Our definitive guide to Lamb, Hogget and Mutton and theirrespective qualities
Lambwill have pride of place in restaurants and at the family dinnertable at Easter and throughspringtime into early summer, but why is it particularly popularduring this season and is all lamb the same?
The answer to its origin as a headline artiste on the plate onthe first official holiday period of the year dates back tobiblical days, but today its enduring popularity is a result of anengaging taste and texture, particularly in Farmison & Co'scase with lamb grown and nurtured in the north of England from theYorkshire Dales National Park, Cumbria and Lancashire where thereis an emphasis on breed quality and the accurate timing ofsucculent, tender lamb availability through excellent shepherdingand stockmanship.
And it's not all the same either. Lamb varies from region toregion, week to week, month to month and from breed to breed.Farmison & Co's lamb is selected from animals that have enjoyedthe most natural, nutrient-abounding, stress-free environmentfeeding on wild grasses, flowers, herbs and heathers. This createsdelicious tender lamb or hogget and mutton offering rich andharmonious to deep, gamey flavours.
To many, all meat from sheep is thought of as lamb but that'snot the case.
This is intended as a definitive guide to lamb, hogget andmutton and their respective qualities reflecting the differingsubtle taste sensations, how the lambing season works and why lambremains the most in-demand meat a Easter and in the coming monthsand why Farmison & Co is proud to be able to offer the verybest from farmers who take immense care of their livestock.
LAMB - Milk Fed Lamb, Spring Lamb & Autumn Lamb
Lamb has three distinct age categories all bringing somethingdifferent to the party particularly also when considering mealaccompaniments.
View Our LambRange
MILK FED LAMB
Extremely popular in the Mediterranean and Asia. In Greece it ishighly prized and many roast a whole milk fed lamb on a souvla; inSpain the small lamb chops known as chuletillas are a delicacy.Pyrenees Milk Fed Lamb is also much sought after with the ewes givebirth to the lambs at the foot of the Pyrenees.
The meat from a milk-fed lamb is sweet, indulgent, milky andrich and works well with delicate spring vegetables. Milk Fed Lambborn in the UK from December to March is ready between four to sixweeks old when the lamb, that will not have been weaned, is at aweight of between 6-9kg. Delicate spring vegetables make an idealpairing. If you haven't tasted milk-fed lamb previously prepare fora new, lighter texture with sublime tenderness, small lamb chopsfrom milk-fed lamb have been described by culinary experts as'perfect jewels'.
Milk Fed Lamb Vital Facts
Born | Dec to Mar
Availability | Apr to May
Age | 4-6 weeks old
Average weight | 6-9 kg
Tasting Notes | sweet indulgent meat, pair withdelicate spring vegetables, milky & rich
SPRING LAMB
By far the most well-known lamb variety and is sometimes knownas Early Lamb or Summer Lamb as its availability transcends thespring and summer seasons. The lamb is from livestock that isbetween three to six months old and has benefited from beingmilk-fed and grazing on new, fresh spring grasses. It is usuallyavailable from May to July. The hills and dales of the YorkshireDales, Lancastrian hills and the Lake District in Cumbria make fora perfect allure of countryside tranquillity offering an ease oflife that ensures a tender meat that cuts beautifully as a resultof the lamb's stress free life. Classic Mediterranean ingredientsare great partners on the plate.
Spring Lamb Vital Facts
Born | December to March
Availability | May to July
Age | 3-6 months old
Tasting Notes | mellow, subtle meat, creamyfat, pair with classic Mediterranean ingredients
AUTUMN LAMB
Takes lamb to the point just prior to its name change to hogget.Born at the same time as Spring Lamb anywhere between December toMarch this more mature lamb has abundant, grassy flavoursbenefiting from having grazed in the beauty of the North of Englandcountryside for many months. Autumn lamb becomes available afterSpring lamb during the period from July to January until 11 monthsold.
Autumn Lamb Vital Facts
Born | Dec to Mar
Availability | July - January
Age | Under 11 months
Tasting Notes | rounded, traditional grassyflavours, pairs well with sweet garlic, aromatic herbs & ripetomatoes
THE LAMBING SEASON
The UK sheep breeding season starts with farmers purchasing ewesto add to their flocks and buying new rams or tups in the early tomid-autumn usually in September and October. The tups are then putto the ewes, with a single tup serving anywhere between 50-80 ewes,usually in early November. Some farmers start their breeding seasonearlier in autumn in order to have lambs on the ground beforeothers and to provide lamb before the vast swathe of new lambs areborn in March and April.
