Of course, there are farms across the country which regularly serve up mutton on the dinner table, but it's a secret meal for the rest of Australia. Lamb meat is from sheep that are less than one year old, giving it a mild flavour. Mutton is from sheep that are older than one year, but usually around three years old.
Older sheep meat is mutton. Generally, "hogget" and "sheep meat" are not used by consumers outside Norway, New Zealand, South Africa, Scotland, and Australia. Hogget has become more common in England, particularly in the North (Lancashire and Yorkshire) often in association with rare breed and organic farming.
In some parts of the world, mutton and lamb refer to the meat that comes from sheep, the only difference being age. So, mutton is obtained from older sheep, while lamb meat is from young sheep. In other parts of the globe, mutton refers to goat meat.
Mutton refers to the flesh of the mature ram or ewe at least one year old; the meat of sheep between 12 and 20 months old may be called yearling mutton. The meat of sheep 6 to 10 weeks old…
Goat meat is slightly sweeter and milder than lamb meat. Goat meat has more protein per ounce of meat than lamb or mutton meat. Lamb meat has a higher fat content than goat meat ( the fat is where the gamey flavor is most noticeable ).
Sourced from local British farms, our grass-fed mutton is richly flavoured, tender and high-welfare. Enjoy delivery straight to your door when you buy mutton online in the UK today.
There is a good selection of quality mutton suppliers in the UK, and elsewhere. So, how do you go about buying really tasty mutton? Just as wine drinkers have a choice of grape varieties and terroirs which add to the pleasures of tasting different wines, so with mutton.
"It is close to impossible to even find mutton in the U.S.," says Ken Albala, professor of history at California's University of the Pacific. "It costs more to raise sheep for longer periods of time, and the decline in wool production in the U.S. is directly related to the decline in mutton as a culinary delicacy."
High prices are being driven by strong international demand from China and North America, combined with low flock numbers. A trade lamb currently costs nine per cent of the average weekly wage — its highest point since the early 1980s.
When you stop and think about it, it's actually quite strange that pig meat is called “pork,” cow meat is called “beef,” sheep meat is called “mutton,” and deer meat is called “venison.” What's even stranger is that chicken meat is still called “chicken,” and fish is “fish.” So what gives?
The majority of sheep killed in Australia are lambs, slaughtered around 6 – 8 months of age. Sheep can naturally live up to 20 years, with a typical lifespan of 10-12 years. Every year an average of 22.72 million lambs are slaughtered.
Goat – Meat from a mature goat is called chevon, from the French word for goat. The meat of a young goat is referred to as kid. Milk-fed young goat is called cabrito, from the Spanish and Portuguese word. Incidentally, in some countries, goat meat is also referred to as mutton.
Mutton is older than a year, generally 2 to 3 years old. Lamb is about 60 to 70% more expensive than Mutton. Lamb is tender and can be fried or grilled. Mutton is tougher and needs slow cooking.
I think lamb and beef are relatively expensive because we don't factory-farm cattle or sheep here. They live out in the fields for most of the year and require a lot of land. Free-range chicken and pork is also quite expensive for the same reason, but many people prefer to pay extra for the improved animal welfare.
Sheep farmers generally agree that mutton is from sheep that are over two years old, where lamb is up to one year. The extra age of mutton gives it a dark colour with a characteristic flavour that is richer than lamb.
Hogget' refers to animals between 1-2 years old, and is a delicious combination of tender lamb and full-flavoured mutton. Hogget can be cooked hot and quick like lamb, or low and slow – anywhere in between and it might toughen up.
Chicken meat most popular meat in Australian diet, new trends for other meats.
New Zealand lamb has traditionally been cheaper than British lamb because of lower farming costs, higher meat yields and a favourable exchange rate.
Australia's favourite meats
While red meat has traditionally taken pride of place at the centre of the Aussie dinner table, we're now eating half as much lamb as in the 1980s and two-thirds the amount of beef, but nearly 2.5 times as much chicken and twice as much pork.
In Britain and most English speaking countries, mutton refers to meat from adult sheep, and it is less popular than lamb (meat from young sheep) because it is less tender and has a stronger flavor that many people don't like.
This comes from ewes which have outlived their ability to produce lambs and are, to put it bluntly, disposed of in the mass market. Much of this meat goes to the processing industry and re-appears in ready meals, burgers and suchlike. It's sold and bought on price, not quality.
That “gamey” taste, for lack of a better term, lies in the meat's fat, and is a result of the animal's diet. What it all comes down to is a particular type of fatty acid that lambs have and beef and chicken don't. It's called branched-chain fatty acid. This is something that humans can detect at really low levels.
Beef (33% out of 94% consider beef as their top choice)
This is a traditional British meal that consists of meat, potatoes, and other side dishes. It's typically served on a Sunday. Most of the dishes from British cuisine use beef as its main ingredient.
More than 40 per cent of the meat we eat in Britain is chicken – making it the nation's favourite meat by far. It's especially popular with families, with a third eating chicken several times a week or more.
Chicken is the most popular meat in the UK and its consumption is growing.