Organic Welsh Mountain Mutton - Rearing
But the valley sheep are fatter;
We therefore deem it meeter
To carry off the latter
T.L.Peacock 1785-1866
- What is mutton?
- Whatever happened to mutton?
- The Mutton Renaissance
- Our Mutton Range
- Mutton recipes
- Mutton Ham
What is Mutton?
Over the past 40 years, mutton has virtually disappeared from our shops and menus. Yet, for many hundreds of years mutton was the only form of sheep meat eaten in these islands - lamb being considered too immature. There is no strict definition of mutton - at one time it was simply any sheep meat sold after Christmas, but generally it refers to older sheep meat. At Graig Farm we define it as any animal over 2 years old. There were grades of excellence of mutton, from the rather inferior and fatty lowland English breeds, which also tended to be relatively tasteless (although the exception to this was the Southdown); through the famous Salt Marsh mutton, which grazed the salt grasses of the South Eastern coast of England, with its characteristic flavour; to the incomparable Welsh Mountain mutton.
"Two weeks ago I mentioned how delicious mutton was, and how hard it was to find these days. Since then scores of you have written in to help, many giving the email addresses of companies that sell organic mutton by post. We wound up buying a whole leg from Graig Farm in Powys which was delivered in two days, packed in a chiller bag so efficiently that the ice hadn't even melted.
You're told to cook it slowly, which we did, over about three hours at a low heat. It was delicious, with a lovely, sweet, nutty flavour, and the lengthy roasting had kept it as tender as spring lamb. A considerable treat."
Simon Hoggart's Diary, The Guardian, 12th February 2005
The Welsh Mountain Sheep Welsh Speckleface Sheep
"For dinner we had salmon and a leg of mutton; the salmon from the Dee, the leg of mutton from the neighbouring Berwyn.
As for the leg, it was truly wonderful; nothing so good had I ever tasted in the shape of a leg of mutton. The leg of mutton of Wales beats the leg of mutton in any other country. Certainly, I shall never forget the first Welsh leg of mutton I ever tasted, rich but delicate, replete with juices derived from the aromatic herbs of the noble Berwyn, cooked to a turn, and weighing just 4 pounds. Let anyone who wishes to eat leg of mutton in perfection go to Wales!"
Whatever happened to Mutton?
Changed farming practices, changed palates and faster life-styles have resulted in the loss of one of the gems of British cuisine over the past 50 years. Most sheep meat sold now is under one year old, and lamb has virtually entirely replaced mutton in British kitchens. Perhaps the communal memory of poor quality mutton - often the only meat available during the War - has also contributed to its demise.
The wholesale shift to younger lamb means that animals are being slaughtered at younger and younger ages, and for phisiological reasons there is a resultant blander taste. Those older animals (mutton), which do still enter the market, are sold to the ethnic communities in Britain, France and Germany, or are used in the food processing industry, leaving virtually no supplies for the normal fresh market.
Mrs Beeton - 1861
Finally, mutton needs careful handling - from the quality of the animal, through correct hanging and butchering, to long, slow cooking - requirements not always available from the supermarket and busy lifestyles of today. Whilst young lamb is tender, when it comes to taste, there’s little to beat that of a properly prepared and cooked leg of Welsh Mountain Mutton - so full of depth and complex flavours.
from Llanfihangel Rhydithon (Dolau) 70 Years Ago, by W. Watkins, J.P.
Proceedings of the Radnorshire Society 1932
Graig Farm’s Traditional Spiced Leg of Welsh Mountain Mutton recaptures that lost taste experienced by George Borrow, by using traditional recipes and ingredients. The joint is prepared for cooking just as it would have been in the kitchen of that inn over 140 years ago. In addition, all Graig Farm’s mutton is reared organically, which means no routine chemicals, and a system which is carefully balanced to ensure sustainability. Indeed, the organic methods used today would be very familiar to Mr Borrow. All of which makes Graig Farm’s Traditional Spiced Leg of Welsh Mountain Mutton about as close as you can get to Borrow’s "truly wonderful" meal !
E-mail from mail order customer - May 2004
Our Traditional Spiced leg of mutton won the meat category of the Organic Food Awards in 1994, was Commended in 2001, amnd Highly Commended in 2000. It was awarded a Welsh True Taste Award in 2005.
The future of Mutton & the Mutton renaissance
At a lunch at the Ritz hotel in London in November 2004 three types of mutton was served to about 100 of the most influential people in the food and farming industry in the UK. Guest of honour and inspiration behind the lunch and subsequent campaign was HRH The Prince of Wales, who felt passionately about the recent demise of what was once the most popular of British meats.
As the Prince said in his speech at the lunch "Let us hope that all of us ... can continue to work together so that good old British Mutton takes its rightful place once again among this country's great dishes".
For some recipe ideas, including those served at the Ritz lunch, click here.
BBC story on mutton
Basket
Related Products
- Org Mutton diced (450g)
- Org Mutton Spiced Leg (whole)
- Org Potato Box (12.5kg)
- Org vegetable Soup Mix (frozen) 600g special offer
