The benefits of mutton

It’s difficult to pinpoint the rise in preference for a slow-roasted lamb shoulder or juicy lamb chop. The general consensus is that lamb was quicker and more cost-efficient to produce, so farmers chose to sell more lamb and the message that mutton is tough, gamey and overpowering took over. Despite not winning even a fraction of the popularity rating, we’re on a mission to reverse this message. Here are five reasons we believe in putting mutton back on the menu.

Mutton wins when it comes to flavour

It is true that the increased time spent grazing on pasture results in a stronger flavour. But is a stronger flavour not something to be celebrated? We certainly feel this way when it comes to beef – a richly marbled joint of beef, grazed on pasture for 18 months or longer, is positioned as the holy grail for quality. When it comes to mutton it seems to be the opposite, despite the fact that mutton has a complexity of flavour that a younger lamb simply hasn’t had the chance to develop. The same can be said for hogget (the meat from a sheep aged between one and two) but mutton is the real powerhouse when you’re talking flavour quality.

Mutton is tender too

Tougher texture is another commonly cited reason for not choosing mutton. For those of us who do enjoy mutton, however tentatively it may be, we tend to reserve it for slow-cooking in stews or curries as opposed to quicker-cooking methods. This, as you can imagine, is another presumption we would hotly contest. For a good quality of piece of mutton that has been reared on grass and aged properly – we recommend around 5 days – you don’t need to worry about its texture. We have a great recipe for Mutton Rump Steak Flatbreads here and, if you’re unsure where to start, you can read our Guide to Mutton Cuts here.

Mutton is nutrient dense

Not just a winner when it comes to texture and flavour, mutton is rich in a plethora of essential nutrients. This includes some particularly hard to come by nutrients, with a standard cut of mutton boasting the likes of B12, exclusively available to us by consuming animal products or supplements, zinc, an often forgotten about nutrient that is great for our immune system, and iron, one of the most common nutrient deficiencies in the UK.

Mutton is suited to UK farming land

Just like cattle, sheep are natural ruminants. They are hardy animals and will thrive on grass in areas that even the toughest of hill walkers might think twice about traversing. Rearing livestock on these lands means you’re able to convert the land into a nutritious, calorie-rich and protein dense food source. Importantly, this is with little or no intervention in terms of environmentally damaging pesticides and fertilisers. Embracing mutton in our diets means we can encourage a low intervention food source that benefits the soil and carbon sequestration. Two thirds of the land in this country is not suitable for crop growth, but it will support livestock in the form of sheep and cattle.

Mutton helps our farmers balance their flock

Although we are fairly accustomed to the seasons when it comes to fruits and vegetables, we are generally less aware of the natural cycles involved in producing our meat and fish.

Spring lamb is a great example of this in action. At Easter, the traditional meat of choice is lamb, but when the best market for the farmer is a lamb of 6 months – 1 year old at a predetermined weight and sold during the Easter period, the window of profitability is small. To chase this window of profit is even more difficult when a large number of sheep breeds become fertile in the mid-Autumn months. With a five month gestation period this ensures the lamb is born in the Spring when grasses are rich and the mother’s lactation can be supported with a nutritious diet, but for the farmer the lamb will not be ready to sell for the profitable Easter period.

In this way, we are pressuring our farmers to adapt to a season that doesn’t really exist. If there was a buoyant market for ewes that are unable to go through another lambing season, hogget of 1-2 years that didn’t reach the Easter target weight, or mutton of over 2 years, the farmer wouldn’t be forced to get rid of animals that will no longer produce a profit. This preference for Spring lamb, without simultaneously creating demand for older animals, is putting pressure on the longevity of British sheep farming.