[Plas Nant]

My first Soay wether is about to go for slaughter at over three years old. Clearly he is not a lamb. The question is, with the slow maturing breeds that are not really ready as meat until 18months at least, what do you call the meat? From the BBC web site, lamb is defined as 'when the animal has its first permanent incisor tooth (at around 1-1½ years) will the meat from it become known as mutton'. That would make most slow growing breeds only marketable as mutton. Whilst mutton is becoming more popular, I don't believe that is what we really have, certainly from Soay. What would meat from slow maturing sheep be sold as then?

Bob

[Rosemary]

I think it's usually described as "hogget" but I'm not entirely sure.

[jaykay]

On our local pub menu, such meat is described as 'shearling lamb', which hits it better than mutton I reckon and sounds quite good 

[Plas Nant]

Shearling lamb sounds good, better than mutton. I guess no one would be bothered on a local pub menu, but could issue be taken if you advertised it nationally using the word 'lamb'?

[Fleecewife]

Rosemary is right - it's hogget from when the first adult incisors appear.  Hogget is a premium product. 

When it stops being hogget I'm not sure as really wethers could go on being called that until they are about 4. 'Shearling lamb' could only apply until the second incisors appear so at two and a bit years old.

Hogget meat is sweet and tender but has more flavour than baby lamb. Soay in particular has a taste all of its own, which should be fully developed in your 3 yo.

  Mutton is no longer a derogatory term either, at least when it refers to wether meat rather than old ewe, which really is mutton.  Wether mutton has an even stronger flavour than hogget.   Old ewe mutton can be anything from tender and tasty to a bit old and stringy, but skill with the cooking - long and slow with plenty of liquid - will make it an excellent meal too.

[norfolk newbies]

On a similar subject, we are new to sheep, and have some lincoln longwools (ewes and one lamb) who are not for eating yet ( hoping to tup the ewes next month) and a texcel/longwool cross which is intended for freezer. The vendor mentioned (we bought as little lamb) that she would be 'ready for freezer at 45kg'. How do you tell when a lamb/shearling/hoggett is 'ready'?? Is it purely an age thing, what happens, as it has this year, that the grass has not been as lush?

We are used to pigs and using bits of string and the look of the animal, but all I can see with this one is a bit of head and little legs sticking out from a great mound of wool. ( If anyone has young children she looks like Marvin from the book ' Marvin wanted more.......but not quite as big.)

thanks in advance for any advice
Jo

[Hopewell]

I think it was in Mrs Beeton's household management cookbook that the best meat from sheep is described as mutton from a 4 year old wether. I think at over 3 he can't even be called shearling lamb, which has to be a misnomer anyway, because if it has been shown one ie is a shearling then it isn't a lamb. Personally I would call it prime mutton.

Maybe a comparison with the cattle industry is helpful here. What we call spring lamb is akin to veal ie is from a baby animal. Beef is nearer to being mutton in this comparison and that can vary in quality too.

[Plas Nant]

Hmm! I'm not too worried about my three year old wether, he is for our own consumption. Sifting through the comments above, it seems best to me to slaughter between 18months and two years so that the meat can be described as hogget. Hogget seems to be sought after, maybe more than lamb.
Thanks for all input so far.

[Corrie Dhu]

Lamb until the teeth come up, hogg or hogget until 2 years of age and after that it's mutton.  Mutton is still a delicacy however and I sell Shetland wethers as mutton at 2-3years of age and it's delicious.  Old ewes at 5-6 years of age probably aren't quite as tasty I'd guess! A "shearling" is an animal which has been sheared once, ie up to 2 years of age really.