The mutton we have turned out to be great.. well the roast leg we had on Sunday, and made into hot pot today certainly was. Fairly tender, tasty, darker meat than lamb. We like it. and particularly how much there is of it, this is the second meal the three of us have had off one joint, still have enough for sandwiches tomorrow, and the legs and shoulders were halved.
It has meant we have done a lot of thinking on how we can manage to keep our one lamb, and future year’s lambs until they are older. This mutton came from an animal that was just over two. It seems to make sense to me - more meat, more flavour and more life for the animal. But is it workable, as we are raising our sheep almost entirely on grass (the only exceptions being mineral lick and ewe nuts for those that lamb, and need the extra for lactation). We always have way too much grass in the summer, and not really enough in the winter.. although this is not completely tried and tested as this year we added some extra bits, with some hasty fencing.
We have also talked about getting rid of one of our ewes, as she is a pain, she is flighty and suspicious, and difficult to handle, whereas the other two will let you feel their udders, check for fly strike, dag as they walk about.. it does make all the difference. Maybe it would be good to convert her into joints now, whilst she is still on the young side… but then again we would be down to only two breeding ewes and a whether (currently a lamb) also destined for the freezer. Decisions…
Meanwhile, although it is only one animal and one tasting.. all three of us declare we like mutton - a lot!
