MUTTON A BLAST FROM THE PAST

Not so long ago mutton was eaten regularly and preferred to lamb,and quite right too since it has a much better flavour and can be cooked in many different ways. Quite suddenly there appeared a snobbish element and you would hear house wives declaring that they “Never ate mutton,nasty greasy stuff.”

While I would be the first to admit that there are fatty mutton joints to be purchased by the unwary,there are just as many,if not more fatty joints of lamb caused by the beasts being kept indoors and fed on pelleted feed which contains fat in order to make the lambs grow faster.

Having grown up on a farm I suspect that the predilection for “Spring lamb” as opposed to mutton was simply this, a lamb needs less feeding because it is killed sooner and of course the farmer gets his money much more quickly. While cannot argue with the logic I do feel it a pity that people have been given the wrong idea about a good piece of English mutton.

Firstly,it is not tough,unless like any other meat it is incorrectly cooked. Secondly ,it does not have to be boiled or casseroled,roast mutton,a rare delicacy these days is on of the finest flavoured meats available.

Finally for anyone interested in middle eastern cookery,meat cooked slowly in a tagine there is,quite simply no contest it you wish for authenticity.

I would also ask a question. “Why,if mutton is a second rate meat,why is it usually so expensive.”

Today I managed tom purchase a whole leg of mutton from a butcher at a farmers market for £25.00, not a bad price for fresh free range meat in these times. While I have often eaten mutton neither Pa nor my son have ever encountered it and to for them the next three days will be a voyage of discovery.

Tomorrow I intent to roast the whole leg very slowly in a bain marie then brown it in a hot oven once the meat is tender. I shall not attempt to brown the meat by searing it as this will cause the meat to become tough.

I shall avoid such things as capers and juniper berries on this occasion, as it is their first time I prefer to let them taste the lovely flavour of the meat.

Monday Mutton will be served hot from the oven with mashed potato and a carrot ,swede and parsnip purree,onion sauce and gravy.

On Tuesday the meat will be reheated in a tray of gravy and served with dauphin potatoes,carrot batons and garden peas. Alternatively Mutton pies made with crisp short crust pastry,or a shepherds pie might be liked.

On Wednesday the meat will reappear served cold with Hot mashed potato,coleslaw,sliced sweet beetroot and a baby leaf salad,this is one of my favourite dishes and it is much nicer than it sounds.

On Thursday the bone will be boiled to make stock in to which pearl barley diced carrots,swede,parsnip ,turnip and potato will be added. Once these are almost cooked a hand full of chopped kale and a small bunch of chopped parsley will be added for a hearty and warming bowl of scotch broth.

The leg of mutton will give ,in total twelve servings at slightly less than £2.00 a head,not bad if I say so myself. Because the meat has not been frozen it would be possible to freeze some of the leftovers for use in a few weeks time, all in all Mutton is a treat which also makes good economical sense.

I have notice that since the recession began more and more of the T.V chefs are resorting to the use of cuts of meat that would formerly have been thrown in the stock pot ,if they had been countenanced it the restaurant at all.

This unfortunate turn of events is making such things as Ox cheek. Pigs cheek. Pigs fry,and trotters more expensive as demand rises. I recently saw neck of lamb rings,with used to be incredibly cheap being sold at £1-20 each and we all know how expensive lamb shanks are these days,£7-00 each for something that used to be almost given away.

This trend is making it more and more difficult for the thrifty housewife to find fresh cuts of meat at a price she can afford. In these circumstances it is worth looking at things like a leg of mutton,a whole shoulder of lamb or a whole gammon joint. So long as they are cooked before freezing it is possible to get a good many meals from one piece of meat, and remember ,because it is already cooked it will only need reheating saving money on fuel also.

Just the small off cuts for a whole gammon joint are sufficient to fill several pies,top several pizzas and provide luscious handfuls of crumbled ham for pasta dishes such as carbnarra .Details of this can be found in one of last years Avie's Home-made Christmas blogs.

Having such pre cooked goodies in the freezer makes it so much easier to plan lovely home made meals and much more cheaply than you might have thought.