[Dans]

Ok, I've done it. I've booked in 3 of our ewes at the abattoir. Two of them didn't get in lamb and one had two very tiny lambs and was an awful mother.

The abattoir is also a butcher and will be doing the cutting for us. They asked if wanted them hung and I wasn't sure. Is this needed for mutton? Do you go for different cuts with mutton than with lamb?

We have spoken with the Food Safety Officer so should be all good in that regard but how do you work out how to price them? With it being mutton rather than lamb will people be less keen? They are 2 year old Castlemilks.

Dans - Feeling terribly nervous

[Anke]

Our Shetland ewes (min age 2 usually) get hung for a week at least. We cut them up simply - legs (bone in for slow roast), shoulders and everything else diced and minced - as we mostly eat stews/curries/sheep pie etc. Works well, but we do not sell any meat.

[Twotwo]

I sent 2 ewes off this spring they were 3 yrs.....
I sold them to friends and family for about the same price as lamb, who all said they were very tasty. We just suggested they cooked the meat a little more slowly, a warning though, one had a really thick covering of fat.

[Fleecewife]

We are collecting 4 Heb Hoggets from the butcher in a couple of days.  Primitives generally don't have enough muscle for cuts such as scrag end of neck (I love the name) and the ribs don't have enough covering to barbecue.  You can get back the front legs to use barbecued, like turkey legs. I find I don't use mince, so everything bar shoulders, gigot and valentine chops are made into sausages or burgers.  The butcher adds his usual amount of rusk (none makes them too hard on cooking), then I send spices or herbs of my choice and let him know how much to add.  Always ground black pepper, then Herbes de Provence, chillies or North African spices.  One year the butcher added chopped leeks and they were good.  When selling the meat, I find buyers mostly want the sausages.  This year I'm going to mince the two smallest gigots, add a variety of spices, then make meat balls to use with a curry sauce    for us, not to sell.  In the past we have made our own sausages, with a 5kg stuffer from Weschenfelder, but it's hard work so now the butcher makes them for me.  He's already phoned me three times to day with questions  . 


Two years old barely qualifies as mutton.  I think officially mutton is older than 4.  Our tups go off at 16 months, as hogget.  This year they have been hung for two weeks which is a bit long (I think he forgot to collect them from the abattoir    ) but usually it's a week.  If they are very lean, then a shorter hanging is best.

[twizzel]

We killed one of our young ewes this summer after she had a prolapse at lambing. Cut her the same as a lamb apart from instead of loin chops we had 2 loin joints. Slow cooked the meat was fantastic. We worked out her rough cull price and cost of kill and cut (kill cost is more than lambs as they have to split the carcass to get the spinal cord out). Sold half for £70 to family. Worked out the whole carcass owed us £90, but we put half in our freezer.

[Marches Farmer]

Slow cooker is the lazy cook's friend when it comes to mutton.  Cook as usual, cool and skim off the fat, then reheat.

[bj_cardiff]

I recently had an 16 month old lamb slaughtered and was suprised at the cost. Its usually £29 for killing and cutting but this one was £40, I asked why and it was because the inspector/vet insisted it was split (I assume to remove the spinal cord). I was happy to pay the extra as it was extra work. I was just suprised TBH

[Backinwellies]

I recently had an 16 month old lamb slaughtered and was suprised at the cost. Its usually £29 for killing and cutting but this one was £40, I asked why and it was because the inspector/vet insisted it was split (I assume to remove the spinal cord). I was happy to pay the extra as it was extra work. I was just suprised TBH

Where do you go?  That sounds more expensive than Tragaron.

[twizzel]

I recently had an 16 month old lamb slaughtered and was suprised at the cost. Its usually £29 for killing and cutting but this one was £40, I asked why and it was because the inspector/vet insisted it was split (I assume to remove the spinal cord). I was happy to pay the extra as it was extra work. I was just suprised TBH

Ours is £2 extra to split carcas and remove cord so I think you were ripped off !

[bj_cardiff]

This was at the Gower, I was suprised at the extra cost and questioned it and that was the answer I got. I usually sell all my lambs live but this one had an undershot jaw and took more time to finish, also was missing its 2 teeth - not sure if that has a bearing?

[twizzel]

They will check teeth to determine whether to split the carcass or not. Hence why so many commercial finishers have to get hogs finished and on a hook before they cut their first 2 teeth, normally by May of the year after they were born. But irrespective of how many teeth it has or hasn't got, an extra £11 to split the carcass and remove the spinal cord is I feel a little steep 

[Dans]

We're being charged £34 for kill and cut. I'll ask them to hang the meat for us.

The ewes will be 2 and a half years. Can I still sell that as hogget?

Dans

[twizzel]

It's mutton really. I understood hogget is 12mths to 2 yrs. Our ewe was about the same age as yours and went as mutton.

[Foobar]

10 day hang.  If they were a bigger (more muscular) breed I'd do a 14 day hang.

[TheSmilingSheep]

It will be delicious.  It is mutton rather than hogget, but I'd sell that as 'premium mutton' rather than 'traditional mutton' - it would benefit from being hung - 10/14 days (do ask your butcher since he/she might have a lot of experience as to what would work best for the carcass once they've seen it).
Hogget can be cooked quickly or slowly - it's still tender and can be served pink.  Your mutton is not much older, but I suspect slow cooking would be excellent.  I'd not sell it more cheaply than lamb, if anything I'd consider charging a little more since it's really hard to find well bred, quality mutton....
Enjoy.  Nerves are good!