mutton?

[tim]

- remember?

Wanted to support an organic enterprise. One choice was mutton. Don't remember 8" chops. Or so much fat?? Removed.

But it made a great hotpot - 4 hrs in the AGA.

[tim]

[gavin]

Mmmmm - I love mutton!  A slow-roasted leg, served on a bed of fragrant rice (cooked with lots of cardamom, cloves, ginger, cinnamon stick).

Now I'm hungry :)  - all best, Gavin

[BAGGY]

Shame it's hard to find.  Once upon a time Sainsbury's used to do bags of diced mutton - ideal for curries.  Now it seems round here that only the Asian supermarkets stock it.  That and broiler chicken.

[the_snail]

Hey Tim the best cut of meat you can get for stew or lobby is skirting beef it stews great! But for some absolutely stupid reason you cannot get it! Only from the isolated butcher! WHY THE HECK IS THAT??????? IS IT THE *^*^ing EU MAKING THERE CLOUT FELT. (LOL EU it is more france and god help us Germany!)

[kitty]

you can get both these cuts from real butchers-we have a great one here in the middle of lincoln-kenny knows every cut and how to cook it-and he hates waste so if you want one chicken breast (free range)and aone rasher of smoky bacon then thats what you get!
i got just that today and steamed them over a bed of sweetpeppers,onions,garlic and mushrooms weith a light sprinkling of olive oil and several sprigs of fresh home grown herbs in a tin tray covered in foil ...we had it with chips this time but last time savoury rice...slurp!yum!
kitty

[Svea]

kitty - he sounds like the kinda butcher we are looking for in our area. :)

sexy snail - what is wrong with germany? they still sell mutton in supermarkets, i have you know. it's the british supermarkets i blame

[gledhillbo]

The marketing body of British meat, the Meat and Livestock Commission have had a push on selling mutton this year. Trendy chefs have done recipes for it.

Mutton is a difficult definition, but it is usually 18 months or older. Spring lamb is a very woolly definition of sheep meat (did I just say that?). It can be lamb born in Jan or Feb and slaughtered in May or June, but may be over-wintered and still called lamb.

My village butcher got a leg of mutton for me frozen through a wholesaler. Most mutton sold in the UK and almost all sold through Asian outlets is New Zealand mutton. It usually comes boned out. The main international market for mutton coming from New Zealand is the Middle East for cultural as well as culinary reasons.

I cooked mutton as a slow braise and found it to be as nice as any other leg of lamb slow braised. There is no extra flavour from the meat, it all depends what you cook it with.

And here is a factoid the lamb marketing boards of New Zealand and Australia would prefer UK customers did not know.

All their sheep meat is halal slaughtered by having its throat cut with a knife rather than a bolt through the brain which is EU slaughtering technique. That way it can be sold into any world market.

I don't have a problem with either method of slaughter and faced with the choice of having their throat cut or their brains blown out, I doubt New Zealand sheep would lose too much sleep over their method of entry into the food chain.

To pre-empt the guesses that I am a veggie eco-warrior, I love eating quality meat. I fish and enjoy killing fish to cook and eat. - Bob

[Wicker]

Very informative, gledhillbo - I appreciate that.  Thanks.

By the way, I know everyone seems to cut all the fat off - but oh I love flavoursome fat!! - Healthy - not.  Tasty - Yes

[tim]

Live & learn!

Fat, Wicker? Never off a grilled chop, but that was a bit de trop for a stew?

[sarahr]

You've missed out that the West Indian's consume a lot of mutton as well - curried mutton is a staple food found in all good west indian take aways.  ;D If my mother goes to birmingham she'll pick some up for me, you can't find it in Leicester. Or if you can, it is more expensive than paying for the journey to b'ham and buying it there. Then I get my Nan to cook it, she's a much better cook than me.

[Doris_Pinks]

That got me thinking there is a chap on the lottie who is from Barbados, and we were lamenting how you can't get any different cuts or types of meat anymore, especially now as our local butchers has become a "tat" shop. >:(  Anyhow the subject of goat curry came up, and I said my hubby missed having it over here, the result is he gets his from his brother and next time he gets some he will have some for us too! ;D  Now all I will need is a recipe for goat curry.................................. :o

[sarahr]

The Bajan chappie should have one.  :D I'll ask my Nan for you if he doesn't.

[tim]

Apart from bush chickens - one per person - ours were mostly goat.

Long & slow. Otherwise little different?

[Doris_Pinks]

Thanks for that you 2  :-*

[kitty]

i've cooked it in the past as i would rabbit-very slowly in gravy and onions...then takenboth out and bunged the rest of the curry in ...

its ages til tea :(

[BAGGY]

We had broiler chicken a the weekend and very nice too.

[kitty]

times is 'ard in the kitty household-i did cheapo neck of lamb-used to be able to spend abbout £7 on somelovely lamby cut-but this wa £1!!cooked it s  l   o  w   with lots of onions...herbs-heavy on the rosemary.....garlic and it was just as nice!slung it in yorkshire puds,spinach and asparagas..few roast taters...luvly!

[BAGGY]

When I ate lamb my mum used to cook sheeps waistcoats (breast of lamb) and it was my fave.  Part of the fun was slurping the bones.  When I said it was yum she said don't let them know at school you ate it they will think we are cheapskates.
Good old mum  :'(

[kitty]

aaahhh...there there..nothing quite like yer mums yorkshire pud..so i'm told!
wonder if my lad reminisces about my yp now hes left home! :-\

[Doris_Pinks]

You are quite right, there is nothing like my Mum's yorkshires...................they always resembled flat pastry! Bless!!! She buys Auntie Bessies now! ;D