Mutton vs lamb

Although mutton is often considered an old-fashioned cut, it’s recently seen a huge resurgence in popularity. It’s now featured on the menus of many high-end restaurants, with dishes like Goan mutton curry and harissa-crusted rack of mutton receiving rave reviews. Not only does mutton boast a fantastically rich range of flavours, but it also contains a variety of nutrients and vitamins such as B12, B3 and zinc.

While mutton might be becoming more popular among restaurateurs, it’s still one of the least frequently cooked cuts in the home. But what exactly is the difference between mutton and lamb, and why do so many people seem to prefer the latter?

Age is just a number
One of our main lamb farmers is John Hoskins at Maiden Castle Farm. All our lamb matches our sourcing criteria of being grass and forage fed, free range, and raised in high-welfare conditions. Animal welfare is at the top of John’s agenda. His low input, low output system suits the Dorset and Suffolk breeds and is driven by maintaining excellent husbandry standards. The lambs are weaned, then reared for between 12 and 16 weeks, grazing on a diet of grass and forage until they naturally reach a weight of around 20kg.

Our mutton is sourced from ewes (sheep) that are over two years of age. They’re reared in the same free range farming systems as our lambs, so spend their days roaming over the herb and clover-rich pastures on South West farms. The difference in age between mutton and lamb is what turns some people off this delicious cut. However, it’s actually this maturation period that gives mutton its depth of flavour. By the very nature of being two years old, the mutton has worked harder and is more flavoursome for it (just like aged beef). Our mutton is hand-butchered and hung on the bone for between 5 and 7 days. This reduces water content, tenderises the meat and enhances its natural flavours.

Taste the difference
Generally speaking, lamb is a more tender and delicately-flavoured meat. Mutton is a rich, slightly gamey cut with bold flavours which mellow and deepen when slow cooked. The cuts themselves tend to be larger and darker than lamb too. Mutton doesn’t always need to be slow cooked, cuts like cannon can be seared and sautéed, just as you would cook a flat iron steak or wild venison steak.

Try it for yourself
Not sure where to begin? We recommend starting with our grass fed, free range diced mutton. Naturally lean, it’s best suited to slow cooking and it can really handle those big flavours too. Why not swap lamb for mutton in a curry, or use it in a fragrant tagine with dried apricots and toasted almonds?