Popular TV personality and self-proclaimed 'crap housewife' Jessica Rowe has been busy of late, travelling around the country chatting to some of the greatest butchers in the nation in an effort to put butchers everywhere back on the map within their local communities.
From bustling Zetland in Sydney to rural Mundaring in Western Australia, Jessica has been listening to amazing tales of resilience, family history and of course meat, from butchers. She's also learnt how to finally cook a steak properly, prepare tasty, quick meals for her family, and how to be more creative when it comes to meat.
Jessica will be sharing 12 unique stories from butchers across the nation for the Meat & Livestock Australia's Greatest Butcher on Your Block Campaign through key media channels to educate and inform consumers about the amazing and important roles Independent Retail Butchers play.
Having visited 12 amazing butchers around the country, the fascinating tales Jessica has collated aims to raise awareness about the positives of people eating red meat and prompting consumers to get to know and support their own local butcher.
"Many people know through my website Crap Housewife, that I'm a shocking cook who is more than a little domestically challenged," said Jessica. "I've had the best time meeting these amazing butchers who have taught me how simple it can be to cook meat! I've also discovered that no matter where you live in Australia, there's always a fabulous butcher who can share a story with you as well as give you straight forward suggestions for a delicious meal."
As part of the campaign, from today, there will be an exclusive in-store national promotion at participating independent butcher stores giving customers the opportunity to win a Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games VIP experience. This exclusive experience includes return flights for two, accommodation, tickets to the Opening Ceremony and four sporting events, plus $2,000 spending money.
There will also be 600 barbecues to be won instantly - customers simply have to buy a beef or lamb product to be eligible to win. People will also be able to pick up a copy of a recipe booklet in selected stores featuring some of the easy hand-picked recipes from key butchers in the campaign.
Scott Cameron, National Customer Development Manager at MLA, said the Australian domestic market is the largest market for Australian beef and sheep meat so it's important that consumers support their local meat providers.
"We have just under 50,000 beef, lamb, veal and goat producers across Australia. They make up a major segment of the 172,000 people employed in the red meat industry across all sectors of the supply chain from farm to retail," said Scott. "We hope this campaign with Jessica brings a smile to people's faces during this time not just at the chance to win tickets to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games but also reminds them of the rich and proud meat history we have in this country."