health, environmental and sustainable credentials of locally reared Scotch Lamb PGI.

Diners were delighted by the Scotch Lamb dishes on offer during this week at Burts Hotel in Melrose and Barony Castle Hotel in Peebles.

Radek Micia, Head Chef at Burts Hotel, offered a bespoke Love Lamb Week menu, including Spiced Scotch Lamb Koftas with red onion and tomato salad and mint and cucumber yoghurt (GF); a Roast Rump of Scotch Lamb with smoked crème fraiche, durkah and pomegranate dressing, sautéed potato and cumin jus (GF) and a Scotch Lamb and Chick-Pea Curry with pilau rice, and garlic and coriander flatbreads (can be GF).

Barony Castle Hotel dedicated their Herb and Dijon Mustard Crusted Scotch Lamb Cutlets with roasted beetroot, fondant potato, and apricot jus to the week.

Both businesses pride themselves on supporting local butchers and farmers, with the lamb on their menu offerings coming from nearby suppliers, including Shaws Fine Meats in Lauder.

In a joint statement, Nick Henderson, Proprietor at Burts Hotel, and David Fulton, Head Chef at Barony Castle Hotel, said: “We are passionate about only using the best quality, local meats on our menu that meet the highest standard when it comes to quality and welfare.

“It was fantastic to take part in Love Lamb Week with Quality Meat Scotland and we know our customers enjoyed trying th