Scottish Food | Lamb

Lamb is traditionally associated with spring in Scotland and the favourite joint to prepare at Easter-time. Spring lamb is reputed to be extremely tender and succulent with rosy-pink flesh rather than the darker meat of summer or autumn lamb.

However, spring lamb is born, not killed, in spring and the sad reality is that many lambs are now intensively reared for the Easter market. As this often means that they are weaned quickly, kept indoors and given concentrated feed, the meat can end up more insipid than lambs left to graze on rich summer grass.

Happily, however, most sheep escape intensive faming and Scottish lamb is renowned for being of extremely high quality. All kinds of factors contribute to the taste of lamb – its breed, the way in which it is reared, when and how it is slaughtered and its grazing environment.

Rare and minority breeds of sheep such as Boreray, Soay, Hebridean and Shetland, for example, can feed on herbs, wild flowers, heather and seaweed as well as grass, which not only provide the sheep with essential minerals, but also add a distinctive flavour to the meat. Not surprisingly, because of this unique surf and turf taste, as well as proven health-giving properties, there has been a recent resurgence in the popularity of these sheep.

However, by far the dominant breed in Scotland is the Blackface (or ‘Blackies’) which are known for their hardiness, adaptability and versatility. All Blackfaces are horned, with – funnily enough – black or black and white faces. Several distinct types have evolved over the years, influenced by climate and grazing environment, and in Scotland these include the Lanark, Perth, Newton Stewart and Lewis.
Blackies are ideally suited to mountain and hill terrain, but as they are generally small in size, they are often cross-bred with larger Blue-faced Leicester to produce the Scotch Mule or Border Leicester for Greyface. Blackface lamb is naturally reared, and, available from September onwards, it has a deserved reputation worldwide for its sweetness and succulence.

When choosing lamb, look for the leanest cut with creamy-white fat – any crumbly, yellowish tinge is a sign of age. Age is another important consideration in choosing the roast for when lamb passes its first birthday, it becomes a hogget, which at this stage can make exceptionally fine dining. At two years or more, lamb becomes mutton, which unfortunately has been out of fashion for a number of years.

However, thanks in a large part to Prince Charles who has been a strong supporter of the Mutton Renaissance campaign, as well as the Slow Food movement and top restaurants re-introducing the dish to diners, this dark, juicy, flavoursome meat is coming back into vogue. It is particularly suited to slow-cook recipes such as curries, casseroles, pot-roasts and Middle-Eastern tagines.

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