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Twenty-four of the world’s most influential lamb advocates cooked lunch for WAMMCO members at the 2026 AGM in Katanning – and members got to pick the winner.

Almost 200 producer members, industry guests, staff and board members gathered at the Katanning Leisure Centre on Thursday 15 October for the WAMMCO Annual General Meeting.

Joining them were 24 Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) Lambassadors from 13 countries: 23 chefs and Chinese food influencer Ray Zhang, who has more than three million followers. Between them they cover most of Australian red meat’s key export markets, from the UK and USA to Japan, China, South Korea and South-East Asia.

Six teams, three cuts, one hungry crowd

The chefs were split into six teams, announced just 24 hours before the cook-off. Each team was handed one of three everyday cuts – shoulder, short loin or chump – to show there’s far more to lamb than racks and rumps.

The brief: a canapé-style dish with lamb as the hero, cooked in two hours to feed the room. There were no restaurant kitchens here. Teams worked on mobile grills, smokers and hotplates on the pavilion floor, where stud sheep and rams are usually shown and sold.

Members and guests did the judging, and the people’s choice went to The Flames:

• Lara Norman, who runs multisensory dining experiences and private events
• Hieu Ha, chef and restaurant owner, Vietnam
• Altamsh Patel, Director of Culinary at Hilton Mumbai International Airport, India
• Rafael Basanto, President of the Association of Culinary Professionals and Corporate Chef for BIKO Group, Indonesia

Their winning dish was a lamb chump kofta on a miso and tamarind glaze, finished with crispy rice, shallots and lamb fat crackle, and served with pickled carrot and radish.

The competition was close. Other dishes on the day included:

• Lamb short loin satay with aubergine cream and mushrooms
• Barbecued lamb blade with Asian barbecue sauce, chilli oil and pickled radish
• Lamb char siu tacos, fusing Asian and Mexican flavours
• Tamarind lamb with kimchi and potato
• An Asian stir-fry using WAMMCO lamb leg
• Lamb broth with Chinese spices

From paddock to plate, in person

The cook-off was the finale of a week-long tour across WA and Victoria. In Katanning, the Lambassadors attended a sheep sale at the saleyards, toured the WAMMCO processing plant and learned to break down a lamb carcase.

They also visited Moojepin Merinos, where the Thompson family showed them what it takes to produce premium lamb – managing weather, feed and water, improving pastures and keeping sheep in top condition. The chefs watched Hamish Thompson shear, and a couple tried dragging a sheep from the pen. It was harder than it looked.

David Thompson said he wanted the chefs to see that producers bring the same passion and attention to detail as their kitchens do. He said the visit showed how much people want to know where their food comes from, and that producers should make the effort to visit the chefs’ world too.

For Singapore-based restaurateur Drew Nocente, who grew up on an apple farm at Stanthorpe in Queensland, the farm visit hit home. He said he has converted plenty of diners who thought they didn’t like lamb.

“Sometimes, all it takes is one amazing lamb dish to win someone over.”

Drew Nocente, Lambassador, Singapore

Why it matters for WAMMCO members

The Lambassador program began in Japan more than a decade ago and is now a global network of chefs and food professionals telling the story of Australian lamb in their own markets.

MLA Strategic Partnerships Manager, International Markets, Mary Johnson said consumers increasingly want to know where their food comes from and who produces it. Lambassadors carry that story back to diners, chefs and retailers, helping to “build trust, strengthen industry connections and create a positive future for Australian lamb.”

About half of this year’s group had never been to Australia before. Now they’ve met the producers behind the product they cook – and members got a rare look at where their lamb ends up.

Read more from Mary in our Q&A ahead of the AGM.

Also on the day

• Producer of the Year. Greg, Robyn, Mitchell and Ben Cavanagh of Springhills Quindanning were named 2025/26 WAMMCO Producer of the Year and recipients of the Judy Cameron Memorial Award. Read the full story.
• Board. Chair Bill O’Keeffe and independent director Kim Hutchinson were re-elected unopposed.
• Katanning upgrade. Members heard how the $50 million Katanning program is progressing, including a new processing chain due by February/March that will lift capacity from 5,000 to 8,000 head a day.
• Global markets. MLA Regional Manager for the UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Darren Watson, spoke on the international outlook.
• Live podcast. MLA’s On The Ground podcast recorded a special episode at the AGM, with Mary Johnson talking to producers, processors and Lambassadors. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

Thank you

Thank you to MLA for bringing the Lambassadors back to Katanning, to the Thompson family for opening their farm, to Zoetis for supporting the Producer of the Year awards, and to every member who came along and judged.