French lamb’s lettuce producers were in London last week to kick-start a €100,000 PR and promotional campaign for their product in the UK.

Exports to customers across the English Channel have more than tripled from just 399 tonnes in 2001 to 1,300t in the 2004-5 season.

The expansion has been largely based on the increasing usage of lamb’s lettuce as a core ingredient in mixed salad bags. Around 90 per cent of all exports end up in the bagged sector, but producers, alongside French promotions agency Sopexa, believe their consumer awareness campaign this summer will encourage more Brits to look at the product as a stand-alone salad option.

Lamb’s lettuce has built a consistent following in the unwashed market, and Sopexa’s promotions this summer will target an estimated 192,000 people through a series of activities.

A “battle of the chefs” will take place through the pages of Pub Chef magazine, while another recipe-based competition will be run through a partnership with the Craft Guild of Chefs. On the Restaurant Channel, three chefs from different backgrounds - one Michelin starred, one from a gastro pub and one from a high street restaurant chain - will illustrate the different ways to use lamb’s lettuce. And wholesalers in six markets will be entertained by an Eliza Dolittle character, as Sopexa launches a nationwide competition for the trade.

“This is a generic campaign to promote lamb’s lettuce in all its forms,” said Olivier Grandmaison of CEAFL Val de Loire, chairman of the lamb’s lettuce committee. “The way we are communicating with the consumer is not typical for a product like ours. We have been working for 10 years in the UK and really begun to see some payback in the last two - now we want to build on the rich potential in this market.”

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