MLA’s winter lamb campaign being launched next week brings together isolated seniors with curious young Aussies seeking cooking inspiration.

SINCE the outbreak of COVID-19 and current social distancing restrictions, Australians are feeling more isolated than ever before.

In response, Meat & Livestock Australia’s upcoming winter lamb campaign is set to bridge the isolation gap and bring together Australians of different ages and cultures through the experience of cooking lamb.

MLA lamb brand manager Anna Sharp said the new campaign, being launched on Wednesday next week, was about connecting people during the social isolation period.

“We’ve created four content videos where senior Australians from different cultural backgrounds share their secret lamb recipes with younger Aussies. Each recipe showcases their unique heritage and cooking style,” she said.

The campaign brings together isolated seniors with curious, young Aussies seeking cooking inspiration. As well as sharing their recipes, the seniors will also share their knowledge, wisdom and stories from a lifetime of experiences.

More people are searching online for ways to cook and prepare lamb dishes because of COVID-19, so in response the campaign was providing them with this information in a unique, feel-good way, Ms Sharp said.

“We hope it’ll spark emotion and inspire more Australians to reach out to their loved ones and share their own secret recipes,” she said.

Despite the challenges in pulling together a campaign with the COVID-19 pandemic going on, all the technology needed had been readily available, allowing developers to continue with production and create the series remotely.

“Having younger Aussies connect with seniors via livestreams actually made for a really authentic production, as it captures how current social interactions are taking place,” Ms Sharp said.

MLA is encouraging people to reach out to their loved ones and either record a video or take a photo of a lamb dish. They can upload these to social media with the hashtag #sharethesecretrecipe to spike a positive movement.

• Share the Secret Recipe will be released on Wednesday 10 June on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat, as well as in the ‘on demand’ section of online free-to-air TV. It will also be available at australianlamb.com.au