Northern heritage breed sheep, including Swaledales,Wensleydale and Herdwicks have an inherent ability tothrive in all weathers and are renowned as fabulous, milky motherswho will generally have either single or twin lambs. The breeds areideally suited to their free-range lifestyle and will often lambout on the hill with no assistance.
Farmison & Co's small farmers base their selection of theright lamb at the right time on one criteria. It's only right whenit is spot on and meets the standard required. Correct standardsand disciplines followed by Farmison & Co's farmers ensuresmilk-fed and grass-fed lamb hits the mark every time and with theright quantity of Omega 3 and Vitamin E.
HOGGET (11 months to 24 months old)
For years there has been very little definition of when lamb isno longer lamb and when it is something else. Everyone has heard ofmutton, but hogget? Simply put, hogget is a juvenile sheep either ayoung ewe or tup over 11 months old to 24 months.
Hogget is the new find for discerning chefs and diners. TommyBanks, twice winner of the BBC's Great British Menu and head chefat the Michelin-star Black Swan in Oldstead, Trip Advisor's BestRestaurant in the World is a confirmed Farmison & Co devoteeand his hogget with goat's cheese and hispi cabbage has proved thatfull flavoured, ethically reared hogget with its richer, strongertaste is fully deserving of its heightened status. It works wellwith classic English herbs, mushrooms and brassicas - and a fullbodied red wine is a must alongside. What's more it is availablefrom Farmison & Co all year round.
Hogget Vital Facts
Availability | All Year
Age | 11 months to 24 months.
Tasting Notes | Full flavoured savoury, pairswell with classic English herbs, mushrooms & Brassica
Did you Know... Hogget is the name of the firstshearing of a sheep and is the best wool that animal will evergive
View Our EasterRange
MUTTON (Older than 24 months)
HRH The Prince of Wales led the charge to bring back the glorydays of mutton with the Mutton Renaissance Campaign and the resultshave been outstanding. Mutton is now very much back in favour andit is its intense, deep flavour that has brought it in vogue oncemore with gamey, rich herbal notes that last long on the palate. Ifyou enjoy venison, rabbit or wild boar then mutton should be addedto your list. It is particularly ideal for casseroles and slowcookers.
Mutton status takes over once the hogget reaches two years oldand there are connoisseurs who enjoy it best for its darker meatflavour at four years old. Farmison & Co has its availabilityfor the autumn, winter and spring seasons from September to May.Aromatic spices, root vegetables and another luxurious red wine arethe willing accomplices.
Mutton Vital Facts
Availability | September - May
Age | 2 years
Type - Female or Castrated
Tasting Notes | Deep flavour, long on thepalate, slightly gamey rich herbal notes, pairs well with aromaticspices, root vegetables & red wine View Our MuttonRange
HISTORY - WHY IS LAMB SO POPULAR ATEASTER?
Sheep were one of the earliest animals to be domesticated foragricultural / farming purposes, their triple benefits of providingmilk, fleeces and meat while living largely off grass has endearedthem to farmers and businesses alike for centuries andmillennia.
The UK lambing season has always fitted well with the holidayperiod and whether you want to enjoy Milk-fed Lamb, Spring orAutumn Lamb, Hogget or Mutton in the coming months Farmison &Co has the complete variety of wholesome, grass-reared, nutritiousmeat from sheep in the Northern hills that meets with a personalmission to encourage the nation to eat better meat where flavour iseverything. If you haven't decided on a centrepeice for the springcelebration, check out our Easterlunch ideas for inspiration.
THE RIGHT CHOICE FOR YOUR EASTER TABLE View Our EasterCollection
When making any decision over purchase there are variousconsiderations. Around one-third of the lamb consumed in the UK isfrom New Zealand to meet demand.
Although a cut of lamb is enticing, now you are empowered with moredetails, please consider the alternatives as Spring Lamb is not really the seasonal choicefor your Easter Table.
Farmison & Co is wholly committed to supporting thetraditional, native, heritage breedswith their own exceptional flavours from the Northern farmers ofGreat Britain.
