Check out our lamb recipes.
Nutritional focus
Lamb is quite a fatty meat as young sheep are fattened up before being killed (250 calories per 100g). But even if it is high in fat, you shouldn’t exclude lamb from your diet. It's very easy to remove the fat. The main benefit of lamb is that it is rich in protein (excellent for building muscles), Vitamin B12 and zinc (good for the heart and bones).
Choosing lamb cuts
Lamb is only 300 days old. Below this limit there are three types of meat:
- suckling lamb has not yet been weaned off its mother’s milk and is slaughtered at 30 to 40 days old. Its meat is still full of milk so is very white and tender, with a very subtle flavour.
- Butcher’s lamb or white lamb is slaughtered at 70-150 days old. As its name indicates it’s generally sold in butchers and supermarkets. Its meat is very tender and stronger than suckling lamb.
- Grass fed grey lamb is older and is fed on grass. The meat is light red and its taste is a lot stronger.
- Salt marsh lamb is a very well known breed which grazes on salt marshes in coastal estuaries that are washed by the tides.
The best time for lamb is between March and April (hency why it’s traditional to eat lamb at Easter).
Preservation and freezing
Refrigeration (2°C - 4°C)
Freezing
2-4 days (max 2 days for minced lamb).
6-10 months in airtight packaging.
What goes well with lamb?
- Herbs: basil, tarragon, rosemary, mint, sage and thyme.
- Flavours:garlic, mustard and lemon.
- Sweet foods: apples, plums, dried apricots and honey.
- Spices: Good in tajines and curries.
Cuts of lamb and how to cook them
Leg
The Sunday leg of lamb can be roasted or grilled. Allow 20 to 30 mins of cooking per kilo.
Allow 2 kilos for 6-8 people.
Breast
Boil, braise or stew.
1-1.5 kilos for 4 people.
Shoulder
Roast, braise or stew. Should be pink. Allow 25 mins cooking time per kilo.
2 kilos for 8 people.
Chops
Grill until pink.
3 small chops per person.
Saddle
Grilled or roasted. Can also be stuffed (ask your butcher to remove the bones)
150-200g per person.
Kidneys
Can be grilled, fried, sautéed or cooked in sauce. Ideal for sweet and sour dishes and cook very quickly.
3 per person.
Shank
The small muscle attached to the leg. Rich in collagen so very tender, this cut is very tasty and sought after. Make sure you get a shank when you buy a leg of lamb.
One per person.
