LAMB LESSON

By Zoe Colville, The Chief Shepherdess

For the portion of our population that opts to eat meat, the percentage of those who are familiar with the anatomy of the animal they are consuming is relatively small. This is not surprising as we have largely mentally removed ourselves from our food sources, whether it be meat or even grains, vegetables and the like. I thought it would be a good idea to put together this diagram to help explain not only what comes from a lamb, but which part is which, and how we might prepare and cook the different parts.

Starting with the neck, we offer neck fillets, of which there are two per animal, and they consist of two long pieces of meat. Then there is neck on the bone which can usually be cut into four round slices. Both of these are more tender when cooked slowly and gently, but we have also made BBQ skewers with neck fillet which were simply delicious.

Shoulders generally weigh around 2.5kg each, and each lamb has two shoulders (essentially the front legs). These can be roasted or you can take out the bones and scapula, roll it up and then tie it. There is usually a little more fat on the shoulder, but it is excellent for slow cooking and can then be shredded and enjoyed in wraps, for example.

 

Shanks are generally the lower half of the hind legs of lambs, though butchers sometimes use the forelegs as well. We tend not to offer lamb shanks as this would mean losing half the legs, and these are very popular.

 

 

The rib cage is called a rack of lamb. It can be left whole and the meat scraped from the bones, which is called "Frenching", or cut into individual chops, which have a little more than a mouthful of meat on the bone and are wonderfully tender. You get two racks of lamb from one lamb.

 

 

The loin is the lamb chop or, if left "double", is called a Barnsley chop in English.

 

The breast is completely underestimated. It is often considered old-fashioned or "cheap" meat. However, its popularity is increasing as "nose to tail" consumption becomes more popular. We either trim a lot of the fat and mince the breast or we trim it, roll it and tie it into a small roast. We then cook it for nine hours in Asian-inspired spice blends, let it cool in the fridge overnight, then unroll it and grill it until crispy before shredding it - simply DELICIOUS.

 

 

 

The lamb rump can be butchered in different ways. As a roast, you get two pieces, each weighing about 600g on average. They can also be cut into rump steaks, also known as chops. They are delicious when marinated with mint and grilled. Sometimes we also dice lean lamb and sell it as stewing lamb for casseroles or curries.

 

The leg of lamb is the centerpiece of any feast. It can be kept whole (you get two 2.5-3 kg legs) or it can be halved or even quartered if the shanks are also desired. Some people remove the bone, stuff the meat, and roll it. A fairly lean cut of meat, very popular at Easter, although most lambs are not born until Easter, which is a little misleading.

I hope this guide helps you in your purchasing decisions or at least provides you with a deeper understanding of what goes into butchering a lamb. Perhaps you might even want to try Frenching a rack of lamb yourself!

About "The Little Farm Fridge"

The Little Farm Fridge is run by Zoe and Chris. Chris has farming in his blood: he spent his childhood on his family's farm in Kent. Zoe spent most of her childhood outdoors, building tents and playing with her imaginary animals. At 18, she moved to London to train as a hairdresser, where she spent all her time until she met Chris and gradually moved back to Kent. Gradually, they acquired more and more animals, and now they have a whole herd of animals grazing throughout the county (and beyond). One thing is certain: the passion for their animals is ever-present. No matter how wet the winter or how dry the summer, they always strive for the best.

 

Related Categories

Footwear for farming