C-stores are being urged to sell more mini roasts as part of a £1m campaign to promote the versatility and convenience of mini roasting joints.

The AHDB Beef & Lamb campaign, now in its third year, shows consumers that smaller roasting joints can satisfy changing consumer preferences for quick-to-cook meals that lend themselves to a variety of cuisine-based dishes, and are not just an option limited to a Sunday lunch meal occasion.

The demand for a ‘flexi-roast’ has been growing this year, with 23 million more midweek and Saturday roasts being consumed, while the traditional Sunday roast has seen declines of almost 14 million occasions (Kantar Worldpanel 52 w/e 19 June 2016), according to AHDB.

Mike Whittemore, head of trade and product development for AHDB, said: “We want our work on mini joints to show consumers that roasting cuts are not limited to long cook times, and can only be used in meat and two veg dinner options. Rather smaller roasting cuts can be used in a variety of dishes with accompaniments like rice and salads.

“The growth of the category, combined with the trend to use roasting cuts in midweek meal options, shows that we are seeing a shift in the consumer psyche and we hope the new campaign can build on the success of the last, which had a significant impact upon mini roasts sales and created a halo effect in the wider beef and lamb roasting category.”