[Sca-cooks] Mutton

[Elise Fleming]

Greetings!  Several years ago when visiting the UK, we were told that 
the reason "mutton" had a bad reputation was because of improper 
preparation - wrong age of the sheep, improper "hanging time", etc.  I 
don't recall the specific, but here is some information I found for 
Herdwick mutton.  (We had Herdwick mutton for a meal and it 
was...wonderful!!)

(http://www.alternativemeats.co.uk/HERDWICK-MUTTON-FROM-LANGDALE--CUMBRIA./c-1-69/)
"Until this year, there were no industry-wide standards for meat sold as 
mutton. New guidelines drawn up by Mutton Renaissance aim to ensure that 
mutton is consistently of the quality expected by chefs and home-cooks. 
The standards specify that sheep must be over two years old, and that 
animals must have a forage-based diet (for example, grass, heather and 
root crops). We're delighted to be able to source our Herdwick mutton 
from Cumbria (The Lake District)."

It may be that what has been sold commonly as "mutton" is sheep that 
haven't received the best care in preparation for being used as "mutton".

Alys
-- 
Elise Fleming
alysk at ix.netcom.com
alyskatharine at gmail.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8311418@N08/sets/