[Louise P]

Just been very pleasantly surprised by some mutton chops.
I sent a 3 year old ewe in with this year's lambs and had asked the butcher for mainly diced and minced back. Unfortunately he didn't listen to what I wanted (different topic entirely) and just rough cut it into joints as you would a lamb.
Anyway, I somewhat dubiously cooked some chops tonight ( just grilled as you would a lamb chop) and it was fantastic.
I'm looking forward to trying some more now 

[waterbuffalofarmer]

Yep mutton is definately my favourite above lamb, the flavour is awesome ( it does however depend on how the sheep is fed, grass reared is the best). The only problem is mutton is so expensive nowadays, so I eat it rarely, I do have a sheep i plan to kill out soon though, as she hasn't gotten in lamb for over a year no matter how many times she's been with the ram, she was never a good lamber anyway, very inconsistent and flighty too.

[Roxy]

I like mutton, but it seems very expensive in the window of our butchers down the road.

[Louise P]

I think proper mutton should be well priced since it's took a lot longer and eaten a lot more grass to get to that. It's also more expensive to process if it's over 12 months old.
It's a shame there doesn't appear to be a proper market for it to make it worthwhile selling as mutton instead of lamb.
Perhaps this should be my niche?   

[Porterlauren]

We eat a fair amount of mutton.

With regard to pricing there are two ways to look at it -

As LouiseP says, it's taken a while to rear to that stage, and other costs have accumulated etc, so should maybe be more expensive then lamb.

However, the vast majority of mutton is a by product, rather than specifically reared. I.E It's a cull anyway, so you are making use of a useless beast, which quite possibly has had some prior out put (i.e lambs) for you.

As for 'no proper market'. . . . . . try telling that to the 1000's of cull ewes that go through markets, all of their buyers and the entire islamic community!

[shygirl]

its funny, we were discussing this the other day. I don't buy much meat and never lamb. how are older sheep labelled now, or are they all called "lamb"? in the supermarket. ie do you get hogget on the label? or mutton.

[SallyintNorth]

its funny, we were discussing this the other day. I don't buy much meat and never lamb. how are older sheep labelled now, or are they all called "lamb"? in the supermarket. ie do you get hogget on the label? or mutton.

In the supermarket?  Pie.

[SallyintNorth]

I think proper mutton should be well priced since it's took a lot longer and eaten a lot more grass to get to that. It's also more expensive to process if it's over 12 months old.

Our abattoir charges an extra £2 to remove the spinal cord.

[SallyintNorth]

I do think there is a growing understanding - still very patchy, but growing - that there is such a thing as hogget, which is more mature and tastier than lamb, but not as old, sometimes fatty and in need of slow cooking as mutton.

[shygirl]

its funny, we were discussing this the other day. I don't buy much meat and never lamb. how are older sheep labelled now, or are they all called "lamb"? in the supermarket. ie do you get hogget on the label? or mutton.

In the supermarket?  Pie.

that's what I mean, what type of pie? I felt a right numpty trying to explain people do eat sheep aswell as lambs, when I couldn't give an example!

[Porterlauren]

Most of the ready meals that are 'lamb', i.e your curries, pies, etc etc etc are all cull ewes. Same as a lot of things that are made with 'mixed meat' or 'meat by products' etc. Obviously there are also all of the lamb kebabs, donnor etc.

The biggest change to cull ewe prices followed the horse meat scandal!

[SallyintNorth]

Most of the ready meals that are 'lamb', i.e your curries, pies, etc etc etc are all cull ewes. Same as a lot of things that are made with 'mixed meat' or 'meat by products' etc. Obviously there are also all of the lamb kebabs, donnor etc.

Yes, exactly.

And dishes like Shepherds Pie, Moussaka, are 'lamb' dishes but it'll be mutton.  Sometimes Lasagne and other dishes contain or are wholly mutton too.  (Personally I think mutton makes the best Lasagne.)

[waterbuffalofarmer]

If that's the case though wouldn't the FSA be very interested why they're lying about it being lamb, when its not?

[SallyintNorth]

I don't think there's a specific definition of 'lamb' as being from animals less than X months old, wbf. Lamb means 'meat of sheep' in the same way as beef means 'meat of bovine'.